What Is Joseph Stalin A Totalitarian Dictatorship

Totalitarianism is a system of government in which the state acts to extends its absolute authority and power into all aspects of its citizen’s lives and have that population be completely under the control of a totally pervasive ruling ideology of a single leader. The essence of totalitarianism can be found in its very name; it is a form of rule in which the government attempts to maintain 'total' control over society, and further seeks to meld that state’s beliefs within that societies core roots, an example of this occurrence can be liquidised through Stalin and his methods in Russia during the 1920’s and 30’s. Carl Friedrich’s, a late political scientist and historian of the 20th century formed the basis of a totalitarian

Stalin’s policy priorities were not building a ‘worker’s paradise’ or a classless society, but protecting Russia from war and invasion. In 1928, Stalin launched the first of two ambitious five-year plans to modernize and industrialize the Soviet economy. These programs brought rapid progress – but also significant death and suffering. Stalin’s decision to nationalize agricultural production dispossessed millions of peasants, forcing them from their land to labor on gigantic state-run collective farms. Grain was sold abroad to finance Soviet industrial projects, leading to food shortages and disastrous famines in the mid-1930s. Soviet Russia was dragged into the 20th century, transforming from a backward agrarian empire into a modern industrial superpower – but this came at extraordinary human cost.

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin were the most recognizable and known totalitarian leaders in Europe. They both had a great impact on the world's history. Adolf Hitler was the Fuhrer of the III Reich and a leader of the Nazi Party. He is to blame for the break out of the II World War and for the creation of an ideology which caused the holocaust and suffering of many nations. Stalin was a leader of the Soviet Union until 1953.

Joseph Stalin, from the time that he was a low level revolutionary to the years that he spent as the dictator of the Soviet Union, always knew what he needed to do to achieve his goals. His organized rise to power allowed him to gain a steady flow of followers who would support him for decades to come. Stalin received a minor government position in 1917, but by the time a new leader was needed in 1924, he “had turned the largely routine post of Party general secretary into the most powerful office in the Soviet Union” (“Joseph Stalin) and “had built a personal empire for himself through his control over committee appointments at all levels . . . expand[ing] the leading Party organs with his supporters, who then voted against his rivals”

Almost everyone knows what a monster Adolf Hitler was, but most people do not know that one of the great ally leader of World War II, Joseph Stalin, had committed even greater atrocities than Hitler. Joseph Stalin was a ruthless and yet diligent dictator of the Soviet Union, whose rise to power influenced a multitude of major events in his country’s history. Due to Stalin’s impactful reign, he made the Soviet Union become a global superpower, underwent difficult hardships such as the Great Famine in the Soviet Union, and after his death, caused the Soviet Union to go through a process known as de-Stalinization.

Joseph Stalin greatly influenced Russia in the years 1924 through 1932. His rise to this power can be explained by the Russian Revolutionary experience that allowed him to gain authority in Russia. Although historians often refer to Stalin as a ruthless, mindless dictator, he redirected the Russian Revolution to major economic development. Stalin’s character in Russia during the Revolution catalyzed the many events that took place during the time period. Because of Stalin’s ability to both appeal to the masses, and take advantage of events, like Lenin’s death, Stalin was able to rise to power. Essentially, the Russian Revolution fostered the development of Stalin’s dictatorship leading the country into a state of economic growth and influence. The Revolution fostered Stalin’s ability to maintain a central leadership, use violence to gain control, and regenerate a previously disconnected economy.

Totalitarianism is a form of rule in which the government has complete or “total” control over society. In a totalitarian dictatorship, people do not have individual freedom, and the government controls every aspect of an individual’s life. In order to achieve this type of dominance over society the dictator instills fear into everyone which makes totalitarianism a cruel form of government.

Joseph Stalin is known to be “one of the most powerful and murderous dictators in history” (bbc.co.uk). Stalin became general secretary of the Communist Party, which had given him the control that he had been looking for (bbc.co.uk). Soon after, he was granted dictatorship of the Soviet Union after Vladimir Lenin had died (historyplace.com). Many people did not like the way that Stalin was ruling. People wanted their own independence from Stalin and he did not take that very well. In 1929, Stalin had believed that many Ukrainian scholars, scientists, religious leaders, etc. were planning a riot against him. Without even being listened to during a trial, they were killed or deported immediately to prison camps (blogspot.com).

In 1922, Vladimir Lenin founded the Soviet Union, and during these years, Stalin became one of his most loyal followers. As he continued to gain popularity and began to move up the party ladder, Stalin became Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. This role enabled him to appoint his allies to government jobs and have a base of political support (History.com Staff, 2009). When Lenin passed away in 1924, Stalin began creating a "cult of personality" around himself and got artists to paint pictures glorifying him (Trueman, 2015). He also built himself to be a great genius and a leader who was guided by Lenin and described himself as "Lenin's right hand man" (Kenny 2015). In the late 1920's, Stalin gained complete control over the Soviet Union and became its dictator.

This determination greatly affected Stalin’s rise to power, and allowed him to completely decimate all opposition to his leadership. Originally, Stalin was a powerless citizen of the USSR, yet he managed to quickly rise to the top of the political field. He began his role in politics by joining the Bolsheviks in 1903. Due to his thirst for power he steadily rose through the ranks of the party and was soon the General Secretary. The Bolshevik insurrection to Russian leadership was successful and placed Stalin in a position of great power. He then used his power to isolate members of the party in an attempt to take away their power and popularity. Determined to gain absolute dominance over the other members, he caused the dismissal, and possibly the deaths, of several of his political opponents. This left him in total rule over the Communist party,

This implies a relationship in which the state through its instruments dominates society. Hence in the totalitarian state all political, economic, social, cultural and intellectual activities should be directed towards fulfilling the aims of the state” (“Totalitarianism”, 1999). In a totalitarian state, individuals have no rights and they must obey the government without question. If individuals questioned or disagreed with the government, they were silenced by death or prison.

""As known as there is no one can save from criticism? Stalin was actually super self-conscious about the way he looked, having a shorter left arm and mark. So, Stalin was responsible for the death of at least 20 million people. He said it himself: “One death is a tragedy, one million is a statistic,” and Stalin sure left one. But in another side, his policies greatly improved the industry in Russia. He forced people for collectivism on the people, and many Russians considered collectivism as a bad thing, but it helped the Russian economy and industry too much. Stalin and most party leaders supported the NEP, believing it necessary to strengthen the Soviet Union and protect the revolution"."

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin are 2 notoriously known people in world history. Both Stalin and Hitler are known for the great number of deaths they have caused. Although both men have totally different reasons on why they killed so many people their ways of leadership are somewhat alike.

Hitler wanted a “Greater Germany” under Nazi control that would be powerful enough to dominate Europe. Similarly, Stalin wanted to spread Communism worldwide. There was no way that they could both achieve these goals. Both knew that one of them would have to submit to the other to get their way.

Joseph Stalin almost single-handedly destroyed the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s through his purges and five-year plans.Stalin rose to power in the 1920s during a power struggle between leading Bolshevik leaders following the death of Vladimir Lenin. He became the primary leader in the Soviet Union in the 1930’s. His most devastating policy was the collectivization of farms within the Soviet Union during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Some estimate that over 30 million Soviet citizens died from starvation due to these policies. Stalin's purges during the 1930s also resulted in the mass murder of millions of Soviet citizens and the forced imprisonment of millions of others. Those not executed by Stalin were sent to labor camps in Siberia