Stalin in Power

1380 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Similarities and differences between the character of lenin and stalin

The leadership capabilities give a person freedom to decide which way to use them. One can use them to reach the power; another can use them to enrich others. In Stalin’s case having leadership resulted in policies that had negative effect on country stabilization. The millions of people lost due to Stalin’s regime was a devastating blow to the Soviet Union. Although, the Soviet Union made more progress under Stalin than under any other leader of the Soviet Union, but it happened at a great cost. The enforced policies were meant to improve the overall standards of the people but they had the opposite effect and created chaos. Vladimir IIyich Lenin was one of the biggest influences on Stalin and the way he would come to rule the Soviet Union. “In 1922, with Lenin’s strong support, Joseph Stalin was appointed to a newly created post: general secretary (Kort 152).” After Stalin took this position he began appointing loyal allies to key government positions. There was a series of purges from within the party to eliminate careerists who were there for personal advancement. This would end up playing a major role for every regime afterwards but Stalin took it to a new level by killing off anyone who he felt could beat him. Lenin then denounced him saying that he had too much power but it was too late because he died and Stalin started eliminating his competition to become the leader. “Stalin was the only Bolshevik sitting on the Central Committee, the Politburo, the Orgburo, and the Secretariat, the party’s four main power centers (Kort 152).” Lenin gave him too much power and seemed to finally notice when it eventually became too late. Trotsky and Stalin never really seemed to be friends; however, they were both friends of Lenin wh... ... middle of paper ... ... Lenin never would have imagined to what extent the General Secretary would go to assume control over the State as a whole. The policies implemented during the Stalinism era were great; however the way in which they were enforced was harsh. The Bolshevik party should be held responsible for Stalin’s time and especially Lenin for giving that much power to one individual. During the entire period of terror it became more vindictive while others were favored greater and led to the demise of many individuals including Sergei Kirov. Finally Stalinism was not worth the brunt of trauma that Soviet citizens faced and he should be held accountable for the millions of lives lost through terror. Works Cited Kort, Michael. The Soviet Colossus. Armonk New York: M.E. Sharpe, INC, 2010. 202. Remington, Thomas F. Poitics in Russia. New York: Pearson Education INC, 2008.

Show More
Related

  • Lenin Laid the Foundation for Stalinism

    2439 Words  | 5 Pages

    In order to establish whether Lenin did, indeed lay the foundation for Stalinism, two questions need to be answered; what were Lenin’s plans for the future of Russia and what exactly gave rise to Stalinism? Official Soviet historians of the time at which Stalin was in power would have argued that each one answers the other. Similarly, Western historians saw Lenin as an important figure in the establishment of Stalin’s socialist state. This can be partly attributed to the prevailing current of pro-Stalin anti-Hitler sentiments amongst westerners until the outbreak of the cold war.

    Read More

  • Contrasting, Unknown Stalin by Zhores Medvedev and Stalin:Breaker of Nations by Robert Conquest

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Medvedev, Joseph Stalin’s leadership style was one that was molded from his need to control the situation and paranoia. Stalin did rely on his close network of political allies to effectively rule, but decisions that could affect the U.S.S.R must be authorized by him and no other person. (Medvedev 115) This made party members very nervous and also very repla...

    Read More

  • Comparing the Ideology of Lenin and Stalin

    4174 Words  | 9 Pages

    ...actice were the 5 year plans, collectivization and industrialization. In November 1929, Stalin published an article called The Great Turn. His main argument was that for the USSR to move into the modern age she had to industrialize and the agrarian problem had to be solved once and for all. His solution was to collectivize all agriculture and to destroy the "kulaks" as a class. Over the next six years the Russian and Soviet peoples endured a holocaust comparable to that suffered by the Jews in World War 2, one that would cost over 5 million lives. The language Stalin used was as evil as any denunciation of the Jews by Hitler:

    Read More

  • Stalin's Securement of Power in Russia by 1929

    1711 Words  | 4 Pages

    [ik1]again - this is too strong - by suggesting it was now time to end

    Read More

  • Similarities And Differences Between Lenin And Stalin

    2265 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stalin continued even once he was successful in accomplishing those goals, as he did not stop hurting people, but if anything it gave him more power to hurt people even more. But, at the end of the day, although Lenin ruled for only a very short time, he did raise the standard of living, though there maintained a large amount of hardship. Stalin, however, transformed the USSR from a peasantry to an industrialized nation in less than a decade, he did it on the backs of his millions of victims, who died because of his harsh policies and many purges. Lenin made a series of policies throughout the beginning of the Revolution and through his short time in public office that came to be collectively known as ‘Leninism’. There were many things that influenced Leninism, such as Karl Marx.

    Read More

  • Stalin Vs. Hitler

    2651 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the beginning Josef Stalin was a worshiper of his beloved Vladimir Lenin. He followed his every move and did as he said to help establish and lead the Bolshevik party. Much of the early part of his political career was lost due to his exile to Siberia for most of World War I. It wasn’t until 1928, when he assumed complete control of the country were he made most of his success. After Lenin’s death in January 1924, Stalin promoted his own cult followings along with the cult followings of the deceased leader. He took over the majority of the Socialists now, and immediately began to change agriculture and industry. He believed that the Soviet Union was one hundred years behind the West and had to catch up as quickly as possible. First though he had to seal up complete alliance to himself and his cause.

    Read More

  • Economic, Political and Social Effects of Stalin's Purges

    2363 Words  | 5 Pages

    The effects of the purges on the political structure and community of the USSR can be described (as Peter Kenez asserts) as an overall change from a party led dictatorship to the dictatorship of a single individual; Stalin. Overall power was centred in Stalin, under whom an increasingly bureaucratic hierarchy of party officials worked. During the purges Stalin's personal power can be seen to increase at the cost of the party's. It could be argued that this increasing power for the single leader drawn from his party was due to the need for fast, decisive and unquestioned leadership of the type needed in battle. After all Russia was portrayed by the Soviet propaganda machine as being at war with its own industrial backwardness as workers were urged to industrial `fronts'. If the period of the 1930s is considered, it was a time of crisis. The building tension due to the rise of Nazi Germany making European foreign politics a risky place to navigate, the economic onslaught at home in Russia and the economic depression in the rest of the world making the times harsh. This change then could be argued as being beneficial to the USSR as only a single individual can provide the strong leadership needed, amongst a large group of individuals disputes would hinder the decision making process. However, the idea of the...

    Read More

  • The History Of Stalin's Great Purges

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the worst nations to suffer from Stalin’s great purges in the Soviet Union was not the Russians. Fascist sought to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity which individuals are bound together by ancestry, culture, and blood which are all super personal connections. However, even though Stalin did enforce Russia of the Soviet Union the main enemies of his were the political opponents and their followers. His most ferocious acts of terror “The Great Purges” took place between 1934 and 1939.

    Read More

  • How Significant Was Lenin 's Leadership? The Bolshevik Consolidation Of Power?

    1231 Words  | 3 Pages

    This played well with the workers and soldiers and made it difficult to criticise the new government. As a result, Lenin’s introduction of the Cheka (1917) and the emergence of the Red Terror (1918) ensured his rule was absolute not only within the party but across the Soviet Union. It is the accumulation of these factors that highlighted Lenin’s leadership and practicality following the seizing of power as well as changes to society with War Communism and the NEP and the use of terror which were all vital to consolidating Bolshevik power.

    Read More

  • Individuals During Stalin's Regime

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    During Stalin’s regime, the individual Russian was the center of his grand plan for better or worse. Stalin wanted all of his people to be treated the same. In the factory the top producer and the worst producer made the same pay. He wanted everyone to be treated as equals. His goal to bring the Soviet Union into the industrial age put tremendous pressure on his people. Through violence and oppression Stalin tried to maintain an absurd vision that he saw for the Soviet Union. Even as individuals were looked at as being equals, they also were viewed as equals in other ways. There was no one who could be exempt when the system wanted someone imprisoned, killed, or vanished. From the poorest of the poor, to the riches of the rich, everyone was at the mercy of the regime. Millions of individuals had fake trumped up charges brought upon them, either by the government or by others who had called them o...

    Read More

  • The Great Terror in Russia

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stalin’s hunger for power and paranoia impacted the Soviet society severely, having devastating effects on the Communist Party, leaving it weak and shattering the framework of the party, the people of Russia, by stunting the growth of technology and progress through the purges of many educated civilians, as well as affecting The Red Army, a powerful military depleted of it’s force. The impact of the purges, ‘show trials’ and the Terror on Soviet society were rigorously negative. By purging all his challengers and opponents, Stalin created a blanket of fear over the whole society, and therefore, was able to stay in power, creating an empire that he could find more dependable.

    Read More

  • Joseph Stalin Research Paper

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a dictator Stalin was very strict about his policies, especially working. For instance. Stalin had set quotas very high , as they were very unrealistic. The workers had very long days, and under the rule of Stalin most people worked many hours in overtime, and resulting in no pay. Stalin treated workers very, very harshly. Those who did not work were exiled to Siberia or killed. Some may say you got what you deserved in Stalin’s time. Those who worked very hard for Stalin sometimes got bonuses such as trips, or goods likes televisions and refrigerators. The workers had to conform to Stalin’s policies . Stalin’s harsh treatment of workers received a very unwelcoming response, but in fact the liberal amount of goods that the workers had made, had in fact

    Read More

  • Lenin Research Paper

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov better known as Lenin. Lenin was an important part in Soviet Union history . lenin had a determined goal , he wanted power . Lenin was so powerful , he took the practice communism and made it reality throughout Soviet plus other countries he had an influence on. Lenin believed that communism could solve the problems of society , because his brother was killed by a tsarist regime. He started as a politician and war general , he later became the leader of the Soviet Union. Before Lenin was the leader a man named Stalin Ruled Soviet . Lenin despised Stalin , Lenin then started to take control of the states he created.

    Read More

  • The Rise Of Communism

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order for it to work, Russia had to become an industrial power at all costs. Stalin removed anyone he though could possibly turn against his plan and stay in the way. Over the next few years, he executed many of the old Bolsheviks who had led the revolutions as well as many military officers.

    Read More

  • Marxism and Leninism

    1618 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to most historians, “history is told by the victors”, which would explain why most people equate communism with Vladimir Lenin. He was the backbone of Russia’s communist revolution, and the first leader of history’s largest communist government. It is not known, or discussed by most, that Lenin made many reforms to the original ideals possessed by many communists during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He revised Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles’ theories to fit the so-called ‘backwardness’ of the Russian Empire. Lenin’s reforms were necessary to carry out a socialist revolution in Russia, and the contributions he made drastically changed the course of history. It can be assumed that, the Soviet Union would not have been as powerful if it was not for Lenin’s initial advocacy of violence and tight organization.

    Read More

More about Stalin in Power

Open Document