The Impact of Stalin on Russia and the Russian People

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The Impact of Stalin on Russia and the Russian People

Joseph Stalin was born to a poor family in the province of Georgia in

1879. Stalin's real surname was Djugasvili; he adopted the name

'Stalin' whilst in prison as he felt the translation 'Man of Steel'

would help his image. Stalin joined the Bolshevik party as a young man

and soon became an active member organizing bank raids to gain money

for party funds; this led to Stalin's imprisonment a number of times.

Stalin first met Lenin in December 1905 in Finland and was quite

surprised to see him as an ordinary man unlike the person he had

imagined. In 1918 Stalin was made Commissar for Nationalities of the

Bolshevik party, then in 1922 he became General Secretary. This made

Stalin very powerful, particularly when soon after his appointment

Lenin was hospitalised to have 'Dora Kaplan's bullet' removed. The

operation was unsuccessful and left Lenin paralysed down his right

side. Joseph Stalin then became Lenin's mouthpiece. The initial

effects of this was the rise of Stalin to become the leader of the

Communist party in Russia, this then resulted in Stalin going down in

History as a brutal dictator and mass murderer.

In 1924 Lenin died and most people presumed Trotsky who had formed the

Red Army and who had been Lenin's right hand man would become Lenin's

successor. If Stalin had not been around Trotsky probably would have

become the leader of the Communist party. Stalin was seen as dull by

the intellectual elite of the Communist party and probably not very

intelligent or well educated, however, they all made a fatal mistake

in assuming that he was stupid. Stalin outmanoeuvred Trot...

... middle of paper ...

... modernised Russia. The workers who did

not offend the state were better off than under the reign of the tsar.

Russia's military forces were benefiting from her industrial growth

and whilst Stalin retained power there was a stable government. People

gained better access to education and medical care. However millions

had died in the famine after the failed experiment of

Collectivisation. Stalin did make Russia into a great power but there

was an enormous price to pay for it. Millions of people were starved

or murdered under Stalin's brutal rule. Stalin led Russia with an iron

fist. The long-term effects of this were the only reason people

idolised Stalin was because they were too frightened to do anything

else and Stalin's influence lived on through Krushtov and Brezhnev,

they too would not allow any senior opposition.

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