The most dominant factor in Stalin’s acquisition of power was his political skills. Stalin's first major success over the other contenders, though they did not realize it, was the power he gained from his position as General Secretary of the party. This gave Stalin the ability to appoint new members as well as have access to information on other party members. He was able to build up a base of support by promoting his supporters into higher party positions. No one else in the party wanted this position so it Stalin took it and seen as a bureaucratic burden.…
Over the 30 years of Joseph Stalin’s dictatorship, the estimated death toll ranged from 28 to 40 million people, whom died from a variety of things, such as famine, executions, and a very large war. Stalin assumed autocratic rule of the Soviet Union in 1924 following the death of Lenin. Stalin made a variety of reforms, but his main focus was on the economic issues that was occurring in the communist country at the time. Stalin made his economic reforms solely to make the most amount of money possibly, even if millions of people had to die. I completely contest to Stalin’s beliefs and ideas during this very controversial time in the USSR.…
The impacts of the physical abuse, early political involvement, and school boycotts on Stalin both physically and mentally can be seen as shaping his political…
Khrushchev initially raised hopes of a better political and economic future for the USSR through his secret speech. His shocking condemnation of Stalin’s reign of terror and seemingly more liberal intentions of peaceful co-existence gave the impression of a new, markedly successful era for the USSR. However, these expectations were quickly dashed through a series of counterproductive and unsuccessful policies, most notably his grand but ill-fated agricultural schemes. Khrushchev displayd a refreshing and new approach to politics that came as a jolting shock to those who had spent the twelve years under the rule of the excessively brutal and controlling Stalin. This was particularly evident in his initial secret speech, in which many believed his speaking out against Stalin to be a form of trap for his potential critics.…
Nikita Khrushchev, sought to “De-Stalinise” Russia by rejecting ‘the Stalin cult,’ to attempt to reform Russian government and society. However, questions arise on whether Khrushchev’s reforms were executed effectively due to limited changes being made during his regime. As a result, some historians have argued that the Stalinist regime was continued by the Soviets. De- Stalinisation was ‘doomed to failure, because the system’s inherent instability meant that radical changes, whether in the planning system, political life, or the process of production, would always threaten to burst through the system’s fragile integument and bring about its total collapse.’ One must look at the Stalinist regime to understand why Khrushchev denounces Stalin…
Following Lenin’s death on 21st January 1924 there was a long struggle for power due to his failure to appoint a successor. Key candidates included victor Stalin as well as Trotsky, Bukharin, Zinoviev and Kamenev and there were several separate fights with constant changing of alliances and sides. Stalin, who was able to manipulate the party machine, use the weakness of opposition to his advantage be pragmatic with his policies and ideology and employ a certain element of luck was victorious and despite this array of methods he used, his manipulation of the party machine was key to his success in the leadership struggle as he was able to combine his devious personality and powerful positions in the party to emerge triumphant. Stalin’s ability…
From surviving and superseding Hitler Europe to racing against the technological advances of the USA, the Soviet Union constantly maintained its position as a great power in the world throughout the twentieth century. Under Stalin’s dictatorship, nationalistic propaganda and anti-capitalist sentiments inundated the people, spurring the country into the cold war. As World War II ended and the new cold war began, Stalin’s tightening grip on the government was felt across the Soviet nation as labor camps reopened, artists denounced, and social well being ignored. Through his efforts to control the Soviet Union, Stalin himself began the collapse from within that would destroy his government. Following his death, de-Stalinization occurred as foreign…
He was told by a soviet government official that he was one of the five men they chosen to the new office of secretariat of the communist party. Having Nikita Khrushchev be in the Secretariat of the communist party is a stepping stone in his rise to power in the Soviet Union. It was an advance that cumulated in him being a part of the secretariat of the Communist Party in September 1953, which led to him being in the premier in 1958. Khrushchev gained the power when Joseph Stalin died on March 5, 1953.…
Modern day Russian president, “Czar Putin”, has made great strides in bringing Russia back to it’s former glory after the downfall of the Soviet Union and Soviet communism threatened Russia’s position in the world as an international superpower. Prior to its modern day replication of the United States’s representative democracy, Russia’s system of government transitioned through two stages. As the totalitarian dictatorship of the Czarist period evolved into the socialist republic of the Soviet era, the world observed the Soviet Union’s attempts at implementing Karl Marx’s vision of communism in Russian society. Although Soviet leaders deemed that Russia had adopted a successful Communist system, Russian society under the USSR failed to emulate…
Boris Groys. The Total Art of Stalinism: Avant-Garde, Aesthetic Dictatorship, and Beyond. Translated by Charles Rougle. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1992. 126 pp., $13.49 (paper).…
3. Explain in detail the different aspects of totalitarianism and describe how Stalin employed these policies and tactics to extend and maintain absolute control over Russian society. (Beck, Section 2) A totalitarian government is one that takes complete control over every aspect of a nation, including both the public and private lives of its citizens.…
In 1934, the connections made between Lenin and Stalin’s agenda and the Russian Empire’s achievements under despotic rule created for the populace a history of success through autocratic leadership. Similarly, the economic growth during Stalin’s reign of terror saw the population largely accepting the repressive governing system as an exchange for Stalin’s promise of true liberty and order through socialism. Meanwhile, the centralization of power in the Soviet Union further consolidated Stain’s authority, as well as highlighted the USSR’s industrial progress and reinforced the nation’s borders. The Soviet era created a legacy of success through autocracy, and though some elements of democracy have been introduced to Russia, the overall political, economic, and social trends of the USSR have condemned the country to an authoritarian…
Hungary has had an amazing, strong, and intelligent leader for ten years. Today, that legend, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was pronounced dead, after being bedridden for four long days after experiencing a stroke, also known as a cerebral hemorrhage. Joseph Stalin was a war general, ranking as a marshal of the soviet union for two years, and soon after that becoming a generalissimus of the soviet union for the remaining 8 years of his service. This great man was born December 18th, 1878. He was known as an intelligent man even when he was a young boy.…
The Pros and Cons of Communism On paper, communism doesn’t seem like that bad of a thing, and certain aspects of communism aren’t that bad, however communism does have its downfalls. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of communism is, “a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed”, “System” as in government system, and “goods” meaning anything from money to food. A communist system would mean, for example, if a group of 100 farmers produced 1,000 potatoes, each farmer would get ten potatoes. On paper, this sounds like a fair and good idea, however, execution is everything.…
Time Forward Imagine the world without industry. How could we live? What would society be like? The Soviet Union, before Stalin’s Five Year Plan, lacked industrialization. They were slowly entering industrial age, but not fast enough for Stalin.…