Dictator: Stalin

By Fatima Sadiq
Stalin took many steps to improve Russias broken state all the while gaining
power. The state of Russia was struggling prior to Stalin becoming the leader due to
the previous rulers bad leadership skills. Stalin became leader by becoming friends
with Lenin and out maneuvering his rivals. The peasant farmers did not like how the
landowners kept most of the crop money so they held violent revolts. The leader at
the time, Nicholas II, rejected the peasants demands and threatened violence if
their protests persisted (James Barter, 18-19). The Russian Revolution came to an
end after the abdication of Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas IIs was forced to abdicate by
the Russian parliament because Russia was living under poverty. World War I began
after Nicholas II was abdicated and it continued on for three years which caused the
Russians to become even more tired and depressed. Russia withdrew from World
War I (Shelly Klein, 44-45) in 1918. The meeting with Lenin in Finland (James
Barter, 24) introduced Stalin to other major figures in the party and caused Stalin to
move up. In 1912, Lenin chose Stalin to work for the first Central Committee of the
Bolshevik Party. In 1917, the Bolsheviks gained control over Russia. The Soviet
Union was later founded in 1922, with Lenin as its first ruler. Stalin continued to
move up throughout the years and in 1922, Stalin became secretary general of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party where he started gaining political
support. Stalin acquired somewhat small positions like Inspector General of the Red
Army and Cabinet Minister for Nationalities. Stalin made it so that he supported
everything Lenin did and said. Rather than push[ing]... forward, Stalin preferred to
remain in the background (Shelly Klein, 45), he undertook a job at the
Organizational Bureau where he dealt with friends and political allies. Stalin
assumed control when given the position of general secretary of the Central
Committee. His occupation allowed him to control party appointments, appoint
allies, and gain more political support. He strengthened his support even more by
spying on his allies. As the years went by, Stalin... move[d] up the party ladder
(Joseph Stalin). Lenin died on January 21, 1924. By the time Lenin died, Stalin was
considered leader of the Soviet Union. Stalin solidified his power by killing and
ruining the reputations of his rivals so ... no one... could challenge his authority
(Toms Lanford, 31). Stalin then continues to take apart Lenins economic policy to
get rid of any form of resistance.
Stalin contributed a lot to Russia. Stalin made many improvements to
Russias economy and agriculture. He did this by keeping control over the people.
After obtaining power, Stalin swapped Lenins economic plan with his own five-year
plan and implemented collective farming (Joseph Stalin). By the end of the 1930s,
the Soviet Union had advanced from its previous status as a mainly peasant society
to the status of a major world power. Stalin did many things to improve Russia.
Stalin planned on improving farming by forced collectivization of Soviet agriculture
while the government took control of [the] farms (Joseph Stalin). Millions of farms
did not listen to Stalins orders and were shot, exiled, or sent to camps as
punishment. Stalin made himself the countrys main focus. Cities were named after
him. Soviet history books were rewritten to give him a more powerful role in

revolution. He was the subject of laudatory artwork and literature music. Even his
name became [a] part of the Soviet national anthem (The Soviet Union under
Stalin). By making himself the center of attention, Stalin had greater control over
the people. Stalin ruled by terror and got rid of anyone who resisted. He expanded
the powers of secret police (Joseph Stalin) and encouraged the citizens to snoop on
each other. During the second half of the 1930s, he had millions killed or sent to
Gulag camps which started the Great Purge.
Stalins involvement in WW11 made a big impact on Russia. Stalins allies
were Britain and America. The Soviet took over eastern Poland showing that the
Soviets and Germans had decided to partition the country in their pact. One asset of
Germany's war against the Soviet Union (Stalin and the West) was the new
assistance between the Allied and Soviet forces. The alliance later became tense
because Stalin not only wanted to keep control of Soviet-occupied Poland but also
wanted German-held territories. Stalins decisions affected Russia as a whole. Stalin
signed the non-aggression pact with Hitler in 1939 which changed the balance of
powers in Europe. Stalins relationship with his allies (Britain and America) was
influenced by two problems, one was the invasion of France via D Day, the next was
the subject of the post-war boundaries of the Soviet Union and the distance to
which the border states are. Throughout the reconstruction era Stalin tightened
domestic controls... by threat[ening] war with the West (Soviet Union 1945-1985).
The few freedoms allowed to church and collective farmers during wartime were
taken away. A lot of Soviet citizens (those who had been brought back from the war
and strained workers) were either executed or sent to prison camps. WWII ended in
1945. Despite Soviet Union being successful in World War II, the economy had been
ruined. About a quarter of the countrys capital resources had been demolished, and
output of industrial and agricultural goods had declined tremendously. To try and fix
the country, the Soviet government acquired financial assistance from Britain and
Sweden but not from the United States because of the Marshall Plan. As a
substitute, the Soviet Union forced Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe as a source for
machinery and raw materials. The Soviet people had to deal with the majority of the
expenses of reconstruction because the program pronounced industry while
overlooking agriculture and consumer goods. By the time of Stalins death in 1953,
steel production was twice its 1940 level, (Soviet Union) yet the amount of the
creation of merchandise had declined.