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Alexander II had the Okrana and Stalin had the NKVD. Anyone who was seen as being a threat or suspicious to the state were either imprisoned in Gulags, exiled, or
Stalin killed 20 million people just to maintain his power over Soviet Union. Conquest argues that ever since Stalin came to power he wanted to get rid of his rivals and was more worried about losing power from his rivals. So Conquest is trying to conclude that all the purges that Stalin did was to consolidate his power. Lastly, author is specifically arguing in this book that Stalin used Purges to gain power. This book is also insisting that the fear of losing power over Soviet Union forced Stalin to kill millions of
Following the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1914, Joseph Stalin took up his position as leader of the Soviet Union. After rising to power, Stalin made drastic changes to Russia that was still torn from war at the time. With his power, Stalin aimed to bring Russia to the top of the world. In the end, while he pushed the Soviet Union’s economy to new heights, his methods were cruel and had negative impacts. After the war, Stalin was determined to turn Russia into a great industrial power.
Stalin used this fear to corrupt the minds of people into doing exactly what he wanted them to do. Although, many people had opposing viewpoints concerning Joseph Stalin, there
Stalin came into power by using Lenin, who was the previous ruler of Russia. Stalin photoshopped an image to make them appear closer to make it seem like he was Lenin's successor. Mao came into power by using the Chinese revolution. The strategies that are the most effective at helping dictators gain and maintain power are propaganda, persecution, and industrialization.
Although there are many different opinions about how Stalin became the dictator of Soviet Union for more than 25 years, most of the historians coincide in two main strategies that aided him to raise his power: the deletion of opposition and his role within the Party as a General Secretary. Stalin used political manoeuvres to fight against the leaders of both the Right and the Left, accusing them, pointing out the flaws of their ideologies, and making them lose credit. Surprisingly, one of his ways to come to power was shifting his ideology whenever it was convenient to fight the opposition. The Great Purges of the 1930s also exterminated all the present or potential enemies of Stalin, within the Party, in the Red Army or any other citizens
However, his efforts were necessary because he saw that communism was beginning to fail due to Stalin’s purges. By criticizing the areas where Stalin messed up, Khrushchev was able to restore communism and
Stalin went on a spree of execution, imprisoning and firing many officials (especially the officials with higher level) “The Great Purge 1934-1940.”(H-Headlines). Stalin would do whatever it takes to upset any building power bases or alliances who he thought might work against him to take his leadership status.
1) How did Joseph Stalin control Russia? As the leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin utilized totalitarianism, characterized as total centralized control over every aspect of public and private life. He achieved this form of government by means of control of the media, religious and ethnic persecution and police terror. To eliminate all information that held him in a negative light, and instead glorify his lead and support of his policies, Stalin controlled the media through censorship of the press, propaganda and indoctrination.
Buildings burning, citizens yelling and people demanding, rioters stormed the winter palace in order to bring change. While World War I filled the atmosphere of the world, Russia handled a war of their own. Bolshevik leaders overthrew the Czar monarchy for the hope of a better life. The Russian Revolution, led by Vladimir Lenin, relates to McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials in the sense that all three ideologies destroyed a false threat. Lenin’s tyrannical reign resulted in the corruption of the government, neglection of people’s welfare and began communism in Russia.
He appointed Lavrenti Beria as the head of the NKVD, who executed the previous members and claimed they were fascists responsible for the deaths of innocent civilians (Liao, Jim. “Revisiting Stalin 's Great Purge.” The Epoch Times, 14 Feb. 2017). The Great Purge had lasting effects on its victims. “Its psychic consequences among the survivors were long-lasting and incalculable” (“The Great Terror.”
Through the folds of history, the phrase “the end justifies the means” has appeared often in an attempt for leaders to degrade their terrible acts and exaggerate their achievements that resulted. In the late 1800s, during the repressive and absolute rule of Stalin, many Russian citizens argued however, that Stalin did not justify his end with his means. The death of tens of thousands of Russian citizens from both execution and starvation, which were a direct result from his goals of a perfect communist utopian society, is not an act that can be ignored when considering his ultimately ‘good’ goals of pulling Russia out of poverty and stagnant economic and political growth. Joseph Stalin was able to greatly boost the Soviet Unions economy by instituting the 5-year plans with a resulting goal of rapid industrialization, and by instituting collectivization. Joseph Stalin ruled with an iron fist.
He also began rewriting all the history books to show himself as the most important person of the Communist Revolution, which brought down Capitalism in the Soviet Union. Stalin also changed names of cities, like the city of Stalingrad and having his picture be put up everywhere in the Soviet Union. He wanted all people to love him and worship him like their savior. Stalin also wanted all the industrial and agriculture production to be controlled by him, “His development plan was centered on government control of the economy and included the forced collectivization of Soviet agriculture, in which the government took control of the farms,” (History.com). When he put this plan to action, a lot of farmers went against this plan and wanted to keep their farms.
Stalin served for the first Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, and in 1917 the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia (History.com Staff). Lenin was the first leader of the Bolshevik party, but Stalin continued to rise in power within the Bolshevik Party. In 1922 Stalin became secretary of general of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Lenin later died in 1924, and Stalin found his way to the top in the Bolshevik Party. In the late 1920’s, Joseph then became the dictator of the USSR.
Stalin would launched these purges annually in order to instill his position. Stalin had gulags where he sent anybody who defined the ideals of the Communist Party. He created a culture climate of fear within the country . People who spoke of being unhappy with the political party were endangered of being exposed of their political beliefs by neighbors. Dissidence was not tolerated under Stalin’s government.
