4. Under Stalin’s rule, anyone who opposed, held up or criticised the Party’s ideologies on industrialisation and collectivisation were purged. This resulted in the people feeling threatened and doing as Stalin wanted, contributing to the initial success of the system of terror and repression. Children’s education was impacted, as students learned biased recounts of history, and were taught that Stalin was the ‘Great Leader’. Education became stricter, as the purpose was schools was to produce useful citizens. A positive outcome of this, however, was that by 1939 most people could read. Culture was also impacted, as writers, artists and composers had to follow the policy of ‘social realism’, which required clear, optimistic messages that displayed