Joseph Stalin led the Soviet Union from mid-1920s to his death in 1953. He held a dictatorial rule in the newly formed Soviet Union, which had a political system controlled solely by the communist party until its disintegration in 1991. His reign was truly controversial in that although the country saw great modernisation and development in the period, the human rights of the Soviet citizens were seriously belittled. Stalin used a variety of methods to successfully strengthen his control over the Soviet Union, often with the use of violence in a period of political turbulence. The use of terror is definitely vital in helping Stalin to obliterate his political opponents in the communist party and ensure that his grandeur five-year plans to modernise …show more content…
Stalin ordered that his opponents be removed from pictures in the textbooks immediately after they fell out of power. In response to this, students were taught to remove or hide pictures of fallen political figures in the book in their history class. For example, source GG shows a comparison between two pictures before and after Nikolai Yezhov, a prominent member of the Communist Party, fell from power and was arrested and shot. This sheds light on the larger picture of Soviet censorship - all the materials in publications were carefully examined by officials to make sure that the general public follow and support the ‘right’ leader. Stalin’s opponents were defamed and gradually forgotten after they fell out of power. Source HH shows even more clearly how Stalin rewrote history. The source contains four pictures which show important political figures standing beside Stalin disappear from the picture one by one. The implication is quite unnerving - anyone opposed to Stalin, despite the high position he stands in the party, will be removed from power and forgotten. By re-writing history hence, Stalin managed to manipulate the young generation of Soviet citizens believe that Stalin was the true leader of the