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Stalin's economic failures
Stalin's economic failures
Stalin's economic failures
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Joseph Stalins rule was profoundly beneficial politically and economically for the Soviet Union until 1938 however had a significant negative social impact. In the late 1920s Stalin was appointed the general secretary of the Bolshevik party in 1922. In 1924 Stalin expanded the functions of his role, all the while eliminating any opposition. By the late 1920s, he had made himself effectively the dictator of the Soviet Union, ruling with autocracy. Stalin aimed to industrialise Russia so it could become a great world power. Whilst Stalins 5 year plans towards industrialisation was effective, the substantial impact of the purges and the failure of collectivisation, far exceed any economic and political benefits from Stalin.
Stalin strongly believed collectivisation would be beneficial for the economy however collectivisation was ineffective due to the lack of cooperation of the kulaks and peasant. Stalin had a strong hold of the economy and forced collectivisation with his ultimate power.(HISTORY.com,. 2014). Stalin believed that collectivisation would increase agricultural output whilst solving the crisis of agricultural distribution. (McCauley, 1983, pg 25) Increasing the agriculture output was important in assisting the desperately needed industrialisation of Russia. (Baker, C. , 1990, pg 38) The plan seemed to be successful, by 1935, 94 per cent of agricultural land had been collectivised and the kulak class had been eliminated. The kulak class were the richest peasants who owned and rented the farm land. They didn't want to produce more than what was needed to sustain themselves. (Baker, C. , 1990, pg 39) Stalin used force against the peasant resistance in order to collectivize their plots of land. The peasants preferred to k...
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...s, he maintained a strong rule over Russia being able to implement his policies. His industrialization plan led to profound improvement in industrial output. Stalin equipped Russia with nuclear power, being beneficial economically.
Works Cited
Baker, C. (1990). Russia 1917-1945 (1st ed.). Oxford: Heinemann Educational.
McCauley, M. (1983). Stalin and Stalinism. (1st ed.) Harlow, Essex, England: Longman.
Acienciala.faculty.ku.edu, (2014). Communist nation since 1917. [online] Available at: http://acienciala.faculty.ku.edu/communistnationssince1917/ch3.html [Accessed 14 May. 2014].
HISTORY.com,. (2014). Joseph Stalin - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com. Retrieved 9 May 2014, from http://www.history.com/topics/joseph-stalin
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. (2014). Life in USSR under Stalin. Retrieved 9 May 2014, from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Stalins%20Russia.htm
Around the early 1920’s, Stalin took power and became leader of Russia. As a result Russians either became fond of Stalin’s policies or absolutely despised them. Stalin’s five-year plans lured many into focusing on the thriving economy rather than the fact that the five year plan hurt the military. The experience of many lives lost, forced labor camps, little supply of food, influenced the Russians negative opinion about Stalin. Having different classes in society, many Russians had different points of views. For the Peasants, times were rough mainly because of the famine, so they were not in favor of Stalin and his policies; where as the upper classes had a more optimistic view of everything that was occurring. Stalin’s policies affected the Russian people and the Soviet Union positively and also had a negative affect causing famine for the Russian people.
boosted the USSR’s economy. Therefore Stalin had created a country which seemed corrupt at the time, but later on it improved by the hard work Stalin had forced upon them.
In conclusion, many soviets citizens appeared to believe that Stalin’s positive contributions to the U.S.S.R. far outweigh his monstrous acts. These crimes have been down played by many of Stalin’s successors as they stress his achievements as collectivizer, industrializer, and war leader. Among those citizens who harbor feelings of nostalgia, Stalin’s strength, authority , and achievement contrast sharply with the pain and suffering of post-revolutionary Russia.
Stalin’s hunger for power and paranoia impacted the Soviet society severely, having devastating effects on the Communist Party, leaving it weak and shattering the framework of the party, the people of Russia, by stunting the growth of technology and progress through the purges of many educated civilians, as well as affecting The Red Army, a powerful military depleted of it’s force. The impact of the purges, ‘show trials’ and the Terror on Soviet society were rigorously negative. By purging all his challengers and opponents, Stalin created a blanket of fear over the whole society, and therefore, was able to stay in power, creating an empire that he could find more dependable.
Joseph Stalin was a realist dictator of the early 20th century in Russia. Before he rose to power and became the leader of Soviet Union, he joined the Bolsheviks and was part of many illegal activities that got him convicted and he was sent to Siberia (Wood, 5, 10). In the late 1920s, Stalin was determined to take over the Soviet Union (Wiener & Arnold 199). The main aspects of his worldview was “socialism
Stalin’s leadership of the Soviet Union can be best described as a period of terror and censorship. In other words, he was very strict, considering the fact that he created the totalitarian government. In order to create this type of government, Stalin used fear and propaganda. He took part in The Great Purge, which was a campaign of terror that was supposed to eliminate anyone who threatened Stalin’s power. He also relied on secret police, who would arrest and execute any traitors. The online blog, “The Reasons For the Failure of The Russian Revolution”, brings up information on how Stalin planned to rule as dictator of Russia. It has been noted, “This ‘reshaping’ had three main aspects: the elimination of all dissent; the liquidation of all forms of democracy and of working class organisation; the slashing of the living standards of the working class and the physical annihilation of millions of peasants” (Text 5). This quote explains how Stalin wanted to industrialize Russia, which includes the deaths of several peasants of Russia. The Russians did not just die from The Great Purge, but also from Stalin’s Five-Year Plan. The Five-Year Plan was an attempt to industrialize the Soviet Union. It was also a plan for increasing the output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity. He had control over economic resources, including farms and
Stalin continued even once he was successful in accomplishing those goals, as he did not stop hurting people, but if anything it gave him more power to hurt people even more. But, at the end of the day, although Lenin ruled for only a very short time, he did raise the standard of living, though there maintained a large amount of hardship. Stalin, however, transformed the USSR from a peasantry to an industrialized nation in less than a decade, he did it on the backs of his millions of victims, who died because of his harsh policies and many purges. Lenin made a series of policies throughout the beginning of the Revolution and through his short time in public office that came to be collectively known as ‘Leninism’. There were many things that influenced Leninism, such as Karl Marx.
Joseph Stalin was the son of a poor shoemaker from a backward province with a significantly minimum amount of education. Stalin had always had a place for faith in the destiny of the Russian social revolution and an incredible amount of determination to play a role in it. Stalin’s rise to power was remarkable and deadly, yet in an unexplainable twenty-nine years of leadership he turned Russia into a highly industrialized nation. Stalin was a tyrannical ruler who played the most significant role in shaping the direct of Europe at the end of World War II in 1945. He went from a young revolutionist to an absolute leader of Soviet Russia. His involvement with domestic and foreign policies cast his shadow upon the world at the end of World War II with his radical ideals. The policy of socialism, the Five Year Plans, and the collectivization of Agriculture were all of Stalin’s key methods of casting this impactful shadow on the world.
Son of a poverty-stricken shoemaker, raised in a backward province, Joseph Stalin had only a minimum of education. However, he had a burning faith in the destiny of social revolution and an iron determination to play a prominent role in it. His rise to power was bloody and bold, yet under his leadership, in an unexplainable twenty-nine years, Russia because a highly industrialized nation. Stalin was a despotic ruler who more than any other individual molded the features that characterized the Soviet regime and shaped the direction of Europe after World War II ended in 1945. From a young revolutionist to an absolute master of Soviet Russia, Joseph Stalin cast his shadow over the entire globe through his provocative affair in Domestic and Foreign policy.
In the beginning Josef Stalin was a worshiper of his beloved Vladimir Lenin. He followed his every move and did as he said to help establish and lead the Bolshevik party. Much of the early part of his political career was lost due to his exile to Siberia for most of World War I. It wasn’t until 1928, when he assumed complete control of the country were he made most of his success. After Lenin’s death in January 1924, Stalin promoted his own cult followings along with the cult followings of the deceased leader. He took over the majority of the Socialists now, and immediately began to change agriculture and industry. He believed that the Soviet Union was one hundred years behind the West and had to catch up as quickly as possible. First though he had to seal up complete alliance to himself and his cause.
Stalin was able to gain control of the Soviet Union through a series of political maneuvers that would change the face of the Soviet Union. His actions would tear the fabric of the revolution and would create a new way of doing politics in the Soviet Union. Stalin would go against many of Lenin’s teachings and would distort the history of the revolution to suit his needs. Each of these actions made is possible for all power to be consolidated to Stalin or to people he controlled never again would he openly face opposition.
A leader is defined as a guiding or directing head. Stalin was the leader of the party that was in charge of the Soviet Union. He created a totalitarian regime which brought great suffering to the Russian people. The individual Russian played two distinct roles under Stalin. One role would be that of a person who under Stalin’s system was no different than the person who is standing next to them. Everyone was treated equal in all facets. The other role the individual Russian played was that of a victim. We are able to see by many different accounts that an individual had different roles to play and under Stalin, each role came with a price that sometimes lead to death. The role of the individual Russian played a huge role in Stalin’s aim at creating a stronghold on a nation that ended up imprisoning and killing millions of its own people
Stalins rise as a dictator over the USSR in 1929, was a struggle for power. It was set by Lenin, in his testament, that Stalin was not to takeover control as the party leader, and to be removed from his position as General Secretary, as Stalin in Lenins eyes had lack of loyalty, tolerance, and politeness. However, different factors, such as Lenins funeral, Stalins position as General Secretary and the rise of bureaucracy, and Stalins relationship to Kamenev and Zinoviev, made it possible for Stalin to become the undisputed leader over the USSR in 1929. This essay will discuss the methods and the conditions, which helped Joseph Stalin rise to power.
Economically, the Soviet Union achieved little to none economic or industrial growth, due to the formation of a classless society. Stalin achieved total control over the economy, which reflected his ideas of a Totalitarian State. The social impact the totalitarian state had resulted in fear within the people because of the secret
Through this program, he ruled the minority nations of the USSR such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan more strictly. This policy of expansion also helped Stalin seize a large portion of Poland, and it was done under the guise that it was to "enrich the nation." Stalin established a secret police force which was unyielding and went about it's business with an iron fist, bringing down dissenters, revolutionaries, and those that cheated in collectivization.