Similarities Between Stalin And Tsars

There are many similarities between the way Joseph Stalin governed Russia and the Tsars before him. The Tsar himself has absolute authority and sovereignty over a Tsarist regime. All rights of the people and the state entirely belong to the Tsar. This is very much the way in which Joseph Stalin ran Russia. The Tsars ran Russia under an autocratic regime ruling without democracy. They were mostly all anti-reform, with the exception of Tsar Nicholas 11, who wanted Russia to remain a feudal, peasant-based nation whilst reinforcing a sense of imperialism and nationalism to their people. The Tsars, especially Tsar Nicholas II, and Stalin both acted as “gods on earth” whilst both portraying themselves as cults of personality. To a large degree Stalin ran Russia under an autocratic regime just like his predecessors, even though this wasn’t his governmental title.

He tended to drift away from certain aspects of the regime in order to run Russia how he believed it should be run; which was a communist dictatorship.

Just like the Tsars, Stalin had total control of the Soviet Union from 1936 onwards where the politburo first came into existence; making Stalin the main decision making body in the USSR. For the people of Russia living under a Tsarist regime or the Stalinist regime, it is seen that there was not much difference. Both governments essentially abolished human rights and democracy with the people of Russia suffering politically, economically and socially at their expense. However, to consider Joseph Stalin as being a “Red Tsar” is to extreme. In some aspects Stalin did in fact re-create Russian Tsardom, but he also opposed many of the key features and core principles behind the

monarchy.

The communist revolution of 1917 was seen as being the biggest turning point in changing Russia’s and joseph Stalin’s future. The revolution was meant to bring about radical change in creating a modernised society where the relationship of power, between the people and the state were completely different to that of the Tsarist regime. However, despite this being the case for many years, in 1924 after Vladimir Lenin’s untimely death, it is seen that Russia, under Stalin’s rule, went back to a Tsarist system of government with Stalin acting as the new “Red Tsar”.

Stalin, just like the tsars before him, instilled fear and propaganda onto the people he ruled. His approach in ruling soviet Russia, in some ways, mirrored that of the Tsars; especially peter the great whom he admired. His rule as the supreme leader was not to be questioned or challenged by anyone. If so, then the secret police whom he controlled, also known as the NKVD would “get rid” of any one who opposed his leadership and authority. There was no freedom of speech as Stalin had a censorship on the press and the media. Stalin would often use passports, residence permits and visas to track and control the movements of his people as a way of social repression. This is very similar to how Tsar Nicholas II ran Russia from 1894 – 1917 before the Russian revolution of 1917 when Tsar Nicholas II was still in power. Russia was run in very much the same way. He, just like Stalin acted as a supreme leader who was given divine status. However, on ground level, throughout the nation, his people faced much repression through his acts of political terrorism. Whilst Stalin was enjoying the fruits of his own success, his own countrymen were essentially swept to one side. The aggravation of the class struggle was worsening year by year through Stalin’s implemented collectivisation and industrialisation schemes.