How did Stalin maintain his control in Soviet Union?

Answer 1

Joseph Stalin controlled Russia by forcing the people to worship him secretively. This is called Propaganda. He also used the secret police to spread important news and lies about the country, the country's government and Stalin. Stalin would say that Russia was a democratic government, so the people would vote, but there would only be one party to vote for. Communists.

Stalin control the USSR by propaganda, fear, purges, gulags and show trails!

He also used his popularity to enforce laws and policies.

• Terror: such as the Purges and the use of the OGPU, his secret police, who could arrest people easily without giving a reason, creating a climate of fear.
• Propaganda: posters and socialist realist art, such as novels and paintings glorified Stalin and created 'the cult of Stalin' where Stalin was almost worshiped and seen as 'god-like'
• Censorship: Stalin censored press items and books to make sure no one presented him in a negative way, and if they did he would have them executed. He also doctored photos to make it appear as if his rivals never existed
• Religion: Stalin attacked religion, and encouraged instead worship of himself. Nearly 40'000 Christian churches and 25'000 mosques were closed down.

Answer 2

Joseph Stalin controlled the USSR through a method called fear. This involved the secret police that he made during his time and leader of the USSR these secret police where known as the NKVD. In the middle of the night this police force would arrest and send anyone who was thought of as an opponent of Stalin or a supporter of an opponent to Stalin into the Gulags. In the end the number of people sent to the gulags became millions and it is said that everybody who lived in the USSR in that time lost somebody they knew to a Gulag. The reason people where so scared of these gulags is because they where forced to do hard and pointless labour and many people there died for exhaustion or starvation.

Answer 3

Fear, and love.

Many people were scared of him and what he would do to them. However, many peole loved and iconized him for his leadership qualities.

Answer 4

Basically, Joseph Stalin threatened people and made promises that he could not make.

Answer 5

He made sure any political opponets were silenced. He kept a vast amount of the people in support of him, and the rest oppressed.