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Joseph Stalin
Born Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (1878 – 1953), Stalin was the first General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death. He assumed a lead role in Soviet politics following the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924.
1,367 Questions
What are pros and cons of Stalin?
Pros:
-Heavy industry (improve standard of living for citizens)
- Ability to fight (helped when World War II came around)
Cons:
- People starved either through refusing to hand over their crops or having no food (food was being sold to foreign markets)
What were the conditions of the dictators nation beforehe took power Joseph Stalin?
The Russian Revolution led to the Soviet Union having economic problems. He was then appointed as secretary of the Communist Party in 1922.
Why did Joseph Stalin switch sides in World War Two?
Because "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", and that is how Stalin played the US and British, like violins.
Stalin was forced into it because Hitler and Germany attacked the Soviet Union without warning by launching Operation Barbarossa. Stalin had tried to sit World War 2 out by signing a nonaggression pact with Germany, but Hitler never intended to honor that pact forever. When Germany made its attack, Stalin and the Soviet Union had to fight back. Russia needed the help of the Allies for war materiel and to keep Hitler occupied fighting on Germany's western front. Stalin was a reluctant allied leader at first, but an enthusiastic one at war's end when he could claim the spoils of war and extend Communist influence into as many east European countries as it could.
How did Russian rulers impact the people of Russia?
The revolution had a huge impact on Russia. It overthrew the century old system of tsars and instilled a Communist government ruled by dictators. Even today, Russia's government has not recovered from the effects of the Russian Revolution.
Joseph Stalin lived in his dacha (summer home) in Kuntsevo, a small town formerly on the outskirts of Moscow (now in Moscow's Fili District).
Just Google "Kuntsevo dacha" for more information.
What country was Josef Stalin the leader during World War 2?
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the second leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), also known as the Soviet Union and sometimes referred to, somewhat inaccurately, as "Russia".
The USSR no longer exists as of 1991. Russia, the largest part of the former Soviet Union, is now a country.
What three ways did Stalin use to transform Russia into a totalitarian government?
Stalin was a master of using fear, eliminating his competition, scapegoating, controlling education, creating an effective Propaganda machine, controlling the flow of information to the people, and killing any communist party members who opposed his regime. He believed that he was the the true communist leader and to carry out all of his policies, he had to be the USSR's dictator. No threat to his power was too small to liquidate. Within a few years after Lenin's death, Stalin created his totalitarian state.
What did the Russians think of Stalin?
Stalin has just come No. 3 in a poll of most popular Russians, so he is fondly remembered by many Russians. Soviet dictator Josef Stalin was voted Russia's third most popular historical figure in a nationwide poll that ended on Sunday, despite the famine and purges that marked his rule. The "Name of Russia" contest run by Rossiya state television channel over more than six months closed on Sunday night with a final vote via the Internet and mobile phones. It drew more than 50 million votes in a nation of 143 million. Millions of Soviet citizens perished from famine during forced collectivization, were executed as "enemies of the people" or died in Gulag hard labor camps during Stalin's rule which lasted for almost 30 years until his death in 1953. "We now have to think very seriously, why the nation chooses to put Josef Vissarionovich Stalin in third place," prominent actor and film director Nikita Mikhalkov, one of the contest's judges, said after the results of the vote flashed on a screen. "We may find ourselves in a situation where absolute power and voluntarism that ignores people's opinions may prevail in our country, if a fairly large part of the nation wants it." At the top of the list was 13th century prince Alexander Nevsky, who defeated German invaders, followed by Pyotr Stolypin, a prime minister in the early 20th century known for agrarian reforms and a clampdown on leftist revolutionaries. The project was launched in mid-June with a list of 50 historical figures selected from some 500 original ones. So I suppose what this proves is that Russians like a strong ruler! What a pity that Czar Nicholas II wasn't a strong leader. Russian soul- it is that strange, mystical quality which enables Russians to claim that they are more spiritual than Westerners, even though foreigners generally come to Russia to find the spirit of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky while Russians often visit the West for some good shopping. But I maintain that just a quick survey of the Russian language is enough to convince one that Russia really does have a more penetrating, all-encompassing conception of "the soul" than most other nations. Those who have read Nikolai Gogol's satiric masterpiece "Myortvye Dushy," or "Dead Souls," already know that in many circumstances the Russian word dusha is a synonym for chelovek(person). Russians seem never to have bought into the Hellenistic division of mind, body and soul that post-Enlightenment Europe adopted. Like English-speakers, a Russian entering an empty room might remark, ne vidno ni dushy (there's not a soul to be seen). However, Russian also has expressions like zhit dusha v dushu (to live in peace and harmony) or dusha bolit (to be worried about something). Of a poor person, it is said, u neyo za dushoi ni grosha (she doesn't have a grosh to her soul, a grosh being an old Russian coin). Etot razgovor mnye ne po dushe (I don't feel like having this conversation) is a useful expression which can disguise mere petulance as spirituality. The next time your friends suggest another trip out to Izmailovo, you can turn up your nose and say chto-to mnye ne po dushe tuda sevodnya yekhat - literally, for some reason my soul is not up to going there today. Russian also has a fabulous expression for someone who becomes afraid when faced with sudden danger, u nevo dusha ushla v pyatki - literally, his soul ran into his heels. Sometimes this expression is rendered even more dramatically as u nego dusha upala v pyatki - his soul fell into his heels. Clearly, in the Russian language, the soul is the key to a person's identity and behavior. U neyo dusha naraspashku - her soul is wide open, an open book - Russians say about someone who is honest and sincere. When a person is worried, they say u nevo dusha ne na meste (literally, his soul isn't in the right place) or eto u nevo tyazhelo na dushe (that is heavy on his soul). When a person really wants something or is particularly excited by some idea, u nevo dusha gorit - his soul is on fire. Clearly the Russian soul is far busier than your average Western soul,which is generally only dragged out on Sundays and special occasions. There is one other moment that Western and Russian souls have in common though. When the time come, we all must otdat bogu dushu - give up our souls to God.
Stalin's Five Year Plan increased manufacturing but decreased production of consumer goods.
The Five-Year Plan was a road map for Stalin's great goals of industrialization. The industrial output of the Soviet Union increased by 50 percent in five years; the annual rate of growth during the first Five-Year Plan was between 15 and 22 percent. There were entirely new industries built in entirely new cities. Cities such as Moscow and Leningrad doubled in size in the early 1930s. Stalin attempted a Moscow-White Sea canal connecting Moscow to the seaports of the north.
However, this industrialization came at enormous human cost. Many large-scale projects were carried out with prison labor. People were arrested and sent to camps on all sorts of charges (petty criminal infractions, contacting foreigners, and even being born to bourgeoisie or kulak parents). This army of prisoners was supposed to complete the most tedious tasks ever.
Heavy industry was always in priority over light industry. Emphasis on quantity even made quality practically meaningless.
Stalin's Five-Year Plans consisted of a countless number of moves for further industrialization of Russia. A few examples were given above.
Method of planning economic growth over limited periods, through the use of quotas, used first in the Soviet Union and later in other socialist states. In the Soviet Union, the first Five-Year Plan (1928 - 32), implemented by Joseph Stalin, concentrated on developing heavy industry and collectivizing agriculture, at the cost of a drastic fall in consumer goods. The second plan (1933 - 37) continued the objectives of the first. Collectivization led to terrible famines, especially in the Ukraine, that caused the deaths of millions. The third (1938 - 42) emphasized the production of armaments. The fourth (1946 - 53) again stressed heavy industry and military buildup, angering the Western powers. In China, the first Five-Year Plan (1953 - 57) stressed rapid industrial development, with Soviet assistance; it proved highly successful. Shortly after the second plan began in 1958, the Great Leap Forward was announced; its goals conflicted with the five-year plan, leading to failure and the withdrawal of Soviet aid in 1960.
Stalin's Five-Year Plan was a road map for a great campaign of forced industrialization. It was a rather ambitious set of goals that Stalin and his followers drew up in 1927. The plan called for unbelievable industrialization efforts. Russian propaganda posters advocated the saying "We Smite Lazy Workers!" to mobilize workers. New industries were built in entirely new cities (i.e. the factory town of Magnitogorsk). Moscow and Leningard doubled in size as new cities were emerging across the country.
The results of the five-year plan are still looked upon today as one of the most stunning periods of economic growth. The industrial output of the Soviet Union increased by 50% in five years. In 1926, only 1/5 people in the Soviet Union lived in towns. In 1939, roughly 1/3 did.
Yet, this is not to say that this was totally executed without some defects. This industrialization came at enormous human cost. Large-scale projects in the timber and mining industries used prison labor. The labor camp system (named "gulag") actually became a central component of the Stalinist economic system. People were arrested and sent to camps on a very wide variety of charges, including simply having the ill luck of being born to bourgeois or kulak parents. This camp system held around 3.6 million people by the end of the decade. A man-made canal connecting Moscow to the seaports of the north was dug by hand, with human labor used for every part of its construction. Tens of thousands lives were lost. (Yet, the canal was bombed early in World War II).
These were economic plans setting out timed goals for productivity, especially with regard to industrial output.
In 1927 Stalin's advisers told him that with the modernization of farming the Soviet Union would require an extra 250,000 tractors. As well as tractors there was also a need to develop the oil fields to provide the necessary petrol to drive the machines. Power stations also had to be built to supply the farms with electricity.
Since the October Revolution industrial progress had been slow. It was not until 1927 that production had reached the levels achieved before the start of the First World War. Stalin decided that he would use his control over the country to increase production.
The first Five Year Plan introduced in 1928, concentrated on the development of iron and steel, machine-tools, electric power and transport. Joseph Stalin set the workers high targets. He demanded a 1115 increase in coal production, 200% increase in iron production and 335% increase in electric power. He justified these demands by claiming that if rapid industrialization did not take place, the Soviet Union would not be able to defend itself against an invasion from capitalist countries in the west.
Every factory had large display boards erected that showed the output of workers. Those that failed to reach the required targets were publicity criticized and humiliated. Some workers could not cope with this pressure and absenteeism increased. This led to even more repressive measures being introduced. Records were kept of workers' lateness, absenteeism and bad workmanship. If the worker's record was poor, he was accused of trying to sabotage the Five Year Plan and if found guilty could be shot or sent to work as forced labour on the Baltic Sea Canal or the Siberian Railway.
With the introduction of the Five Year Plan, Stalin argued that it was necessary to pay higher wages to certain workers in order to encourage increased output. His left-wing opponents claimed that this inequality was a betrayal of socialism and would create a new class system in the Soviet Union. Stalin had his way and during the 1930s, the gap between the wages of the labourers and the skilled workers increased.
To improve agricultural and industrial production
To improve the production rate by 80%
Stalin's Five-Year Plan was a road map for a great campaign of forced industrialization. It was a rather ambitious set of goals that Stalin and his followers drew up in 1927. The plan called for unbelievable industrialization efforts. Russian propaganda posters advocated the saying "We Smite Lazy Workers!" to mobilize workers. New industries were built in entirely new cities (i.e. the factory town of Magnitogorsk). Moscow and Leningard doubled in size as new cities were emerging across the country.
The results of the five-year plan are still looked upon today as one of the most stunning periods of economic growth. The industrial output of the Soviet Union increased by 50% in five years. In 1926, only 1/5 people in the Soviet Union lived in towns. In 1939, roughly 1/3 did.
Yet, this is not to say that this was totally executed without some defects. This industrialization came at enormous human cost. Large-scale projects in the timber and mining industries used prison labor. The labor camp system (named "gulag") actually became a central component of the Stalinist economic system. People were arrested and sent to camps on a very wide variety of charges, including simply having the ill luck of being born to bourgeois or kulak parents. This camp system held around 3.6 million people by the end of the decade. A man-made canal connecting Moscow to the seaports of the north was dug by hand, with human labor used for every part of its construction. Tens of thousands lives were lost.
Russia had been a mostly agrarian state, but the world was moving toward industrialization. Stalin realized that for the USSR to keep up economically with the rest of the world, it had to become more industrialized as well. The plans also were intended to increase agricultural output, but were not as successful in that regard as they were in industrializing the country.
What did Joseph Stalin do to end nazism?
Stalin did many things to contribute to the war effort against the Nazis. His economic policies and military tactics were far better than those of the nazis. Soviet losses in WW2 were far, far higher than those of any other nation. Not only was Stalin instrumental in defeating the Germans, but he also pursued a policy of dominating postwar Eastern Europe. He replaced one tyrany with another. Having said that, the sacrifices made by the Soviet Union in WW2 were far greater than in any other theatre of the war.
What did stalin roosevelt and churchill agree on?
They had quite a few agreements but the best known is probably 'The Atlantic Charter'.
Who or what race of people did Joseph Stalin kill?
Unlike Hitler, Stalin committed genocide against a wide variety of people. They included Russian Muslims, Germans, Don Cossacks, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Poles, Ukrainians, and political dissidents.
What did mothers tell their children about Stalin?
During Stalin's rule, many mothers told their children that he was the greatest thing to ever happen to Russia.
Pathos!
Who was Stalin's second in command?
Stalin was too paranoid to name a second in command but the nearest equivalent would be Lavrentiy Beria who was in charge of the NKVD which was the secret police .
Was Joseph Stalin a good man or bad?
he Is a very bad man. He killed millions and many just disappeared over night. He built a canal connecting Moscow with St. Petersburg and killed 25,000 people just doing that. He also flooded many villages in making the canal. If he needed a man who had a certain occupation or ability, he would be arrested, and kept in a prison camp forced to work. I was in Russia last summer and went down the canal to St. Petersburg. Enroute we stopped at a old monastery to see a musem,but the whole place was in ruins with piles of rocks everywhere. After I got home and was watching a history channel program on the canal I saw the monastery I had visited. It had been used as a prison camp. I now wonder if the piles of rocks weren't graves, but I will never know. Also he let 20 million of his own people die during the war with Germany
I, personally, like Stalin but I will give both sides of the debate.
Anti-Stalinists say he killed lots of people in the Holodomor but than again Stalinists say the Statics don't add up.
Also, Stalinists question WHY he would do that?
On the whole, Stalin was a "bad" man in the sense that he was either directly or indirectly the cause of much misery to millions of innocent people and is responsible for, whether directly or indirectly, the deaths of 15 to 20 million people.
Czar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate the throne because he was indifferent to the misery of the Russian people. Stalin, on the other hand, actively caused misery to the people he was supposed to be governing.
Even the one thing that can be said that he did for the country, making it into a modern industrial power was not without its negatives. IN order to fund his industrialization plans, Stalin had to confiscate grain from the peasant farmers, because that was what the Soviet Union could produce to sell abroad. So he confiscated as much grain as he needed to fulfill his plans, but without worrying whether the farmers who grew it had enough left to live on.
Depends how you look at it. It's not like he had a huge moral and ethics concerns, but his intentions were never to simply cause misery to the population for the sheer fun of it.
Everything has it's negatives. Even increasing health care or education funding, the funding has to come from somewhere. This means something else loses money, or the population pays more taxes.
Did Joseph Stalin reign as leader of the USSR from 1922 to 1953?
That is somewhat correct.
For the begginning of that time he shared the power with others. He had to slowly push them out of the picture. He gained considerable more power in 1924 at the death of Vladimir Lenin. By 1929, he successfully pushed the other political leaders of the USSR out of power, one of which included Leon Trotsky.
From 1929 to 1953 he had full and sole power of the USSR.
"The death of one man is a tragedy- a million is a statistic"
"In the Soviet Army it takes more courage to retreat than advance"
"Death solves all problems- no man, no problem"
"I trust no one, not even myself"
"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would never let our enemy have guns, why would we let them have ideas?"
"If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we will do so ourselves"
"It is enough that there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count them decide everything"
"When we hang the capitalists, they will sell us the rope we use"
"I believe in one thing only: the power of human will"
"Sincere diplomacy is no more possible than dry water or wooden iron."
"If any foreign minister begind to defend to the death a "peace conference", you can be sure his government has already placed its orders for new battleships and airplanes"
Firstly he was elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party to aid Lenin, however when Lenin became incapacitated, Stalin employed ruthless political tactics and used his power as General Secretary to dismiss supporters of Trotsky and other leaders. He then replaced the vacant positions with his own supporters. Another of his ruthless tactics was when he told Trotsky the wrong date of Lenin's funeral making him hated. He also began to play the two halves of the politburo against each other first he allied with the leftist part Zinoviev and Kamenev whom wanted world revolution to force Trotsky into exile and then joined the rightists Bukharin, Rykov, and Tomsky and advocated Socialism in One Country which stated that Russia should first become strong in order to dismiss the leftists Zinoviev and Kamenev. After this he argued that the NEP ( New Ecomomic Policy ) was anti-communism and had Bukharin, Rykov, and Tomsky dismissed. Stalin schemed his way to power using ruthless tactics: 1. Firstly he dismissed all his political foes supporter's and replaced them with his own 2. Then he sided with the Leftists to have Trotsky exiled 3. Then he sided with the Rightists to have the Leftists dismissed 4. and finally he argued that the NEP was anti-communism nd had the leftists dismissed Stalin merely eradicated his enemies and culminated his own supporters in order to become supreme ruler of Communist Russia.
How many people died under Joseph Stalin regime?
Famine: 20 million
Purge: 1.5 million
WWII: 35 million
Total: At least 56.5 million
What sorts of crimes did Joseph Stalin commit?
Mostly murder and genocide. As much if not more than Hitler.
Prior to the Russian Revolution in 1917, Stalin organized and committed bank robberies to help finance the Bolshevik Party's activities. These were euphemistically called "expropriations" or "exes"
