Assess the impact that Stalin had on Russia and the Russian people Essay Example

was put on unlucky individuals who were "found" to have sabotaged production. The Russian people believed, through strong propaganda, that they were transforming Russia and building a better society for their children. Many of the workers were forced labour, made to work hard by compulsion, and prisoners did the really heavy work. The standard of living hardly improved - in fact the overcrowding in the cities got worse - because the money gained was all put back into industrialization or to cover military expenditure, little was to go into amenities. It should be recognized though that many workers received their first ever holidays and the awards for those who worked exceptionally hard were cherished.

Collectivisation (putting individual plots of land together to form a collective farm) succeeded in that it restored the pre-Communism agricultural production levels. However took almost 30 years and was achieved at a huge cost, mainly to human life. Its main aims - cheap food produced by the peasants were achieved and so it cannot be called unsuccessful in this way. . Russia was still not as efficient at farming as GB, US and Germany though. Conversely, for the great majority of the Russian population life did not improve.

Stalin could have industrialized as successfully, perhaps even more successfully with being so brutal and losing so many innocent lives.Collectivisation was a great communist ideal- the sharing of land equipment and wealth. This was a true Communist left-wing belief. It was partly motivated by the ideology that sharing was right.

The NEP also motivated it. Land owning peasants - kulaks - had made a fortune during the 1st four-year plan. This created lack of

uniformity in wealth, and also made the kulaks, for whom capitalism was their life, the natural enemy of Communism. Hatred of the kulaks by those introducing collectivisation was widespread, a local official saying 'we know how to deal with you kulaks, we'll wipe your face of the earth' and Stalin said in 1929 'We must break the resistance of this class of kulaks and deprive it of its existence.' It was a declaration of intent, which was later shown in the remorseless persecution of the kulaks.It has been said of Stalin that he was ruthless, and I think that this is very true.

Nevertheless, this was crucial to Russia and the Russians during the Second World War. One thing that may have helped Stalin's popularity is that however bad the situation in Russia was, if Hitler won and took over, it would be infinitely worse. Stalin had to be ruthless to counter Hitler's own ruthlessness, and success in war would be a gratifying accomplishment for any nation's leader.Surprisingly many people at the time, and even after Stalin's death, still believed that what he did was right. This may be partly to do with the successful outcome of World War Two, but the Russians really believed that they needed a strong ruler.

If you did not go against the government, living circumstances might not have improved much, but there was hope for the future. Stalin was admired for bringing order out of chaos, but it could be argued that Stalin and the Communists caused the chaos in the first place.Anyone who went against Stalin, especially political adversaries, was sent to labour camps or shot. In fact

by 1938 only Stalin remained of Lenin's general staff of twenty years earlier.Stalin succeeded by means of terror in making the Russians believe that what he was doing was right.

He also made them believe that the terrorization of his totalitarian rule was the only method that could help Russia. He controlled their ideas through censorship and they died for him, believing they had helped to build a better future for Russia. Stalin did everything 'in the interests of the Party.' He was only killing many people in the Purges because they were working against him, Stalin, the one man who could turn Russia into a modern industrialized country. Therefore if they were working against him then they were betraying the Communist regime and Russia, and deserved to be shot. Had Russia lost to the Germans, it is very feasible that the Germans would have kept hold of Russia and could still be ruling it now.

Obviously this would be a huge change for Russia and its population. Even many years after Stalin's death people still idolized him. He had transformed the country, but they couldn't see how much life was wasted to achieve it.