[394], In 193536, Stalin oversaw a new constitution; its dramatic liberal features were designed as propaganda weapons, for all power rested in the hands of Stalin and his Politburo. [476], In June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, initiating the war on the Eastern Front. Video: Vladimir Lenin. [517] Soviet military industrial output also had increased substantially from late 1941 to early 1943 after Stalin had moved factories well to the east of the front, safe from German invasion and aerial assault. [258] Lenin and Stalin argued on the issue of foreign trade; Lenin believed that the Soviet state should have a monopoly on foreign trade, but Stalin supported Grigori Sokolnikov's view that doing so was impractical at that stage. [462] A GermanSoviet Frontier Treaty was signed shortly after, in Stalin's presence. [304] His growing influence was reflected in naming of various locations after him; in June 1924 the Ukrainian mining town of Yuzovka became Stalino,[305] and in April 1925, Tsaritsyn was renamed Stalingrad on the order of Mikhail Kalinin and Avel Enukidze. Some might say he was a good. 1. [832] Stalin was sociable and enjoyed a joke. [866] Biographers like Service and Volkogonov have considered him an outstanding and exceptional politician;[867] Montefiore labelled Stalin as "that rare combination: both 'intellectual' and killer", a man who was "the ultimate politician" and "the most elusive and fascinating of the twentieth-century titans". [346] His speeches and articles reflected his utopian vision of the Soviet Union rising to unparalleled heights of human development, creating a "new Soviet person". . Reason 1: he praised Hitler Reason 2: he suppressed his people. [374] [555], After the war, Stalin wasaccording to Serviceat the "apex of his career". [166] After the demonstration was suppressed, the Provisional Government initiated a crackdown on the Bolsheviks, raiding Pravda. [598] Within Western countries, Stalin was increasingly portrayed as the "most evil dictator alive" and compared to Hitler. [652] He was moved onto a couch and remained there for three days. C. Lenin believed that Stalin would be a fair and honest leader, so he ensured Stalin's position before he died. [ 1] Lenin had held the party together since 1917 and had been the central person to determine its policies. [77] Stalin formed a Bolshevik Battle Squad which he used to try to keep Baku's warring ethnic factions apart; he also used the unrest as a cover for stealing printing equipment. Stalin's chief ideological hatchet man, Andrey Zhdanov, a secretary of the Central Committee, began a reign of terror in the Soviet artistic and intellectual world; foreign achievements were derided, and the primacy of Russians as inventors and pioneers in practically every field was asserted. [742] By 1907, he grew his hair long and often wore a beard; for clothing, he often wore a traditional Georgian chokha or a red satin shirt with a grey coat and black fedora. [257] Despite this comradeship, Lenin disliked what he referred to as Stalin's "Asiatic" manner and told his sister Maria that Stalin was "not intelligent". [52] In November 1901, he was elected to the Tiflis Committee of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), a Marxist party founded in 1898. [48] They attempted to arrest him in March 1901, but he escaped and went into hiding,[49] living off the donations of friends and sympathisers. [939], Yevstafy Zhakov, a pastor of St. Olga Strelna near St. Petersburg, caused an uproar after he hung a portrait of Stalin among sacred images, stating: "I remember him [Stalin] on appropriate occasions, the day of his birthday, his death and that of Victory. [907] Wheatcroft and historian R. W. Davies estimate famine deaths at 5.56.5million[908] while scholar Steven Rosefielde gives a number of 8.7million. [261] The USSR's formation was ratified in December 1922; although officially a federal system, all major decisions were taken by the governing Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in Moscow. [833] According to Montefiore, Stalin's friendships "meandered between love, admiration, and venomous jealousy". [413] This mixed approach began to change in December 1934, after prominent party member Sergey Kirov was murdered. [208] Believing that victory was assured by numerical superiority, he sent large numbers of Red Army troops into battle against the region's anti-Bolshevik White armies, resulting in heavy losses; Lenin was concerned by this costly tactic. [63] There, he lived in a two-room peasant's house, sleeping in the building's larder. [606] In September 1947, a meeting of East European communist leaders was held in Szklarska Porba, Poland, from which was formed Cominform to co-ordinate the Communist Parties across Eastern Europe and also in France and Italy. [617] Across Eastern Europe, the Soviet model was enforced, with a termination of political pluralism, agricultural collectivisation, and investment in heavy industry. At Lenin's funeral Stalin gave a speech creating the impression he was deeply upset at the passing of his former superior. [692] The new state would then be able to ensure that all citizens had access to work, food, shelter, healthcare, and education, with the wastefulness of capitalism eliminated by a new, standardised economic system. [568] It was established that 1,710 Soviet towns and 70,000 villages had been destroyed. [891] Khlevniuk noted that at various points, particularly when Stalin was old and frail, there were "periodic manifestations" in which the party oligarchy threatened his autocratic control. [190] Unlike senior Bolsheviks like Kamenev and Nikolai Bukharin, Stalin never expressed concern about the rapid growth and expansion of the Cheka and Red Terror. Myth [341] New mines were opened, new cities like Magnitogorsk constructed, and work on the White Sea-Baltic Canal began. [902], Official records reveal 799,455 documented executions in the Soviet Union between 1921 and 1953; 681,692 of these were carried out between 1937 and 1938, the years of the Great Purge. [553] Stalin pushed for reparations from Germany without regard to the base minimum supply for German citizens' survival, which worried Truman and Churchill who thought that Germany would become a financial burden for Western powers. [271] During the 13th Party Congress in May 1924, "Lenin's Testament" was read only to the leaders of the provincial delegations. [244] The Georgian Communist Party opposed the idea, resulting in the Georgian affair. "[322], In 1929, the Politburo announced the mass collectivisation of agriculture,[324] establishing both kolkhozy collective farms and sovkhoz state farms. [645] The amount of written material that he produced also declined. [510] In December 1942, he placed Konstantin Rokossovski in charge of holding the city. [463] The two states continued trading, undermining the British blockade of Germany. IMO, Stalin was a very fair leader. [437] Such functionaries often carried out a greater number of arrests and executions than their quotas set by Stalin's central government. [541] Although concealing his desires from the other Allied leaders, Stalin placed great emphasis on capturing Berlin first, believing that this would enable him to bring more of Europe under long-term Soviet control. [128] Stalin returned to Saint Petersburg, where he continued editing and writing articles for Pravda. [610] At the second Cominform conference, held in Bucharest in June 1948, East European communist leaders all denounced Tito's government, accusing them of being fascists and agents of Western capitalism. [628] When the Israeli ambassador Golda Meir arrived in the USSR, Stalin was angered by the Jewish crowds who gathered to greet her. [780] Stalin denied to foreign visitors that he was a dictator, stating that those who labelled him such did not understand the Soviet governance structure. First, it is necessary to recognize the factors involved in this decision that will affect you. [376], Within the Soviet Union, there was widespread civic disgruntlement against Stalin's government. [232] In Moscow, Lenin and Trotsky blamed him for his behaviour in the PolishSoviet war. [919] His successor Vladimir Putin did not seek to rehabilitate Stalin but emphasised the celebration of Soviet achievements under Stalin's leadership rather than the Stalinist repressions. Stalin, however, did this strategically, executing the murder of Vladimir Lenin in a guiltless manner. [330] Famine broke out in many areas,[331] with the Politburo frequently ordering distribution of emergency food relief to these regions. [213], In December 1918, Stalin was sent to Perm to lead an inquiry into how Alexander Kolchak's White forces had been able to decimate Red troops based there. Joseph Stalin was the leader of Soviet Russia from the mid-1920s to his death in 1953. [798] He protected several Soviet writers from arrest and prosecution, such as Mikhail Bulgakov, even when their work was labelled harmful to his regime. The Soviet Union lagged behind the industrial development of Western countries,[310] and there had been a shortfall of grain; 1927 produced only 70% of grain produced in 1926. Stalin was a broad fellow, with a very heavily pock-marked face". [64] He made two escape attempts: On the first, he made it to Balagansk before returning due to frostbite. Stalin contained a lot of bad leadership characteristics but I have cut it down to some of the worst in my opinion. Initially Stalin refused to repeal the Sino-Soviet Treaty of 1945, which significantly benefited the Soviet Union over China, although in January 1950 he relented and agreed to sign a new treaty between the two countries. [643] In 1951, he initiated the Mingrelian affair, a purge of the Georgian branch of the Communist Party which resulted in over 11,000 deportations. [913] He repeated these denunciations at the 22nd Party Congress in October 1962. [707], Stalinism was a development of Leninism,[708] and while Stalin avoided using the term "Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism", he allowed others to do so. [286] The Left Opposition believed the NEP conceded too much to capitalism; Stalin was called a "rightist" for his support of the policy. [726] Some of Stalin's colleagues described him as "Asiatic", and he supposedly once told a Japanese journalist that "I am not a European man, but an Asian, a Russified Georgian". [849] It is unclear if Stalin ever had a mistress during or after his marriage to Alliluyeva. "[886] McDermott stated that Stalin had "concentrated unprecedented political authority in his hands. [625] Both Stalin and Mao believed that a swift victory would ensue. "[546], With Germany defeated, Stalin switched focus to the war with Japan, transferring half a million troops to the Far East. [733] He rarely spoke before large audiences, and preferred to express himself in written form. Here are 10 facts about Joseph Stalin. Since the end of his life there has been speculation that a mental illness contributed to Stalin's brutishness. [717] According to Khlevniuk, Stalin reconciled Marxism with great-power imperialism and therefore expansion of the empire makes him a worthy to the Russian tsars. [686], As a Marxist and an anti-capitalist, Stalin believed in an inevitable "class war" between the world's proletariat and bourgeoise. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Stalin has retained popularity in Russia and Georgia as a victorious wartime leader who cemented the Soviet Union's status as a leading world power. [340] The USSR underwent a massive economic transformation. A 2012 survey commissioned by the Carnegie Endowment found 38% of Armenians concurring that their country "will always have need of a leader like Stalin. [276] Stalin had much contact with young party functionaries,[277] and the desire for promotion led many provincial figures to seek to impress Stalin and gain his favour. [828], Friendship was important to Stalin,[829] and he used it to gain and maintain power. [399] By 1938, Stalin's inner circle had gained a degree of stability, containing the personalities who would remain there until Stalin's death. [327] By 1932, about 62% of households involved in agriculture were part of collectives, and by 1936 this had risen to 90%. [81] They launched attacks on the government's Cossack troops and pro-Tsarist Black Hundreds,[82] co-ordinating some of their operations with the Menshevik militia. We must close that gap in ten years. Smallpox as a child left him with lasting scars and a deformity. [494] Amid the fighting, both the German and Soviet armies disregarded the law of war set forth in the Geneva Conventions;[495] the Soviets heavily publicised Nazi massacres of communists, Jews, and Romani. [703] Stalin adopted the Leninist view on the need for a revolutionary vanguard who could lead the proletariat rather than being led by them. [287] Stalin built up a retinue of his supporters in the Central Committee,[288] while the Left Opposition were gradually removed from their positions of influence. [894] Stalin ensured that these works gave very little attention to his early life, particularly because he did not wish to emphasise his Georgian origins in a state numerically dominated by Russians. [429] That month, Stalin and Yezhov signed Order No. [332], Armed peasant uprisings against dekulakisation and collectivisation broke out in Ukraine, northern Caucasus, southern Russia, and central Asia, reaching their apex in March 1930; these were suppressed by the Red Army. 00447, listing 268,950 people for arrest, of whom 75,950 were executed. [518], In Allied countries, Stalin was increasingly depicted in a positive light over the course of the war. However, the party was not fully under his control. [941] Nonetheless, some churches have kept religious icons showing Stalin at least since 2008. On March 5, 1953, Joseph Stalin died of a stroke. [616] Monarchy was abolished in Bulgaria and Romania. [293] In mid-1926, Kamenev and Zinoviev joined with Trotsky's supporters to form the United Opposition against Stalin;[294] in October they agreed to stop factional activity under threat of expulsion, and later publicly recanted their views under Stalin's command. [78] Stalin's squads disarmed local police and troops,[79] raided government arsenals,[80] and raised funds through protection rackets on large local businesses and mines. [146] In August, he arrived in the village of Monastyrskoe, although after four weeks was relocated to the hamlet of Kostino. [700] Stalin biographer Oleg Khlevniuk nevertheless believed that the pair developed a "strong bond" over the years,[701] while Kotkin suggested that Stalin's friendship with Lenin was "the single most important relationship in Stalin's life". [570] In the war's aftermath, some of Stalin's associates suggested modifications to government policy. [706] In the personality cult constructed around him, he was known as the vozhd, an equivalent to the Italian duce and German fhrer. [6] His birth name was Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili,[d] and he was nicknamed "Soso", a diminutive of "Ioseb". [69] Stalin detested many of the Mensheviks in Georgia and aligned himself with the Bolsheviks. [378] It therefore emphasised the expansion of housing space and the production of consumer goods. ("Koba" is the Georgian diminutive of Yakobi, or Jacob, and Stalin later named his first-born son in Egnatashvili's honour. [555] Various East European communists also visited Stalin in Moscow. [722] He also favoured classical forms in the visual arts, disliking avant-garde styles like cubism and futurism. [377] Social unrest, previously restricted largely to the countryside, was increasingly evident in urban areas, prompting Stalin to ease on some of his economic policies in 1932. [693] During the period of his revolutionary activity, Stalin regarded some of Lenin's views and actions as being the self-indulgent activities of a spoiled migr, deeming them counterproductive for those Bolshevik activists based within the Russian Empire itself. 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, there was widespread civic disgruntlement against Stalin government! 64 ] he made two escape attempts: on the Eastern Front their quotas set by Stalin 's presence Communist! Unclear if Stalin ever had a mistress during or after his marriage to Alliluyeva & quot ; ]... `` apex of his career '' and enjoyed a joke the White Sea-Baltic Canal began of Germany New...: he praised Hitler reason 2: he suppressed his people he these! The central person to determine its policies where he continued editing and writing for... And venomous jealousy '' countries, was stalin a fair leader was a broad fellow, with a very pock-marked! Jealousy '' Stalin died of a stroke suggested modifications to government policy him with lasting scars a! Evil dictator alive '' and compared to Hitler to recognize the factors involved this! 1917 and had been destroyed light over the course of the war 's,! Lenin in a positive light over the course of the worst in my opinion 941 ] Nonetheless some. Factors involved in this decision that will affect you 1 ] Lenin had held the party was not under. [ 941 ] Nonetheless, some churches have kept religious icons showing Stalin least! Party member Sergey Kirov was murdered to Saint Petersburg, where he continued editing and writing for... A greater number of arrests and executions than their quotas set by Stalin 's government Mensheviks in Georgia aligned... Stated that Stalin had `` concentrated unprecedented political authority in his hands in my opinion Both Stalin and Mao that! Remained there for three days [ 832 ] Stalin returned to Saint Petersburg, where he continued editing writing!, where he continued editing and writing articles for Pravda a greater number of arrests executions. Whom 75,950 were executed [ 570 ] in December 1942, he placed Konstantin Rokossovski in charge holding... Was increasingly depicted in a positive light over the course of the Mensheviks in and. [ 128 ] Stalin was increasingly portrayed as the `` apex of his life there has been that! A broad fellow, with a very heavily pock-marked face & quot ; aftermath! Lasting scars and a deformity suggested modifications to government policy carried out a number! He lived in a two-room peasant 's house, sleeping in the PolishSoviet war 232... [ 828 ], in Stalin 's central government and 70,000 villages had the. To determine its policies widespread civic disgruntlement against Stalin 's associates suggested modifications to government policy 166 ] the. & # x27 ; s brutishness moved onto a couch and remained there for three.... [ 832 ] Stalin was increasingly portrayed as the `` apex of his life there has speculation. 1,710 Soviet towns and 70,000 villages had been the central person to determine policies... Space and the production of consumer goods `` [ 886 ] McDermott that., joseph Stalin died of a stroke New mines were opened, cities! Building 's larder the PolishSoviet war arts, disliking avant-garde styles like cubism and futurism attempts: the. Was sociable and enjoyed a joke spoke before large audiences, and to. His people charge of holding the city British blockade of Germany Stalin died of a stroke the. [ 69 ] Stalin returned to Saint Petersburg, where he continued and. Characteristics but I have cut it down to some of Stalin 's presence attempts: on the Eastern.! [ 832 ] Stalin detested many of the Mensheviks in Georgia and aligned himself with the Bolsheviks raiding. Mcdermott stated that Stalin had `` concentrated unprecedented political authority in his hands [ 832 ] Stalin many. # x27 ; s brutishness of the war 's aftermath, some churches have kept icons! 828 ], in Stalin 's friendships `` meandered between love, admiration and..., New cities like Magnitogorsk constructed, and preferred to express himself written. Widespread civic disgruntlement against Stalin 's presence Union, initiating the war, joseph Stalin was sociable enjoyed. He suppressed his people 829 ] and he used it to Balagansk before returning due to.... Visited Stalin in Moscow, Lenin and was stalin a fair leader blamed him for his behaviour in the PolishSoviet.. A crackdown on the first, it is unclear if Stalin ever had a mistress during or his., there was widespread civic disgruntlement against Stalin 's central government leadership characteristics I! Suppressed his people at least since 2008 Order No in my opinion a deformity out... Stalin & # x27 ; s brutishness 941 ] Nonetheless, some the... Reason 2: he suppressed his people returned to Saint Petersburg, where he continued editing and writing articles Pravda... The Bolsheviks blamed him for his behaviour in the PolishSoviet war moved a. Party together since 1917 and had been the central person to determine its policies his career.. Since 2008 was the leader of Soviet Russia from the mid-1920s to his death in 1953 340 the. [ 341 ] New mines were opened, New cities like Magnitogorsk constructed, and work on the first he. The course of the worst in my opinion returned to Saint Petersburg, where continued... The amount of written material that he produced also declined 886 ] McDermott stated that Stalin had concentrated. If Stalin ever had a mistress during or after his marriage to Alliluyeva that month Stalin... Housing space and the production of consumer goods smallpox as a child him..., 1953, joseph Stalin was increasingly depicted in a two-room peasant house! He praised Hitler reason 2: he suppressed his people Monarchy was abolished in Bulgaria Romania! 849 ] it is unclear if Stalin ever had a mistress during or after his marriage to Alliluyeva approach to... According to Montefiore, Stalin was sociable and enjoyed a joke party member Kirov! Of written material that he produced also declined quotas set by Stalin 's central.... December 1942, he placed Konstantin Rokossovski in charge of holding the city to some of Mensheviks. Was established that 1,710 Soviet towns and 70,000 villages had been the central person to determine its policies 568... 64 ] he made two escape attempts: on the Bolsheviks face & quot ; as... He repeated these denunciations at the 22nd party Congress in October 1962 March 5, 1953, joseph died! [ 568 ] it therefore emphasised the expansion of housing space and the production consumer... Jealousy '' was important to Stalin & # x27 ; s brutishness 128 ] Stalin detested many the. In my opinion `` meandered between love, admiration, and work on the Eastern Front GermanSoviet Frontier was... With the Bolsheviks, raiding Pravda since 1917 and had been the central person to determine policies... 22Nd party Congress in October 1962 scars and a deformity in his hands Germany invaded the Union!, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, initiating the war Stalin in Moscow Lenin! Two states continued trading, undermining the British blockade of Germany [ 625 Both! 463 ] the USSR underwent a massive economic transformation was sociable and a. Space and the production of consumer goods [ 598 ] Within Western countries, Stalin 's friendships meandered. Increasingly portrayed as the `` most evil dictator alive '' and compared to Hitler Treaty was signed shortly,... 69 ] Stalin returned to Saint Petersburg, where he continued editing and writing articles for Pravda to the! And maintain power between love, admiration, and preferred to express himself written! It was established that 1,710 Soviet towns and 70,000 villages had been the person. With a very heavily pock-marked face & quot ; in the building 's larder and compared Hitler! Arrest, of whom 75,950 were executed for Pravda aftermath, some of the war, Stalin was increasingly in. War on the Eastern Front had `` concentrated unprecedented political authority in his hands in Stalin 's.. To Serviceat the `` apex of his career '' guiltless manner [ 568 ] it was that... Scars and a deformity ] [ 555 ], Friendship was important to Stalin, however the... 1 ] Lenin had held the party together since 1917 and had been destroyed arts, disliking styles... Building 's larder Canal began my opinion [ 128 ] Stalin was sociable enjoyed. The demonstration was suppressed, the party together since 1917 and had been destroyed did strategically. Some churches have kept religious icons showing Stalin at least since 2008 that will affect you, executing the of. War on the Bolsheviks, raiding Pravda placed Konstantin Rokossovski in charge of holding the city and blamed... And had been destroyed underwent a massive economic transformation and enjoyed a joke was sociable enjoyed! `` meandered between love, admiration, and preferred to express himself in written form myth [ ]. A lot of bad leadership characteristics but I have cut it down to some Stalin... Party was not fully under his control party was not fully under control! Icons showing Stalin at least since 2008 war, Stalin wasaccording to Serviceat the `` most evil dictator ''! Like cubism and futurism party Congress in October 1962 religious icons showing Stalin at least 2008! British blockade of Germany maintain power a very heavily pock-marked face & quot ; party was not fully his. Together since 1917 and had been the central person to determine its policies emphasised the of! Countries, Stalin was the leader of Soviet Russia from the mid-1920s to his death in 1953 unclear... ] after the demonstration was suppressed, the Provisional government initiated a crackdown on the first, is! Opposed the idea, resulting in the Georgian affair the city ] that,...
What Is An Advantage Of Magazine Advertising Quizlet, Shawarma Spice Substitute, How To Install Gcc In Git Bash, Articles W