Why is Stalin Considered History’s Most Ruthless Ruler?

JOSEPH STALIN

“Death is the solution to all problems. No man — no problem.” (1) These are the words of Joseph Stalin was considered one of history’s most ruthless rulers. He instituted a reign of death and terror while modernizing Russia. Born on December 18, 1879, into a poor, broken family. He had a really harsh childhood. Stalin had an urge for power and respect since childhood. His quest for power started after the Russian revolution, 1917. There was a big struggle about the succession of Lenin after his death. He rose to power in 1928 and ruled Russia for 25 years until his death in 1953. By the late 1920s, he had become the most feared dictator of Russia. Stalin exiled other contenders for Russian leadership and developed ideologies associated with the propagation of terror to stiffen his firm grip on politics. Between 1929 till the end of 1939, a foundation was laid for a system that transformed the Soviet Union, became the basis for extending communist influence into neighboring regions, and greatly influenced the history of the World.

FIVE YEAR PLAN AND INDUSTRIALISATION

Driven by a sense of inferiority that he projected towards his country, Joseph Stalin launched a series of Five Year plans with the aim of transforming the peasant society of Russia into a superpower through rapid industrialization and augmented agriculture. The Soviets were confident that collectivization of agriculture would increase productivity in several folds and in turn, feed the growing population. In 1928, he launched the First Five Year Plan which was aimed at the collectivization of farms and industrialization in the shortest possible time at the expense of consumer goods. It continued till 1933 and the Second Five Year Plan began in 1932 and expanded the first. World War II proved to be a hindrance for the Third Five Year plan. He died during the Fifth Five Year plan. The goals set by Stalin’s plans were unrealistic. He wanted a 250 percent increase in industrial development and 330 percent in the heavy industries. The collectivization of agriculture was resisted fiercely and eventually proved to be catastrophic for agricultural productivity. A major famine broke out in 1932 which claimed approximately 7 million lives and disabled millions of others. He did increase the amount of food that was produced, but at what cost?

Agricultural reform

Before collectivizing agriculture, the party had always advocated Socialist agriculture as a mechanized one. The First Five Year plans were carried out on an experimental basis with the ambitions of bringing agriculture and industrialization together. In the winter of 1928, Stalin blamed the kulaks for not supplying enough food for workers who worked in the industries. Kulaks were peasants of Russia who owned medium-sized farms. This ownership was a part of the reforms brought about in 1906 by Peter Stolypin. He promoted the collectivization of farms which involved small farmers coming together to form large units. This would enable them to afford the machinery required for efficient production. In 1929, Stalin made a speech. “Can we advance our socialized industry at an accelerated rate while we have such an agricultural basis as small-peasant economy, which is incapable of expanded reproduction, and which, in addition, is the predominant force in our national economy? No, we cannot. Can Soviet power and the work of socialist construction rest for any length of time on two different foundations: on the most large-scale and concentrated socialist industry, and the most disunited and backward, small-commodity peasant economy? No, they cannot. Sooner or later this would be bound to end in the complete collapse of the whole national economy. What, then, is the way out? The way out lies in making agriculture large-scale, in making it capable of accumulation, of expanded reproduction, and in thus transforming the agricultural basis of the national economy.” ( 2 ) Local lands were confiscated from the kulaks and were used to form new collective farms. The kulaks were barred from participation in this collectivization and were deported to Central Asia and Siberia, where they were used as forced laborers. But the peasants did not want collectivization. They killed their livestock, rather than giving them up and the state took the grain. The result was famine. Over 5 years, 7 million died of starvation. Pelageya Ovcharenko was almost taken by the body collectors.

STALIN’S RULE

Stalin’s rule over Russia was different was from his predecessor Vladimir Lenin who adopted principles for his Communist party from the works of Karl Marx. Stalinism, Stalin’s ruling ideology was a mixture of Marxism, elimination of the middle class, and Russian patriotism. The Great Purge was a period during the rule of Stalin where he eliminated the majority of the “Old Bolsheviks” and the generals of the Red Army. During the dictatorship of Stalin, the population of Gulag and prisons reached about one million, there was widespread suspicion, and members of the Communist party, civil servants, workers, soldiers, and intellectuals were at risk of being arrested by the secret police, NKPD, under Genrikh Yagoda.(3) Anyone who was even suspected of a deviant opinion was eliminated until Stalin’s position was completely unthreatened. Former allies of Stalin like Grigori Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev were shot. Even the man responsible for shooting them, Genrikh Yagoda, was shot. In the spring of 1934, Sergey Kirov suggested a reconciliation policy and demanded the release of prisoners. He was shot in December 1934. In 1936 the Red Army had five marshalls of the Soviet Union. Many high ranking officers of the army were transferred in January 1937, isolating them from their troops. In June 1937, a giant conspiracy within the Red Army was revealed and about 9 generals were tried and executed. Between 1937 and 1942 two of them were shot and one died in captivity. Believing war was imminent, Stalin wanted absolute control of the army. Nearly one-third of the entire officers were purged. Not a single part of the country was spared. Over a million people died during the great purge instigated by Stalin. But he showed no remorse stating that the purge was inevitable. No one dared to oppose Stalin. The effect of the purge was significant in many ways. During the purges from 1936 till 1938, purging had become uncontrollable. It was not limited to just losing jobs. It also meant that getting exiled or being sent to the Gulags, where many died or were executed. One major effect was the loss of experienced and qualified personnel in the army. One famous victim was Tukhachevskii, who had a huge contribution to running the ministry. Additionally, those who had a large hand in the purge were promoted mostly along political lines. Another problem was that those who were promoted could not gather enough experience in the deposition, since promotion which earlier took years in peace took just a few months now. This loss of experience was intertwined with another major problem- The lack of trainers. This was even more problematic because the Red Army was undergoing a major increase in troops and equipment. Overall, the education for future commanders was cut short from three or four years to two years. the parts of the political allocation were also increased. The removal of a large number of commanders also increased fear. A small number of officers took the matter into their own hands and committed suicides.

Some of the commanders turned to alcohol due to the increased amount of tension and uncertainty. This of course increased the rate of accidents. Due to the accusations of officers being foreigners from England, France, and other non-communist countries, the reputation of the military personnel suffered. This went so far that some believed the accusations and thought that the defeat of the Red Army during Operation Barbarossa was caused by the mobilization plans. Overall, the authority of the commanders of the Red Army suffered due to fear, loss of reputation, and also to lack of experience and education. After all many were putting a command position with a limited amount of experience.

Education, transport and art

In the population census of 1897, literate people comprised just 28.4 percent of the population, with the literacy rate of women only 13 percent. Education during the reign of Stalin was guaranteed as a constitutional right to all people. However, it was oppressive and inflexible. Education and research were dominated by Stalinism and supervised by CPSU. Education was used to limit the knowledge which people received. It was closely regulated. Schools became more strict. It was intended to mold people into a Communist way of thinking.

Children were easier to influence the ways of Communism. Stalin fought illiteracy: He wanted the literacy rate in rural areas to be 86%. One of the goals of the new system was to train children to be in the workforce. Another goal was to create a sense of nationalism. To be proud of their Russian history, Stalin used art as propaganda. He was portrayed as a family man and as a father. Stalin was glorified by the artists. At the state’s request. If an artist refused to comply, they were purged or prosecuted. It was done to increase productivity for Russia and create citizens who were loyal to him and unopposing of his principles. It was also necessary to create an understanding of politics among the people to continue class struggles. Thousands of schools were established. The rate of literacy went down to 29 percent in 1939. Women were no longer treated as domestic property. They were given rights equal to those of a man and their involvement in politics was encouraged.

To expand the export and import of goods and services, Stalin needed an efficient transportation system. Since he was more concerned about rapid industrialization, he did not develop new railway lines. Instead, he conserved and expanded the railways left behind by the Tsars. Merchant marine was also overlooked by him. The primary means of transportation was air transport. He was aware that with strong civil aviation he could supply the necessary equipment to the prison of Gulag. The development of roads was overlooked. This was one of the reasons which led to the failure of the first plan.

Stalin’s death

Stalin was associated with the Soviet union’s victory in World War 2. The armed forces of Russia had become one of the greatest military powers of the World. His people regarded as a God, this man who was born the son of a shoemaker. Stalin was their guiding star. He gave them hope for a more prosperous life. In return, they gave them their loyalty. But Stalin did not fulfill their urge for freedom. Through the thirty years of his rule, he remained unchallenged by anyone. His health began to deteriorate in his seventies. He suffered from high blood pressure. At the beginning of the year 1953, he fell into a coma. He died four days later after briefly regaining consciousness. Stalinism was the most destructive period in the history of Soviet Russia. Millions were killed and millions of others were scarred for life. Twenty million Soviet citizens died at his hands. He was one of the most stone-hearted rulers and his reign was labeled as terrorism. His propaganda shaped how the people saw him- as a person, a leader, a God. Only his closest family members were safe. Even after all this, he was defined as the savior of his people.

References

1. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8182833-death-is-the-solution-to-all-problems-no-man-no-problem

2. https://spartacus-educational.com/U3Ahistory39.htm

3. https://www.britannica.com/topic/NKVD

4.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin#Death_toll_and_allegations_of_genocide