USSR, Stalin, and CommunismThe type of totalitarianism in the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) during World War 2 was called "communism". Communism is defined as "a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production ." The leader of the communist country during WW2 was Joseph Stalin.
Stalin was from Georgia, a country below Russia. Though not of Russian descent, the town where he resided was under Russian rule. Like Mussolini, he came from a poor family. He also read Karl Marx, writer of The Communist Manifest. He got into trouble often at school and after his school years he was either arrested or exiled for his attempts at starting a revolution. He, Mussolini, and Hitler all had similar experiences while trying to discover a political philosophy they thought would work for their country and self. In his early years, Stalin was employed almost solely in politics. He quickly rose to power, becoming close to Bolshevik leader Vladamir Lenin. He and a few other men were in competition for power. When Lenin finally died, it was Stalin who was promoted to leader. He got this position by being active in multiple political offices, networking, and strategizing. He created allies and ousted his competition. |
Role in WW2
Before the beginning of the war, Stalin made a pact with Hitler. He also encouraged Hitler to attack Poland which in turn began the war. He hoped to expand his territories and therefore annexed many countries, including Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and parts of Romania and Poland. Two years into the war, however, he realized the possibility of Germany attacking the USSR. In June of 1941, Germany attacked the USSR. They remained there until the winter when Stalin was able to cause the Germans to retreat. This is what lead him to seek allies in the Western powers. Luckily for him, Hitler was defeated.
After obtaining leadership, Stalin ousted Lenin's economic plans for his own. His new plan devastated the economy of the USSR. Those who opposed its conditions were exiled, attacked, shot, or sent to concentration camps where they worked under harsh conditions. Some 10 million peasants died of famine as Stalin decided to export food stuffs instead of feeding his people. Much like Hitler using the Jews as a scapegoat for Germany's economic decline, Stalin used ordinary people (managers primarily) to take the fall for his mistakes. Despite his failures, he brought rapid industrialization to the USSR, making it one of the major powers in the world by 1937. They were second in industrialization and military power only to the United States.
Timeline... |
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Sources |
Encyclopedia Britannica
Merriam-Webster Dictionary |