The Rise of the Dictatorships - Joseph Stalin was a soviet communist leader who managed post World War II in Europe; he therefore may be regarded as the most powerful person to live in the C20.

Stalin believed that the country was to be run equally. As he read Karl Marx’s book ‘Das Kapital, though it wasn’t allowed, he converted to a new orthodoxy: Russian Marxism hence he became to believe in communism. Stalin believed that all property should be equally owned b the public and that no-one was more powerful than another, however, this didn’t last for long.

After the death of Lenin, Stalin's reign of terror started to begin. He formed temporary allies to eliminate the threat of Leon Trotsky, he then made new allies and eliminated the treat of hi former allies by his 50th birthday, all of his rivals were no longer treats and was now recognised as Lenin’s  successor. In late 1929, his first attack was the nation-wide offensive against peasants, millions were displaced and countless thousands died. Furthermore, Stalin started industrialisation campaigns which were much more successful which made the USSR rise to industrial powers.

Moreover, in the mid 1930s Stalin launches a major campaign of terror, this was known as the ‘Great Terror’. Among nearly every family were purges, arrests and deportations to labour camps. Many of his former rivals such as Kamenev received a death sentence. This led to a rising generation as many party, industrial and military leaders disappeared. Stalin also had a secret police which threw fear upon the people of Russia, this was known as the KGB which defended Stalin’s regime against internal and foreign enemies. However, because many of the military leaders ‘disappeared’ during the great terror, Russia suffered greatly during the war. However, by persuading those to make human sacrifices, he soon turned the tide against Nazi Germany, mostly at the Battle of Stalingrad. His last major disaster was in January 1953 in which he ordered the arrest of many Moscow doctors, mostly Jews, charging them with medical assassinations. Following Stalin’s sudden death on March 5th. 1953 in Moscow forestalled another bloodbath.

In spite of his role as the iron fisted ruler of a mighty nation, Stalin has remained an mysterious figure and remained a notorious man in history. Soviet historians assess his regime as a great one, although spoiled by some errors, but Western scholars assail the bloody terror of his rule. Although a significant role in the armed uprising that followed the Revolution of March 1917, Stalin wasn’t remembered as a revolutionary hero but he produced the impression of a ‘grey blur’ Three years after his death, the 20th Party Congress denounced Stalin and much that he represented.