Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

Was Stalin a success?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Was Stalin a success? In 1953 Joseph Stalin died, which left Russia in deep distress because they had lost a great political leader. I feel that with out a doubt Stalin was a success and there are three points which I will study to help prove this: Was he a success in his own terms?, was he a success in the terms of Russia? And was he Success in the terms of Communism?. . Stalin was a person you couldn't get to know personally he had friends, but many which he chose to ignore. Throughout Stalin's Reign he was very ruthless. People say there was a reason why Stalin was so ruthless and that was because he beloved wife died when they were at the peak of there marriage and this left a hole in his heart which he would later take out on the people of Russia. Firstly, was he a success in his own terms?. There are six points which prove that he was a success in his own terms starting off with his struggle for is his struggle for power, which without a doubt was a great success, due to his ability to out maneuver the other candidates in the race for power (Zinoviev/ Bukharin). ...read more.

Middle

Stalin Begins to take control of eastern Europe in 1945- 48, Stalin turns Europe into Communists, Whilst gradually chopping off opposing countries, and things that will bring the countries down . In 1953 Joseph Stalin died of natural causes, he was at the peak of his power. Even after his death he was perceived as the man who changed Russia. I feel that in Stalin's own terms I can official say that he was a success because every situation Stalin faced he always cam out on top. Secondly, was Stalin a success in his own terms?: in Russia's terms there are three points which prove him not to be a success. Firstly the Five-year plan. The five year plan never did much for the Russian workers , because the first five year plan concentrated on capital goods such as shoes clothes etc which was only good for yourself, which were not that important at that time in Russia. The other five Year plans concentrated on consumer goods such as coal, oil, railways and trucks etc which was good because it could help others. The five year plan also concentrated on military productions before during and after the war, which resulted in the workers being alienated from the system and there own productivity was low meaning that they didn't benefit from any thing that was being produced. ...read more.

Conclusion

In the terms of Communism Stalin was both a success and a failure. He was a success due to the fact he Transformed Russia into a Communist country, but whilst doing that he put a whole new meaning to the word communism. Stalin turned Communism into to a ruthless, brutal system, which would control the deaths of many innocent civilians. I have come to the verdict that all these reasons can be linked to prove Stalin to be a success For instance Stalin's strong character shows a lot of perseverance, which is linked with the great terror because the reason he launched the great terror was to put across the image of a strong character, and his strong character continued throughout his reign until he nearly surrendered to the Germans. Both the five-year plans and the collectivization can be linked because they both involve producing goods for a better Russia, these productivity was meet but it left the people of Russia with nothing to gain. Finally I feel that Stalin was too harsh towards the Russian people because he could have succeeded in transforming Russia by using a less brutal technique, For example Bukharin's plan were he motivates the workers and the peasants, whilst keeping a balanced productivity gain off there work. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Modern European History, 1789-1945 section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level Modern European History, 1789-1945 essays

  1. Reasons for Napoleon's Success (to 1807).

    water wagon driven by fire' (submarine), 'rockets' (incendiaries), the telegraph (a mechanical semaphore system), and the percussion charge (a replacement for the flint-lock). He seems to have known about but to have ignored also the cheap Prussian innovation of a sharp knife attached to a musket which could be used

  2. To what extent was equality achieved under Stalin?

    to deflate the spirit of autonomous culture which earlier the Soviet policy had encouraged."8 Without the civil liberties of the national minorities being respected, Soviet Russia would fail to be a wholly equal nation. During the Second World War there were "wholesale desertions and surrender of army units to the Germans"9.

  1. Evaluate historical comparisons of Hitler and Stalin and their regimes

    Stalin up until the end of the Cold War was a difficult subject to approach because he had been our ally during World War II so there was a taboo surrounding the issue of comparing him to Hitler. No body wanted to believe that we fought on the side of Stalin against Hitler when he himself was as evil.

  2. Soviet history - The Purge.

    reduction of investment in industry, and the removal of Stalin, "the grave digger of the Revolution and of Russia," from his post at the head of the party, Stalin failed in his efforts to have Riutin shot. Indeed, the matter was referred by the secret police to higher party authorities,

  1. Causes of show trials + purges of 1930s.

    Other claims include the idea that the confessions of the accused were fabricated by the government, and that Trotsky is brilliant, which shows an opposition to Stalin. In a summary, by reading articles about the trials and purges in The Times, it can be observed that the paper did not

  2. Was Stalin a Success?

    These successes from the point of view of Stalin would have meant that he was a success; because it was due to him that all of these 'successes' happened. This is only from the opinion of Stalin, whereas these 'successes' may have been felt differently from the terms of the

  1. Operation Barbarossa - Causes and Consequences

    Hitler and Stalin represented the two political extremes. It was obvious to the world that this treaty of 'peace' would not last for long. Western Europe had been safely conquered, except for Britain, which was so weak it would not be able to attack for several years. As Germany was still at war with Britain when Operation Barbarossa

  2. The Impact of Stalins Leadership in the USSR, 1924 1941. Extensive notes

    From 1935, peasants could also sell produce from their private plots on these markets. Eventually, the private plots produced about 1/3 of all marketed food in the USSR, although they made up only about 4% of land. Political impact: 1.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work