But it wasn’t all perfect for the Russian people. In 1929 the government introduced what it called an “uninterrupted” week. Instead of working for five days, they would work for seven days straight, with a fifth of the workers having their day off on any one day.
Also the wages where incredibly low for employment, people where working longer shifts and where working in terrible conditions.
Next came the purges. Any one that was over heard criticising Stalin, was denounced NKVD as a Trotskyite. This made peoples life’s hell, they had to watch what they said all the time, because they knew that if they were heard saying anything bad about Stalin they would be executed.
People thought that he was doing it to rid the streets of criminals so that they would be safe, but he is really just eliminating any threats that he might have. They would see him as a hero here.
Propaganda influenced the mass media and the state controlled everything they produced. The state’s messages where everywhere. Even artists were only allowed to produce work that reflected the glorious achievements of communism.
He also tried very hard to show his face everywhere, to get the message across that he was the leader. This was called “The Cult of Stalin”. He put billboards up of his face; he put his face on shop windows, factories, buildings, walls, floors and probably even ceilings. He mad sure that lakes, rivers, roads and towns where named after him. He used this as a kind of brainwash system. This was very important to do if he wanted the people to think he was the greatest leader they had ever had.
Looking over the evidence I have come to the conclusion that Stalin not only just wanted complete power over Russia, but he didn’t care that much about the Russian people. It was obvious that he only wanted to be a leader that controlled the way the country ran and not a leader that directed people in the right way. He did what he thought was the best way and he didn’t think about the consequences that may occur after what he did; yet many wept when he died. Many had been convinced by the propaganda that he was a true hero who had done his best for them.
