Stalin ‘ruled by terror’, in 1934 the OGPU (secret police) became the NKVD. He increased the size of the NKVD in able to hunt down and destroy opposition and to terrorize ordinary people into obedience. If they were found guilty they were either sentenced to death or hard labour. The Secret Police also ran the Labour Camps in which millions of people were imprisoned and forced to do hard work on construction and mining projects and around 13 million died because of the cold, lack of food and the ill treatment.
Stalin wanted everyone to worship him, pictures and statues of him were everywhere, places were named after him and people at meetings had to clap when his name was mentioned, no one would stop because they did not want to be seen as the first person to stop as they would be punished. ‘Cult of Personality’ was propaganda used to make people aware of Stalin playing a part in every aspect of their lives, work, home and leisure that he was looking after them.
Everything had to follow the policy of ‘Socialist Realism’ and if it didn’t it was censored. Writers, artists and film makers had to show how communism was developing and to give clear, simple and optimistic messages. Books that had already been published which did not follow the correct party were destroyed.
Although children were educated, they were given a very biased few about life; they were taught that Stalin was the great leader. They learnt Stalin’s version of history and education was very strict. He insisted on uniforms, tests and examinations and he told teachers the subjects and information that the children should learn.
Stalin had very harsh views to different religious groups. Christian leaders were imprisoned and churches were closed down. Muslims mosques and schools were closed and pilgrimages to Mecca were banned. The campaign against the Kulaks removed millions of people from national minorities living in rural areas. In the late 1930’s a policy of ‘Russification’ attempted to impose the Russian culture, Russian became compulsory in schools, key jobs were given to Russians and army recruits were sent away from their homelands and placed in ethnically mixed units.
Stalin has shown that he would have done anything to be in control of Russia doesn’t matter who he hurts or kills in the process. People of Russia were scared of Stalin because they all new what he was capable of, and because so many people feared him, he was able to gain control a lot easier. During the period when the Purges were introduced so many people were killed or imprisoned, (estimated that 20 million people suffered) that even Stalin knew that it was destroying the Russian Society
However, the younger people of Russia were educated which proved a success (even though what they learnt was determined by Stalin) because by 1939 the majority of people were able to read and write. Stalin used many methods in which he successfully established a dictatorship but at a high human cost.
