To make the purges successful Stalin had the help of his NKVD (secret police). They created an atmosphere of fear and crushed opposition. They were responsible for accusing the people of crimes against Stalin in order to purge them. They encouraged everyone to denounce others who oppose Stalin, even family and friends. This helped Stalin because it would never be safe for anyone to even criticize Stalin, because the NKVD might be watching. The NKVD were also the ones who would torture and threaten family members of the party opposition in order for them to confess in the Show Trials. This was important because otherwise many of Stalin’s opposition would not be destroyed, as they would not confess in the Show Trails.
Propaganda was a very effective tool in keeping hold of power. It would literally brainwash the Russian people into believing Stalin was a god and a hero. His image could be seen everywhere, towns and cities were named after him, like Stalingrad and Stalino. His role in the revolution was exaggerated, as was his relationship with Lenin. His enemies were portrayed as traitors to Russia. Even schools were affected, children were taught of the greatness of Stalin, in textbooks that were specifically created to support Stalin. The Propaganda helped Stalin because it gained him more loyalty and support and less opposition. The new generation of children would especially be loyal, as they were being taught of the greatness of Stalin right from the start.
Stalin’s economic policies were vital in helping him hold onto power. The industrialization of Russia was extremely successful in turning a backwards country into one of the super powers. His two Five Year Plans helped Russia meet some unimaginable production targets of vital material. For example production of coal went from 35.4 million tons before Stalin, to 128.0 million tons in 1937. Russia had rapidly taken over Great Britain and Germany in a very short time. Stalin’s economic policies helped him stay in power because it was a showcase to the public that he was a strong leader, who moved Russia into the 21st century, as Russia’s savior.
I believe that they are all important reasons, but that the Purges were the most important. His economic policies were very important, but Collectivization didn’t help him at all. It wasn’t a great success, and there was famine and revolt in the countryside. The Purges made it impossible for any opposition to threat Stalin. Even if there was no propaganda, and Stalin’s economic policies were unsuccessful, no one would rise against him, as they would be executed. If you lived in Russia during his reign, it was either support Stalin or face death, and that proves that the Purges were extremely important in helping Stalin. Although it would be unfair to say that all the others were irrelevant, because they all helped each other. For example, propaganda may not have been so successful without Stalin’s Economic Policies, because they were Stalin’s greatest achievement and were one of the main focuses of propaganda. But more importantly the purges and show trails may not have been so successful without the secret police and the propaganda. The secret police undertook the job of interrogating and threatening those on trail for being purged, without them the Show Trails would not be in Stalin’s favor. The propaganda helped the purges by encouraging Russian’s to denounce traitors, it helped the show trails by portraying those on trail as evil traitors. So to conclude it is obvious that all reasons were important, but the Purges were vital in helping Stalin stay in power, because they eradicated opposition.
