Stalin was able to frighten the workers into producing what was needed. The building of such spectacles as the Metro and Magnitogorsk were solid examples of the success of the Soviet Union with Stalin as its leader. However, one of Stalin’s policies was not that successful in comparison it was called collectivisation, a very autocratic system which Stalin used to control the peasants and to get grain more easily. It resulted in the near dissolution of an entire class; the Kulaks, famine between 1932 and 1933 and the deaths of thirteen million peasants but at the same time Stalin was exporting grain to other countries successfully which was his main aim. All of this was very important in consolidating Stalin’s power in the Soviet Union as it showed he was a good leader and could and did make a success of the USSR which was what the people wanted, even if it did come at a price; many believed the price was worth it.
One of the main ways by Stalin held onto power in the Soviet Union was by terror, people were too afraid to oppose his regime especially with the introduction of Show Trials and Purges. These affected many people; workers who had failed to achieve targets in the five year plan, criminals and people who threatened Stalin’s position (many members of the party with influential positions). The most famous incident was in 1934 when there was talk of slowing industrialisation down and appointing someone else as leader and Sergei Kirov put forward his views, shortly afterwards Kirov was found shot outside his office. This is an example of how Stalin went to any length to ensure his position as leader. Between 1935 and 1938 Stalin expelled many members who he deemed “unreliable” and he made the central committee send letters to branches all over the USSR instructing them to do likewise, after being sacked from the party many were then arrested by the NKVD; this was called the Great Purge. By doing all of this Stalin showed he was doing something about people who were supposedly threatening the state. He publicised this by Show Trials which were put on for the most important party members and they were broadcasted nationwide. The “Trial of sixteen” involved Zinoviev and Kamenev, all were accused of involvement in a conspiracy to overthrow the government organised by Trotsky; Stalin’s greatest rival. Many did not believe every word of the confession that the accused made in the show trial (most made them in the hope of saving their families) but they could not speak out at the threat of being killed themselves. Stalin showed no mercy and in 1937 when the Purge of the Party had spread to the armed forces he allowed Marshal Tuchachevsky, Russia’s most famous general to be shot and arrested. This behaviour put severe fear into the Russian civilians minds; if Stalin was dissolving people in such high and authoritative positions what would he do to them?
Stalin was not alone in his terror campaign; he had the help of his secret police, the NKVD. They carried out the majority of Stalin’s dirty work effectively. Not many were surprised by this sort of control as former leaders of Russia had used it (Tsar Nicholas II had the Okhrana and Lenin the Cheka) to deal with anyone who criticised the government. The fear of the NKVD was spread throughout the country; people dared not say anything even in their own home that might be seen as speaking out against the government as risk of being reported to the NKVD. Even professionals were afraid; Scientists, doctors, actors and teachers. Without the help of his secret police Stalin would not have been able to reinforce his methods of terror and limit the actions of people so severely. The NKVD made sure that Stalin had supreme control over the country
Why did the people allow this to continue? One of the biggest reasons was that Stalin had control of their thoughts; he was extremely cunning and was able to manipulate their ideas. He had control of all main sources of information and was able to turn everything in favour of him. For example with the death of Sergei Kirov in 1934; he claimed that there was a conspiracy against him and that the murderers and really been out to attack and kill him. The propaganda machine made him out to be God like, which encouraged people to worship him like one. This was done by the cult of personality; there was no escaping him wherever people looked there would be some sort of “Stalinized” feature. The Soviet Union glorified their leader by parades in Red Square in Moscow and displaying his face in every shop window. He was treated in such a messianic way that it would have been difficult for people to doubt him. Stalin also rewrote history; he made himself out to have been very close to Lenin, he changed photographs and paintings and inserted himself in next to Lenin, who was treated like a god in Soviet history. This encouraged people to support him as they saw him as Lenin’s right hand man, someone who Lenin admired which thus inclined people to admire Stalin. He was able to get away with this as many people who were around in that period had died and those who could still remember were too afraid to speak out.
In conclusion all the above were equally important reasons why Stalin was able to hold on to leadership of the Soviet Union. He was able to manipulate people’s thoughts and ideas through propaganda and the cult of personality which encouraged people to think of him as a messianic figure. With the added help of his secret police he was able to wipe out any of his opposition. The introduction of the purges and show trials justified his actions as he was seen to be protecting the state from attack and crisis, thus making it more secure for the people. However had he not been able to industrialise the Soviet Union in the dramatic way he did it is unlikely he would have had control for as long as he did.
