To what extent was the Soviet Union under Stalin a totalitarian state?

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To what extent was the Soviet Union under Stalin a totalitarian state?


        In a totalitarian state, the government is a single-party dictatorship that controls every aspect of the lives of its citizens. Therefore, individual rights does not count for anything and the citizens must obey the government. When Stalin rose to power as the supreme leader of the Soviet Union after Lenin’s death in 1924, the state undoubtedly became totalitarian as he was clever in using his power within the Communist Party in which he controlled every aspect of life.

        One of the ways Stalin strengthened his power over the Soviet Union was through the Purges. In 1934, Stalin used the murder of Kirov, who was the leader of the Leningrad Communist Party, as an excuse to clear out his opponents in the party. Leading figures, such as Kamenev, Bukharin, and Zinoviev, were purged while the other party members were arrested on charges of anti-Soviet activities and either executed or sent to labor camps. In addition, millions of other people disappeared or were also sent to labor camps (Walsh 133). Stalin became more powerful than before as he have gotten rid of his political rivals. He was able to take control over the citizens the way he wanted to since there was no one standing in his way. His aggressiveness resulted in people living in fear and anxiety because no one wanted to challenge his authority. The citizens had no choice but to follow Stalin’s rules as they were afraid of ending up in labor camps or getting killed like the rest. Thus, the widespread use of terror in the Purges helped Stalin gain total control over the society in the Soviet Union.

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        Moreover, he also strengthened his power by creating a new constitution for the Soviet Union in 1936. It was seen as an “illusion of democracy” (Lowe 327) because Stalin’s views were the only one being expressed. Although people were given the freedom of speech and free elections, there still was not a democracy in place (Lowe 327). Therefore, Stalin was given even more power as he was able to exercise absolute authority and dominate the government. The citizens of the Soviet Union could not criticize Stalin or else they would be immediately ‘purged’ (Lowe 327). So he still denied basic ...

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