Who had the greater impact on Russia and the Russian people- Lenin or Stalin?
Who had the greater impact on Russia and the Russian people- Lenin or Stalin?
Lenin and Stalin both had a considerable effect on the future of Russia. Lenin had the greater impact on Russia politically compared to Stalin as he created the world's first communist government and lead the October Revolution. However, Stalin achieved the greater economic impact on Russia such as his policies of collectivization and industrialization, which vastly improved the Russian economy compared to Lenin making it difficult to ensure that one had the greater impact on Russia and the Russian people.
Lenin's impact on Russia and her people was far greater compared to Stalin. Lenin masterminded and led the October revolution and Lenin created the first communist government in the world- a feat itself. Lenin was the creator of the world's first communist government and Stalin was the developer. Stalin simply built on the foundations that Lenin already had created for him. The October revolution in turn, overthrew the provisional government. It was because of Lenin that they stayed outside the provisional government that enabled the Bolsheviks to seize power. By doing this, Lenin had eliminated a part of Russia's problems- the provisional government tried to carry on the war, but the elimination of the provisional government in turn saw the end of the war, improving Russia's living conditions and stopped inflation from occurring at that time. Lenin was also working under the pressure of communist revolution and civil war and Stalin was working under a less pressurised atmosphere at the time compared to Lenin as Lenin was working through civil war and the creation of a new communist government, making Lenin's work more effective than Stalin. Lenin created a new constituent assembly in Russia, while Stalin only created a new constituent. But as the social revolutionaries were gaining a majority vote and gained most seats in the new constituent assembly in Russia. Lenin created the Cheka, Lenin's secret police to deal with counter revolutionaries and spies. Lenin was now ruling over Russia's people with fear. The people of Russia were restricted to their freedom of speech. Any comments anti-Bolshevik or counter revolutionary could be dealt with death, similar to Hitler's SS in Nazi Germany. The introduction of conscription also changed people's lives as every Russian citizen now had to do a period of compulsory service in the Army.
Stalin maintained his political power by using his secret police, the NKVD, which had similar uses to Lenin's secret police, the Cheka. He eliminated his opponents directly, such targets being Kirov and his Leningrad communist party. In the army, up to 25,000 officers were executed, and in the end, up to 10 million died altogether in the purges. Stalin's actions were almost fateful as when Germany invaded Russia in 1941, the red army was short of experienced officers. Stalin can be less important as Stalin and the NKVD murdered much more opponents than Lenin's Cheka. The purges also ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
Stalin maintained his political power by using his secret police, the NKVD, which had similar uses to Lenin's secret police, the Cheka. He eliminated his opponents directly, such targets being Kirov and his Leningrad communist party. In the army, up to 25,000 officers were executed, and in the end, up to 10 million died altogether in the purges. Stalin's actions were almost fateful as when Germany invaded Russia in 1941, the red army was short of experienced officers. Stalin can be less important as Stalin and the NKVD murdered much more opponents than Lenin's Cheka. The purges also meant that Stalin was now ruling Russia under fear for a long period of time and Stalin lead under fear much more than Lenin as Stalin was also feared by the workers in the workplaces and kulaks of Russia from sabotage. Religious worship was banned, so people no longer having their freedom of worship, but Lenin did not suppress any religion. Lenin also improved diplomatic relationships with Germany, but to enforce peace between them, he gave up Brest-Litovsk to Germany. The impact of this was great- economically; Russia lost 75% of its iron ore industry, 27% of its farming land, a fine of 300 million gold roubles, and lost 25% of its workforce. During Lenin's reign at Russia, Lenin's activities provoked a civil war between the Whites and the Bolsheviks. Because the civil war, this disrupted trade and caused the deaths of many able workers, as the Cheka, during the civil war, executed up to 50,000 able workers effecting Russia's economy, as there was now a shortage of workers, whereas Stalin's methods of government were respected and not challenged by anyone except from the Kulaks. In both cases, both Lenin and Stalin discriminated against Kulaks but Stalin had discriminated the followers of Islam, forcing them to move away from Russia, losing able workers and also in retaliation, killed livestock and burned crops, which slowed down production in protest of the suppression of Islam and discrimination of the kulaks.
Industrially, Lenin achieved less than Stalin. Stalin was able to improve Russia more economically than Lenin because Stalin was ruling under a comfortable period of time when there was no civil war and revolutions in his time. Lenin abandoned his policy of war communism and introduced a New Economic Policy (NEP). Peasants were allowed to sell surplus goods for profit and would pay tax rather than give some produce up for the government. The impact economically was that Russia's cattle, electricity, coal and steel production increased. Lenin won some favour among the Russian workers as peasants did not need to give their produce to the government again and they were allowed to earn extra money by selling surplus goods. A communist government brought the banning of privatisation, every main factory and workplace was in the hands of the government, and so all produce was sold and exported abroad, improving the economy of Russia. On the 12th of November, Lenin limited the workers' hours to 8 hours and rules were made about holidays and overtime, improving working conditions in Russia and made the economy more efficient. On the 8th of November, land belonging to the Tsar, church and nobles was handed over to the peasants, making previously unused land now usable, created new jobs for the unemployed, and improved the economy of Russia.
Stalin had successfully built Russia into an industrialised country, to even compete with the likes of America and Germany. Lenin can be less important when he introduced the failed policy of war communism. One of its aims was to keep the towns and the Red Army supplied with food and weapons. Peasants refused to co-operate by not producing food, and with the Red Army still taking it away, and with inclement weather during 1920-1,caused a terrible famine. Russia's people were now demoralised due to the fact that there was a large number of deaths and starvation was rife. The number of deaths weakened Russia's economy and production slowed down as numbers of workers decreased. Stalin recruited more women in jobs, and provided them with crèches and day care centres to make their jobs easier, bringing hope to all other women and bankrupt families in Russia. Lenin did not try to employ any women and did not provide any facilities to make peoples' jobs easier. With the addition of women in work, unemployment was at a low- Stalin created a thousands of new jobs at the Dnieprostroi dam, the extension of railway tracks and the Moscow underground in Russia, improving communication throughout Russia. Stalin's projects kept unemployment virtually zero. Stalin, in the process of industrialisation, also created five new industries, an iron, steel, chemicals, machinery and agricultural tools. This, again, meant that unemployment was at an all time low and helped Russia's economy increase. Lenin also did not create such ambitious projects to improve communication and create new industries in Russia and decrease unemployment. In addition, the crime rate was at a low at as unemployment was also low, and Stalin became popular between the people of Russia for putting so many people back to work. Education in Russia also became free and compulsory and there was various work-based training which meant that people were now skilled and efficient at their profession and improved the economy as faster and better working techniques were learnt. In 1940, Stalin also improved living and working conditions in Russia, as there were more doctors per head, decreasing the chance of sickness, disease, and improved sanitation among the Russian people. Lenin did not do anything such as free and compulsory schooling and work-based training to improve the economy. However, Stalin was very harsh on work, and there were downsides to the successes of Stalin. Lateness was usually punished by sacking, which usually meant losing one's home. Stalin also created a famine in the process of collectivisation as millions of people died by selling grain abroad while not having enough food to feed themselves- many starved while watching bitterly as groups working for Stalin collected food produced by the area. For example, in only one area, the Causcaus region of Russia, from 1933-38, a staggering 5 million able workers vital to the economy of Russia, died due to starvation. Lenin did not cause a famine with so many deaths as Stalin's one. There was unrest among starving peasants- rebelling against Stalin's policy, which slowed down production. Stalin had achieved a lot by improving the economy of Russia greatly and improving the lives of many of Russia's people, using good and bad ways to achieve it. Stalin was admired by the Russian people and he, his style and methods of government were popular.
In both cases, if both Lenin and Stalin's achievements were to be compared, similarities between the two would appear. Examples being that they both created new constituent assemblies of Russia, they both created new economic policies and improved the economy and living and working conditions in Russia. worshippers They also however, led the nation under fear, both created secret police forces to unfairly dismiss their opponents, they made the country a communist party state, both of their ways of ruling over Russia were harsh and under both Stalin and Lenin there was a large magnitude of deaths between them, and two groups of people were discriminated against- the Kulaks and the of Islam. Lenin can be more important as he created the first communist party state in Russia, and created the first NEP in Russia. However he can be less important as during his control in Russia created a civil war. Stalin can be important as he greatly changed the Russian economy and living and working conditions, to this extent, the impact was greater than Lenin, but caused a famine in the process of collectivization. But Stalin inherited a one party state, making him less important as he did not create a one party state, but Lenin didn't do much to improve the economy of Russia. One can conclude that Lenin achieved more in the political terms of Russia than Stalin but Stalin achieved more economically, thus both Stalin and Lenin contributed to Russia equally.
