Essay, Research Paper: Stalin

Stalin was mainly responsible for shaping the leadership and movement of the communist party after l945, when World War II was over.
Stalin was born in Gori, (presently the republic of Georgia) in l879, under the name of Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili. Stalin's father abused him terribly and at age 11, Stalin was fatherless. His mother expressed her desire that Stalin enter a theological seminary by his teenage years, which he did. Stalin was kicked out in l899, because of his growing belief in Marxism, instead of Christianity. He later became a member of Marxist functions, and then in l903, joined the extremist Bolsheviks. He married soon after, but his first wife died of tuberculosis within three years. Stalin married for the second time in l9l9, and had a son and a daughter. It is said that his second wife killed herself or that possibly Stalin murdered her.
Stalin had a very rebellious nature, was arrested many times, and was banished to Siberia at one period in his life. Some said that Stalin was a professional revolutionary. He was ruthless, committing murder, robbery and uprisings in labor disputes, especially in the Baku working centers.
He was a man of many words and, therefore, served very well writing for the Bolshevik newspaper. He changed his name by l9l0 to Stalin, which meant 'man of steel.' (http://www.pathfinder.com/time/special/moy/html.)
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It was in l922, that Joseph Stalin became well known and held the title, Secretary General of Communist Party. Vladimir Lenin, the leader before Stalin, made it known in one of his writings before he died, that Stalin should not be in power because of his viciousness. Lenin felt that a man by the name of Trotsky should take power instead. Lenin was accurate in his belief, but Stalin managed to hide the writing. Along with two other parties of the Politburo, Trotsky lost his bid to power. Lenin had thought Trotsky to be the better man. Stalin then turned on several who had aided in his rise through the ranks. With manipulation, propaganda, and deception, Stalin rose to be the leader of Russia. (www.msn.com/index/le/ole3200htm.)
He was now in complete and absolute control. Stalin began to implement several "five year plans," which really was a six volume plan on ways to bring manufacturing and business enterprises to Russia. Ultimately, it was an attempt to amass total crop and livestock production maintained under Stalin's regime. Stalin did create industrialization programs in the 30's which helped turn Russia into an industrial power.
The first stabs at collectivization went far better than later tries. Stalin's people were very resistant to the new program. As was stated earlier, he was a ruthless barbarian, and in keeping with his profile, Stalin
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had millions of his people executed and many that were not, starved to death
because of food rationing. Fear was created through a secret police force
which was an important part of Stalinism. By l934, Stalin perhaps in an attempt to eradicate future successors to his title, and also to eliminate more political upheaval within his country, initiated a huge extermination of his own armed force heads of state, as well as Marxist affiliations.
Then in l939, Stalin participated in the 'nonaggressionpact' along with the infamous Adolf Hitler. This pact permitted the Soviet Union and Germany to split Poland, and also allowed the Soviet Union easy access to Latvia, part of Romania, a small part of Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania.
Stalin, an intelligent but greedy individual, should have known better than enter into any kind of deal with Hitler. Hitler ordered his military forces to invade the Soviet Union within two days after the pact was signed. At first his army was successful but later Stalin turned the tide, near the end of the war. Stalin had stated that, "Our aim is not to destroy all armed forces in Germany, because any intelligent man will understand that this is as impossible in the case of Germany as in the case of Russia." 1 As the Germans approached the city of Stalingrad, they did not realize that waiting
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1."Die, But Do Not Retreat," Time Magazine January 4, 1943.
in the rubble of the city were 300,000 Russian troops. Four months of fighting ensued, with the Russians being victorious and turning the tide of the war. It was during World War II that Stalin was noted for the saying,
"Die, but do not retreat." 2 Stalin must have implemented this thought deep in the minds of his Russian soldiers for they lost more troops in the battle of Stalingrad than the Americans lost in the entire war.
The Soviet Union and the United States both sought the annihilation of Germany in World War II. After l945, there was much conflict between the United States and it's supporters and the Soviet Union and it's followers. Heated diplomatic problems and economic tension occurred. U. S. President Harry Truman sought to bring together Europe when he introduced the Truman Doctrine creating aid to anti-communist powers, both in Turkey and Greece.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed when Stalin's intent was exposed concerning Germany. NATO would aid in independence for West Germany.
If Stalin, as well as his allies, had held true to Stalin's post-war remark that,
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2."Die, But Do Not Retreat," Time Magazine January 4, 1943.
"Allied collaboration is the most important event in foreign affairs, both for war and peace," 3 then possibly the entire crisis known as the Cold War
could have been avoided. It was in March of l953, that Joseph Stalin passed away.


Word Count: 928