Joseph Stalin, the former dictator of Russia during the Russian Revolution, has killed from about twenty million people to twenty-five million. Historians estimate that Stalin has killed more people than Hitler. Stalin, was a former ruler of communist Russia and the USSR, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. He made many changes to Russia, in effort to make the economy better than it was in 1917. Stalin had exiled and killed many of his own people in his time of rule, yet he escaped the consequences of mass murder, because of the way he had ruled. Stalin ruled the USSR through inflicting fear and terror into the people of Russia.
Stalin believed in communism, and he wanted the USSR to be an industrial power. These goals caused him to rule communist Russia with fear as the driving force. The Russian Revolution in 1917, was a hard time for the Russians, about ⅓ of communist Russia was poverty and peasants. The Russian Revolution started after a few wars had damaged Russia and its economy. Lenin was the first ruler of communist Russia. Lenin worked with Trotsky, the second most powerful man at the time, to conquer more land and govern their country together. While they were working, Stalin was quietly and steadily gaining power. After some time, Stalin’s startling amount of power concerned Lenin. The article concerning Stalin, “Stalin, Joseph” states, “But by the end of 1922, Stalin's growing power began to disturb Lenin. Before a series of strokes prevented Lenin from working, he wrote a secret note warning that Stalin must be removed as general secretary”(Stalin, Joseph). Lenin eventually died from his series of strokes. Later, the leading Bolsheviks, a group of powerful government that was led by Lenin, found his note. They consulted Stalin, but Stalin promised that he would work on improving his behavior, and he was left alone. After the encounter with the letter, the letter was thrown away, and the entire situation was forgotten. As for Trotsky, Stalin had gained enough power to overthrow him. According to the article, “Trotsky, Leon”, and “Stalin, Joseph” Stalin exiled Trotsky before he could contribute much to Russia. Trotsky was assassinated 2 years later. Stalin kept all of his power by purging those who seemed threatening to him. He shot important government figures, even those who helped him rise to power; as long as they were a threat, they were removed. After a few important figures were shot, there was widespread panic. No one was safe anymore. Stalin ruled by inflicting terror and fear into the people. People feared him, and nobody dared to oppose him, otherwise, they’d be exiled. Stalin was a clever man, making his way from the bottom, to the top considerably quickly. However, his way of ruling through terror and fear made him a dislikable historical figure.
Stalin also wanted the USSR to own all major industries, so he started collectivization.
Since there were many wars during and before the Russian revolution and as a result, the economy was suffering. After Stalin took power during the Russian Revolution, he started to execute his five-year plans to help the economy return to its original state. The article “Stalin, Joseph,” states, “In 1929, Stalin began to collectivize Soviet agriculture. He ended private farming and transferred the control of farms, farm equipment, and livestock to the government. But the farmers resisted his order and destroyed about half of the U.S.S.R.'s livestock and much of its produce. As punishment, Stalin had millions of peasants killed or exiled” (Stalin, Joseph).
The backlash from the farmers and peasants hurt Russia’s population and the USSR. The USSR lost about half of their produce and livestock, and most peasants and farmers were exiled. The significantly big food loss caused a major starvation issue. Even as the country was starving, and lost millions of its population, the collectivization had moved the economy closer to what it had been before. Stalin’s actions had scared the remaining of the peasants and farmers, so they were hesitant to attack Stalin once more. Stalin executed the 5 year plans to get the USSR to be an industrial power but at the cost of starvation and loss of many lives.
Animal Farm, is a book that is heavily based on the Russian Revolution. One of the characters, Napoleon, is a reference to Stalin. Napoleon was at some point, the leader of Animal Farm. He ruled the farm with “Animalism”. The novel states, “The three hens who had been the ringleaders in the attempted rebellion over the eggs now came forward and stated that Snowball had appeared to them in a dream and incited them to disobey Napoleon’s orders. They, too, were slaughtered”(Orwell). The scene above is allegorical to a scene in Stalin’s rule. The two figures, Napoleon and Stalin, are both using fear to rule their people. The remaining animals after witnessing the death of their fellow comrades feared to rebel against Napoleon, and so had the remaining peasants after Stalin purged many around 20 million people. Napoleon had also used Jones, an allegory to Czar Nicholas the II, a terrible ruler of Russia before Lenin, as a source of fear to keep the animals in check. Napoleon would constantly say things like, “But, if you don't do so and so, Jones will come back!” These remarks would send the animals into a frenzy of fear. (Orwell) George Orwell is writing a message to the readers through the novel, Animal Farm. He tries to send the message, fear is an effective, yet the dreadful element of ruling.
Stalin had dictated communist Russia and the USSR very strictly. He had threatened and made his people fear him. When Stalin started his rule, he decided he wanted the USSR to be an industrial power. He had eliminated those who posed a threat to his power and started collectivization. The USSR took control of the farms of the people, and Stalin collected all the livestock and produce. However, this resulted in complete outrage. Farmers decided to destroy about half of the collected food and land. In result, Stalin exiled and killed millions of farmers and peasants as punishment. The novel, Animal Farm, written by George Orwell is an allegorical satire of the Russian Revolution. The novel has a character who represents Stalin. The two figures rule with fear through murder. The events of the Russian Revolution shows an important cause and effect sequence. Stalin had ruled with very strict and violent ways. He caused millions of deaths to improve Russia’s economy. The Russian Revolution, and the way Stalin had ruled Russia, is an important event in history that should be taught and learned because it demonstrates how nothing is specifically good or bad. A good cause may be achieved through poor choices.