Joseph Stalin was the head of the communist party and the leader of the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953. He came to power after the death of Vladimir Lenin. He created the centrally planned economy in the Soviet Union in order to expand it's industries and become a modern industrial power, carrying out Lenin's dreams of industrial development.
Stalin was the Soviet Union's most powerful and feared leader. He established policies that would make his nation the second most powerful in the world. Joseph Stalin operated one of the most powerful dictatorships ever. He went to the point where his rule became more than a dictatorship and turned to totalitarianism. This is where a government exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life. He achieved this by terror and forcefulness. He forced people to follow the concept of an absolute ruler and decided how his people thought, lived, and what they believed. His ideas were to be lived by without exception and no-one was allowed to challenge him as the absolute ruler. .
The communist party was the only party allowed to exist in the Soviet Union. The party was run by Stalin and he demanded complete obedience from the party members. The Communist party was made to serve Stalin's needs and not those of the communist party. Stalin made his party seem like it was democratic and like it suited the peoples needs by compelling them to vote in elections. Since there was only one political party, the voters were forced to vote for Stalin. He brought in a constitution in 1936 which was proclaimed to emphasize civil rights but also to emphasize the obligations of citizens to their ruler. .
Anyone who disagreed with Stalin was.
taken by the secret police and put in jails.
or killed. This lead to the Great Purge.
The "Great Purge" was a time where Stalin removed all people who challenged him as the absolute ruler and as the dictator. Millions of people disappeared from the country at this time because they were threatened by their leader.