Joseph Stalin was one of the most infamous leaders of all time. His cruel policies got the attention and fear of the entire world. Stalin was one of the first totalitarian rulers. He had the power to control every aspect of life in the Soviet Union, and he took advantage of it. He obviously did not care for the lives of his people, because of his removal and collectivization policies. He ruled the country for about thirty years and in that time twenty million citizens were killed. He and his followers destroyed churches and religions. Food was becoming scarce and famine spread throughout the country. What was his plan? Indutrializtion. Socialism work was the way for Russia to industrialize quickly. His Five-Year Plan was very unsuccessful in that many people died because of it. The quota for workers was impossible to meet which forced the workers to lie about their production amounts. They had to lie so that they wouldn't get in trouble for not meeting the quota. Eventually, the idea of Gulag came up. Gulag was a labor camp that workers would have to go to if they did something wrong at work. Even a little thing like being ten minutes late for work, you would be sent to Gulag. At Gulag the laborers were worked to death. Stalin ruled by use of terror and secret police.
He used collectivization of farmland, where small farms were combined into larger farms under government control. Villages were rebelled, setting fires to crops, smashing machines, and killing livestock which lead to famine. Military and secret police used mass executions and deportations to enforce obedience to Russia. There was Political Oppression in which individuals were sacrificed for the good of society. There was no freedom of speech, press, etc. Purges was the purification of the Communist Party. It eliminated any potential opposition. .
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A devoted industrial ruler, Stalin was determined to help Russia catch up to the other countries around the world after World War I.
