He married Nadezhda Alliluyeva in 1919 (Stalin Triumph 132). One thing that helped him in his rise to power was that he never disagreed with Lenin, and he followed Lenin completely. This made Lenin trust Stalin more than most of his other lower ranking officials. Stalin joined the Politburo, or the inner committee of the party, in 1919. He became the secretary general of the Bolshevik party in 1922 (Stalin Modern). Stalin gained popularity through his humble attitude, by siding with the majority, and by using his opponents against one another. He would help one of his competitors oust a common enemy, and then Stalin would replace that person with one of his own supporters. Using these tactics, Stalin was the undisputed leader of the party by 1928 (The Party 14).
Stalin's rule was brutal and his power was absolute. He began forced collectivization and industrialization programs in 1928. He used five-year plans and a system of quotas to ensure that all of Russia was productive. He deported and executed many, many Kulaks, or wealthier peasants, because he considered the Kulak social class to be unnecessary (The Unquiet 34). Many people resisted Stalin, and many people were killed because of it. Thousands of people were slaughtered because they did not follow Stalin's plan for reforming Russia. Many of Stalin's changes were not welcome or were not well implemented. Stalin ordered all of Russia's farmland to be collectivized, or turned into huge, organized farms. This was not done very efficiently or effectively, and for the first few years after Russia was collectivized, food production fell dramatically. Famine swept Russia, and many people starved to death. Stalin also killed nearly all of the elite members of his political party from 1934 to 1938 (Stalin Man 1653). After 1930, Stalin completely forfeited his personal life for his political life. Stalin's second wife committed suicide in 1932.
