Why Did Joseph Stalin's Use Of Terror

Joseph Stalin ruled the Soviet Union from 1928 until his death in 1953. His use of terror to help the Soviet economy grow is today viewed by most historians as a brutal period in Russian history. However in today’s Russia the view of Stalin is actually very mixed. Surveys regularly show that only forty percent of Russians would absolutely not vote for Stalin if he were alive today. This is despite the fact that the Stalinist regime was responsible for the deaths of millions of people both in Russia and its surrounding countries. Stalin is seen as a positive figure for many reasons. He is seen as the man who industrialised the Soviet Union and brought the country victory in World War II. Consequently, the millions
The ideological war between East and West that took over international affairs for most of the 20th century was obviously going to impact the sources that would be used by historians. It is a given that Stalin’s regime operated a brutal policy of terror but what the exact figures are is disputed. Figures range from three million to twenty million. The use of propaganda was prevalent on both sides of the Cold War. This along with the closing of records on the Soviet Union in Russia today makes estimating the numbers killed quite
Under Stalinism industrialisation occurred in the cities through the building of factories and in the villages through collectivisation and the mechanisation of farming. It was through this that the Soviet Union became an economic powerhouse that was envied around the world. It was this that probably makes people feel the most sympathy for Stalin as he built the Soviet Union into a large empire that brought about a sense of pride in much of the