The history of mankind has been around for thousands of years, however, in any period of development, people had to be managed in order to maintain the necessary integrity of society. The formation of power institutions, the rapid process of social stratification, the unpopularity of individual measures in the eyes of the population - all this brought to life such an impact as repression. This punishment allowed the state to consolidate the social system for its own interests.
The importance of punitive organs for power
In general, the apparatus of coercion has been given much attention since ancient times, otherwise it was impossible to maintain order and effective development of the country. It is indisputable that at different historical stages the importance of punitive bodies either increased or, on the contrary, decreased, but their presence is a prerequisite for the emergence and existence of the state. Having made a brief excursion into history, it can be noted that the activity of the repressive apparatus increases at turning points, whether it be revolutions, wars, mass acts of disobedience of the civilian population. It is enough to recall the periods of the two revolutions of 1917 in Russia. At that time, punitive measures had gained unprecedented proportions, and it could not have been otherwise, because the Civil War had begun, and the one who seized power would determine the subsequent development of the country. Therefore, from both warring parties such an effective measure of influence as repression was applied. This made it possible to achieve loyalty of the population, although often it was only superficial.
Trumps I.V. Stalin
The further course of events in our country showed the need for the existence of a ramified and well-trained personnel of the punitive apparatus. The victory in the Civil War and the presence of a large stratum of opposition leaders of various kinds within the country made the need for a qualified security system a vital necessity for the Bolsheviks. In addition, in the struggle for power between party functionaries, such a reliable method as repression was always used. This became the hallmark of the reign of I.V. Stalin. By subjugating the power block of the Bolshevik government, he was able to fully convert it to his advantage. With the help of a set of measures of a violent nature, Joseph Vissarionovich cleared his way to higher power after the death of V.I. Lenin. The “Leader of All Peoples” well understood the need to have on hand the performers of his will, he also realized that not everyone would obey him out of good will, so he created a real monster of the punitive apparatus of the USSR, he became the united GPU-MGB, which was alternately led by the faithful servants of Koba.
Bone progress
Repression in the USSR acquired a truly grandiose character in the 30s of the last century. They have already begun to be applied even in relation to not an individual person, but to whole associations, and even peoples. Stalin set a clear goal to suppress even the slightest discontent by eradicating it in the bud. He did not take into account either public opinion or the advice of his associates. This policy of the Secretary General of the CPSU (b) can be compared with the oprichnina policy of Ivan IV, who also used the most severe repressions against dissenters. If you draw a parallel, it can be noted that in the XVI and XX centuries the goals of the rulers coincided - to achieve unquestioning submission. If in the first case the tsar fought with the willfulness of large feudal lords to strengthen the centralization of the country, in the second case the leader tried to quickly put the country on a par with the industrialized European states, and this can be done by suppressing any manifestation of opposition in society.
Soviet way of industrialization
The mass repressions carried out by the Soviet government were brutal, and they could be caused by a simple anonymity against any person, that is, bypassing the presumption of innocence in the USSR, they were first punished and then investigated. So, quite loyal and trustworthy citizens fell into the flywheel of punitive organs. However, Stalin achieved the final result, industry was restored as soon as possible, in fact, they expressed dissatisfaction only mentally. “Revelatory processes” thundered across the country. Extrajudicial triples worked day and night, searching for enemies of the people. Repression is what became the style of the reign of Joseph Vissarionovich, and he put this method of punishment at the head of all methods of combating public discontent and manifestation of disobedience, both for personal purposes and for the interests of the country.