Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin is still considered an extremely controversial nature. Opinions on its significance for the country were divided into two camps. Someone is ready to put the leader on the podium again, saying: “Stalin is not enough for you”, and someone supports the words of M. S. Gorbachev: “Stalin is a man in blood” . However, there is no one indifferent. So what did this person do and did not do for Russia in the almost 30-year history of his leadership? The pros and cons of Stalin’s reign in history will be considered in the most important events of 1924-1953.
Collectivization
"Land to the peasants, power to the people" is the main slogan of the communists. Everything should be common, and land is no exception. Kulakov as a class needed to be liquidated and collective farms created that would provide Soviet citizens with everything they needed. Collectivization is one of the stages on the road to industrialization.
Civil war, revolution greatly undermined the work of the peasants. As a result, 1927 was a low-yielding year. This outraged Stalin, because in the USSR there can be no shortage of anything. As a result, it was decided to begin mass collectivization, that is, to make all agriculture collective. What did this lead to?
Pros and cons of Stalin's rule during the years of collectivization 1928-1937.
- The elimination of the kulaks as a class. About 15 million people were exiled to Siberia, shot and evicted from their homes.
- The terrible famine of 1932-1933, the entire crop of peasants was taken away by the city, as a result, from hunger, according to various estimates, 5 to 10 million people died, mainly children.
- In agriculture, the private sector was completely destroyed.
- Collectivization created the conditions for industrialization. The state received funds for the development of industry.
- Livestock numbers fell by 50%.
- Grain production fell by 3%.
- 93% of peasant farms were transferred to collective farms.
- Agricultural production is completely subordinate to the state.
- Mass departure of peasants to the city.
Constitution of 1936
The basic idea of ​​the constitution is freedom. The adopted constitution said that the state belongs to the workers and peasants. Created tips, teams. The united communist party must protect the worker. And everything would be fine, but now everything, absolutely everything within the framework of the state, belongs to the state, including people.
Repression
Speaking about the rule of Stalin, one cannot but say about repressions. Until now, many justify his actions. Political crimes are the main cause of repression, or rather, an excuse. Political crime was expressed not only in actions, but also in words, in gaze, in relatives abroad, in expressing an opinion different from the ideology of communism. Fear has gained such proportions that for many years after the death of Stalin, his name was scary to pronounce.
The pros and cons of Stalin's rule will be discussed below.
- The formation of the cult of personality.
- Manipulation of society by means of fear.
- The formation of a certain social consciousness.
- About 5 million people were convicted for political reasons.
- About 800 thousand people were sentenced to capital punishment.
- About 6.5 million people were expelled from Russia.
- There was virtually no corruption in Russia.
in 2007, President V.V. Putin will say this:
We all know well that 1937 is considered the peak of repression, but it (this 1937) was well prepared for the previous years of cruelty. It is enough to recall the executions of hostages during the Civil War, the destruction of entire estates, clergy, dispossession of the peasantry, and the destruction of the Cossacks. Such tragedies have been repeated in the history of mankind more than once. And it always happened when attractive at first glance, but empty ideals were put above the main value - the value of human life, above human rights and freedoms. This is a special tragedy for our country. Because the scale is colossal. After all, they were destroyed, exiled to camps, shot, tortured hundreds of thousands, millions of people. Moreover, these are, as a rule, people with their own opinions. These are people who were not afraid to express it. These are the most effective people. This is the color of the nation. And, of course, for many years we still feel this tragedy on ourselves. Much needs to be done to ensure that this is never forgotten.
- The prisoners made up free labor, such facilities as the Belomorsko-Baltic Canal, the Volga-Don Canal, the Nizhny Tagil Metallurgical Plant, about ten hydroelectric power stations, the Kola Railway, the Northern Railway, highways, etc. were created at the expense of victims of repressed labor.
- A number of Russian cities were built by prisoners of the Gulags: Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Vorkuta, Ukhta, Pechora, Nakhodka, Volzhsky, etc.
- Prisoners also contributed to agriculture.
- Migration of thousands of Russian citizens, the best minds, intelligentsia, the creative elite.
The Great Patriotic War
The pros and cons of Stalin's rule during World War II are very blurred. On the one hand, Stalin won the war, but on the other hand, the people won the war under the leadership of the great commanders. You can argue endlessly. The whole country worked for the benefit of the front. Russia was breathing in one large organism. Economics, industry, agriculture, transport, factories, culture - all worked together to win the war. People rallied in one common grief. All these structures worked very clearly and harmoniously, and Stalin undoubtedly owes this to this . Russia entered the war, being "backward" in industrial terms in relation to Germany, and withdrew from the war as a strong military power.
Russia lost 27 million people in the war, Germany - 7 million people. It turns out that for every German soldier, there are 4 killed Soviet. This is the price of victory. Russia was not ready for war, and this is a fact. Repressions of generals and officers, Stalin ignoring warnings of an attack by both intelligence and Churchill. As a result, in the early days of the war hundreds of thousands of soldiers were captured and all Soviet aviation was defeated! Can Russia be considered to have won the war thanks to Stalin? Or is it despite his mistakes?
In the postwar period, totalitarianism reached its zenith. Control was established over all areas of society. Repression after the war also continued. Fear enveloped the country until the death of the leader.
Industrialization
Already in 1947, industry was completely restored, and after 10 years, economic well-being increased almost 2 times. None of the countries affected by the war by this time even reached the pre-war level. Russia has become a great military power.
Pros and cons of the reign of Joseph Stalin:
- Under Stalin, more than 1,500 largest industrial facilities, factories and factories were built. These are DneproGES, Uralmash, KhTZ, GAZ, ZIS, plants in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk, Norilsk and Stalingrad.
- A nuclear missile weapon was created. Although there is still debate about the role of Stalin in this area.
- For the benefit of industrialization, many agricultural resources were thrown, which significantly aggravated the lives of peasants.
After Stalin
Joseph Stalin died on March 5, 1953 at the age of 73 years. The cause of death is still a mystery. Someone says that Khrushchev poisoned him with like-minded people, someone is inclined to believe that it was a heart attack. In any case, it is Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev who becomes the first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. For 11 years of his leadership, Russia has already had other ups and downs.
Pros and cons of the rule of Stalin and Khrushchev in comparison:
- Stalin built socialism, Khrushchev destroyed it.
- Stalin relied on industrialization, Khrushchev on agriculture.
- Khrushchev destroyed the personality cult of Stalin, freed many innocent citizens from exile, but did not stop the repression.
The pros and cons of Stalin's rule are still disputed by historians, society and witnesses of those years. The contradictory personality of the leader also makes his achievements contradictory. A lot of literature has been written and many documentaries have been shot, but this is all theoretical debate. It is impossible to prove the truth of either side.
Summary
The era of Stalin is unique. For 30 years, the country has survived the civil war, famine, repression, the terrible Great Patriotic War, post-war reconstruction. It’s not for nothing that the people say “Khrushchev thaw”, but under Stalin they said “Hammer and sickle, death and hunger”. After Stalin's death, people began to slowly leave fear. The pros and cons of Stalin’s rule cannot be summarized. The role of Joseph Dzhugashvili was too big in history.
The results of the reign of Stalin, the pros and cons:
- The country's resources were national, free medicine, education, recreation, housing, cultural pastimes (theaters, museums).
- Big educational reform, many schools and institutes built.
- Scientific progress, nuclear and missile development areas.
- Victory in the Second World War and the country's rapid economic recovery.
- Industrial development, industrialization.
- The population declined during the years of the Civil War, Revolution, Famine, Repression and World War II.
- Blind indisputable ideology is still alive in the minds of the Soviet generation, its scale was so great.
The great epoch of Stalin is over, and everyone perceives the results of his leadership in different ways.