How did Joseph Stalin impact the Soviet Union

How did Joseph Stalin impact the Soviet Union? Notes #24

n In 1924, Vladimir Lenin died, which immediately created a power struggle among Communist Party leaders. . . Joseph Stalin Leon Trotsky Vladimir Lenin (1870– 1924)

. . . and eventually resulted in Joseph Stalin becoming the new leader of the Communist Party and Soviet Union.

n Stalin’s leadership of the Soviet Union was a period of censorship and terror. NKVD secret police agency

n For example, during the 1930 s, Stalin used purges and public trials to eliminate any opposition to himself and his government.

An estimated 40 million people were killed as a result of Stalin’s policies

n Stalin established a command economy in the Soviet Union, which involved the Soviet government determining the type and quantity of goods produced.

n Under Stalin’s economic programs, called Five-Year Plans, the Soviet Union increased its industrial output by developing heavy industry. Five-Year Plan propaganda posters

n However, Stalin’s economic programs also resulted in a widespread food shortage throughout the Soviet Union. An estimated 14 million people died of starvation in the Soviet Union

n For example, during the 1930 s, Ukraine experienced a famine as a result of the Soviet Union’s attempt to collectivize agriculture. Holodomor (1932– 1933); an estimated 7. 5 million Ukrainian people died of starvation