The Dark Years of Stalin

The Dark Years of Stalin

In the year of 1924, the great leader, Vladmir Lenin, died from heart-related issues. It was in the sadness of this time that a new leader named Joseph Stalin would rise to power in Russia. Earlier in 1922, Stalin had been elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party and had slowly gained power through the party. Following the death of Lenin, he effectively put down all opposing groups within his party and consolidated power into his hands. He then proceeded to exile his antagonist, Leon Trotsky, from the nation in 1929 and to affirm his concept of socialism in one country which would be the Soviet approach for many years.

During the 1930s, Stalin launched a Five-Year Plan which called for collectivization and industrialization to achieve a planned economy. The result was a large famine from 1932-1933 in which many people throughout the Soviet Union suffered. In addition to this, Stalin introduced harsh state control policies that led to several thousand people being executed and millions more being deported. It was a dark era in Soviet history, and  the experienced certainly changed the culture of the nation as a whole. Looking back on it, the years of Stalin show us the consequences of allowing individuals or groups to have unbalanced, excessive power. 


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