The Russian Revolution

As General Secretary, Stalin had a lot of power and by 1928 Bolshevik leaders were no longer a threat to him.

The Five Year Plans were introduced because of many reasons. Stalin believed that the Soviet industry and farming was one hundred years behind the West. He said that they must catch up in 10 years. Stalin turned away from world revolution and set out to create socialism in one country. Stalin did not trust Western Europe. Russia had been invaded in 1919 during the Civil War and he tried to prevent further invasions. Stalin hated the Kulaks (land-owning peasants), and wanted to destroy them. In the first Five Year Plan, Stalin called for huge increases in the output of heavy industry.

Stalin and the Second World War

The German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 led to a string of defeats for the Red Army. German troops went deep into the Russian heartland and the country found itself fighting for its vey existence. Stalin realised that desperate steps most be taken to avoid conquest by Germany. He ordered the countryside to be destroyed as the Red Army retreated. Everything was burned or laid to waste in order to deny the enemy. He announced to the Soviet citizens to defend the motherland to their last breath. Whole factories and even town were moved further east out of the reach of the German armies. Stalin left military matters to his generals including Marshal Zhukov. Russia managed o overcome the Germans mainly because of the harsh weather conditions.

Stalin died in 1953 and was remembered as a national hero. Following his death, Malenkov became the Prime Minister and the new Secretary of the Communist Party was Nikita Khrushchev.