The rule of Stalin

Stalin’s Consolidation of Power

First Five-Year Plan: Stalin initiated the first Five-Year Plan in 1928 to industrialise the economy.
Collectivisation: Agriculture was collectivised to increase output and enable more state control.
Great Purge: Stalin orchestrated mass purges in the late 1930s to eliminate opposition, targeting party officials, army officers and ordinary citizens.
Cult of personality: Stalin cultivated an image of a great leader, utilising propaganda and education to instil loyalty.

Rapid industrialisation: Stalin’s plans led to significant growth in heavy industry, such as coal, steel, and oil production.
Collective farming: The agriculture sector was forced to combine smaller farms into larger collective farms known as kolkhozes.
Famine: The forced collectivisation led to severe famine during 1932-1933, particularly in Ukraine.

Socialist realism: This was a style of art and literature promoted by Stalin which glorified the workers and the state.
Great Turn: Stalin’s abandonment of NEP (New Economic Policy) in favour of rapid industrialisation.
Totalitarian control: Stalin established a totalitarian regime where the state had control over every aspect of life, with widespread use of secret police and informers.

Education reform: Emphasising on technical training to rapidly industrialise and support the growth of the economy.
Promotion of Russian culture: Stalin promoted Russian language and culture over the diverse ethnic and cultural groups in the USSR.
Persecution of religion: Stalin continued Soviet atheist policies, leading to demolitions of churches and the persecution of religious communities.
Women’s emancipation: Stalin’s regime promoted women’s right to work and paid maternity leave, however the traditional familial roles remained largely unchanged.