Onward to Communism under the leadership of the great Stalin
Courtesy of the Hoover Archives
Stalin: Life and Policies
This section looks at the rise and rule of Stalin in the USSR. Stalin was born and raised in Georgia. During the Russian Revolution he worked closely with Lenin and others and when the new Soviet government was set up, he outmaneuvered his opposition to become the unquestionable leader of the USSR by the late 1920's. He implemented a set of Five-Year plans, which provided the blueprint for the country to modernize and move forward. Stalin pushed to industrialize his country very rapidly, which was partially successful, although it came at a great cost. He also tried to collectivize the peasants by forcing them onto collective farms. This policy was disastrous. In the early 1940's, Hitler invaded the USSR and the Soviets spent four terrible years defending their motherland. Although Stalin’s military abilities were questionable at times, he emerged a hero at the end of the war. In 1953, Stalin died as a hero to the huge majority of the Soviet people.
