The perception of Joseph Stalin’s figure is a controversial issue and an actual question for researchers in the modern world. On the one hand, there are people who idolize him and who were satisfied with the level of life during his reign. On the other hand, Stalin is famous for Gulag, severe and unfair repressions, violent decisions towards scientists and artistic people. He cultivated the regime where denunciations were often the only way to survive. What is more, it is necessary to point out that it is hard to examine the figure of the dictator outside his own image that he created being in power (Onaciu). Another problem is the question of the objectivity of the archives of this period as Stalin could destroy the files that were not beneficial for his profile. However, nowadays, there are academic works that are based on diverse sources of information, including secret materials and foreign documents. It helps to establish an objective overview of Stalin’s figure and his actions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the correlation between the biographical facts of the dictator and his political regime.
Joseph Stalin was born in an ordinary Georgian family; he was a student of Theological Academy. He was one of the most brilliant children and was good at all disciplines presented in this educational institution. Nevertheless, Stalin did not like studying and preferred to spend time with friends interested in revolution. It is possible to assume that the resentment against Theological Academy led to the prohibition of religion in the USSR during his reign. Onaciu maintains that the sociological approach is significantly vital in case of analyzing the individual strategies of the dictator. For this reason, it is crucial to pay attention to the circumstances of life of people, the level of their comfort, and their attitudes in the period of this regime.
The geographical position affected the perception of current events by the population. For example, the remoteness from the center of the country, big cities, and railway stations played a notable role in the formation of the political views of the citizens (Zhukov and Talibova 268). Human beings living in distant and isolated regions were pleased with the living conditions (Zhukov and Talibova 267). In this case, it can be observed that the actual standard of living was even better than during the previous decades. The political engagement and understanding of Stalin’s methodology may be the reason for treating him as a tyrant but not the conditions of life.
In distant regions, life did not change in a crucial way except for the renaming of governmental departments. Nonetheless, the level of political engagement was significant: humans were ready to change the place of living according to their opinion about the authorities (Gugushvili et al. 365). This phenomenon is a reason to raise the question of the severity of repressions. It is claimed that people who were not satisfied with the existing regime spent the rest of their life in prison camps. However, the possibility to have diverse political views shows that there was a minimum level of freedom. Stalin was born in a poor family and in the period of tsarist authority. It is probable that he decided to increase the standards of living and the economic level, primarily for low-income households. That is why the citizens from distant regions were satisfied as they experienced the improvement but were not aware of the repressive methods of the government.
The poverty of his family had an impact on Stalin’s economic politics. The idea was to make people equal and pay them according to their abilities and engagement in the working process. Meyer (566) suggests that the anti-Stalin movement is a synonym to the anti-communism one: human beings did not like the system and blamed the government. However, many countries after World War II established and implemented the same methods as Stalin did. Among them are the nationalized economy, free medical care, social equity (Meyer 567). He was the first to introduce these innovations; that is why mistakes could not be avoided. According to Meyer (567), achieving such results in a short period of time was impossible without enforcement. On the one hand, the creation of the communist society required those types of actions. On the other hand, it is possible to assume that there was no need to do it in such a rapid way. If the process of changes was more balanced and gradual, violent decisions could be avoided.
During World War II, the performance of the USSR army is claimed to be a brilliant example of courage and bravery. In this case, the influence of Stalin’s methods cannot be underestimated. However, this issue is controversial as the cost of the victory was high. The prisoners were used as free manual labor that contradicts the understanding of human dignity. At the same time, the soldiers were motivated to fight to the end thanks to the system of encouragement implemented by Stalin. World War II is an example of the violence that was beneficial for the victory. The repressions have a long-term negative effect on the lives of people and the fate of the country (Zhukov and Talibova 268). However, it is impossible to imagine what could have happened if Stalin did not act in such a cruel and determined way.
It is important to take into consideration Stalin’s personal traits of character in the framework of analysis of his political ideology. It is known that he was a suspicious person that affected his decisions during his reign. The number of denunciations increased dramatically in the period of his power. The level of suspicion was exceptionally high that correlates with the personal perception of the world and relationships of the dictator (Meyer 567). What is more, the repressions towards the scientists and the artists also could be explained by the specificities of the biography. Stalin did not appreciate the educational institution where he was a student. It is probable that it influenced his mistrust of this layer of the population. Painful parts of childhood and personal particularities were also reflected in the political methodology of the authorities.
Stalin’s image is under discussion even in the 21st century. His methods are claimed to be cruel and violent, especially during World War II. The impact of his education, family relationships, and personal traits of character have to be taken into account in order to establish an objective and detailed overview of his reign. Stalin’s desire to make everyone equal, provide free social goods, and build a community with respect to everyone turned into repressions and the creation of prison camps. The ideas of the dictators were implemented in the short term and caused severe problems to the citizens. However, many countries followed the path of communism introduced and partially implemented by Stalin, who wanted people to live a better life.
Works Cited
Gugushvili, Alexi, et al. “Cartographies of Stalin: Place, Scale, and Reputational Politics.” The Professional Geographer, vol. 68, no. 3, 2016, pp. 356–367.
Meyer, Gerald. “Joseph Stalin: Revisionist Biography.” Science & Society, vol. 81, no. 4, 2017, pp. 549–569.
Onaciu, Vlad. “The Writing and Re-writing of Joseph Stalin and His Regime: A Critical Comparison of Two Biographies.” LSE Review of Books, 2016, Web.
Zhukov, Yuri, and Roya Talibova. “Stalin’s Terror and the Long-Term Political Effects of Mass Repression.” Journal of Peace Research, vol. 55, no. 2, 2018, pp. 267–283.