World War II
Nick Maznikovski, Wilson Social Studies Project
How did Joseph Stalin's leadership qualities affect the kind of strategies used by the USSR?
Joseph Stalin had good characteristics for a military leader because he led by force and power and he used intelligent strategies to help the USSR defeat the Nazi’s.
Background Information
When Joseph Stalin become a dictator?
Also Joseph Stalin tricked many people in the USSR so they could help him rise by power and seem to become a good leader but they didn't realize Stalin's real plan was to become a dictator until they saw him as him as a dictator the next summer. The people that helped him achieve his goals regretted the decision they made. Also when Stalin became a dictator many people didn't like him because of his way of ruling.
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How Stalin ruled as a dictator
"Stalin ruled by terror and with a totalitarian grip in order to eliminate anyone who might oppose him. He expanded the powers of the secret police, encouraged citizens to spy on one another and had millions of people killed or sent to the Gulag system of forced labor camps". In order to rule as a dictator Joseph Stalin hired people that would eliminate anyone that could be a threat to him and he also expanded his powers by having secret police spying on people that might oppose him.
Also "His development plan was centered on government control of the economy and included the forced collectivization of Soviet agriculture, in which the government took control of farms. Millions of farmers refused to cooperate with Stalin’s orders and were shot or exiled as punishment". This is also important because when Joseph Stalin developed his own plan that was centered around the government and when people didn’t follow his rules he either shot them or exiled them.
Joseph Stalin's military's strategies
"Stalin remained there and directed a scorched earth defensive policy, destroying any supplies or infrastructure that might benefit the enemy". This means one of Stalin's orders he told the USSR military was to destroy anything that might benefit the Nazi's. This also means Stalin is putting his country before him and he is sacrificing items they created so it won't help the enemy out.
Also "The German losses at Stalingrad were 1.5 million men, 3,500 tanks and 3,000 aircraft. It marked the turning point of the war. From this date on, Germany began to retreat". This shows Stalin controlled the USSR military as much as he can possibly can so they can beat the Germans. This was the turning point of the war and it gave many chances for other countries to help end Adolf Hitler and the Nazi's.
References
http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/z8nbcdm
http://www.history.com/topics/joseph-stalin
http://100leaders.org/joseph-stalin
http://www.biography.com/people/joseph-stalin-9491723
http://spartacus-educational.com/RUSstalin.htm
http://www.studentpulse.com/ articles/8/stalin-and-the-drive-to-industrialize-the-soviet-union
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/political-leaders-of-world-war-two/joseph-stalin/