In 1922, when Vladimir Lenin became incapacitated, there was a clear need of a successor for the Soviet Union. As he was slowly dying, a power struggle emerged between Leon Trotsky, and Joseph Stalin. These two had developed a deep hatred and rivalry for each other. Even though Trotsky “...
Following the death of Lenin in 1924, there emerged a power crisis in the Soviet Union. Of all other claimants for power, Joseph Stalin came out successfully. For a long time, he was both the Secretary of the Communist Party and the prime minister of the Soviet Union; even during the p...
Was born of illiterate peasant parents, his harsh spirit have been blamed on undeserved and severe beatings by his father, inspiring vengeful feelings toward anyone in a position to wield power over him (Stalin 1). His mother set him on a path to become a priest, and he studied Russian ...
Having served as commissar for state control since 1919, he continued this post until 1923, while in 1922 he was elected general secretary of the Communist Party, a position that gave him control over appointments and established a base for his political power. Stalin’s rude and aggressive beh...
Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union until his death in 1953. His actions and ideas were a significant factor in the unfolding Cold War.
“complete freedom for the Finnish people, and for other peoples of Russia, to arrange their own life”. This meant that he supported the idea of self-determination and making a life for yourself. After a while, Stalin found it hard to control the non-Russian people under his power. They...
It is an attack on the seat of power. And it is a plan conceived from the lofty view, the god’s-eye perspective, we discussed last week in relation to the de Certeau observing New York from the top of the World Trade Centre. The remainder of Conrad’s novel is set down on street...
Although the left was unable to make heroes of the people who supported and sometimes were controlled by Stalin, they did make heroes of opponents of McCarthy, painting him as the internal menace to American values that was far worse than Communist subversion. Schrecker (1998) sees McCarthyism...
Everyoneisfamiliarwithhardpower.Weknowthatmilitaryandeconomicmightoftenget otherstochangetheirposition.Hardpowercanrestoninducements(“carrots”)orthreats (“sticks”).Butsometimesyoucangettheoutcomesyouwantwithouttangiblethreatsor payoffs.Theindirectwaytogetwhatyouwanthassometimesbeencalled“thesecond faceofpower....
In 1937 Lash successfully solicited Communist Party funding for the ASU from CP boss Earl Browder.[5]Lash attacked those who criticized Stalin's bloody purges for "cast[ing] doubt on the integrity of Soviet justice"[6]and called Trotskyites "the syphilis of the working class."[7]In 1938,...