Joseph Stalin was the soviet communist leader who's passing molded an era, and whose iron rule determined the lives of millions of people. Considering that he shaped the direction of post-World War II Europe, we may regard him as the most powerful person to live during the 20th c...

Imagine the next time you step into the voting booth your ballot only lists one candidate to choose from. Or perhaps your ballot lists four candidates, but they are all from the Liberal party. Dictatorships are one party political systems that are ruled by one leader or an elite group of people unde...

Stalin: The Politics of Terror In the twentieth century, when thinking of a dictatorship, the name of Joseph Stalin has become synonymous with this term. There has been no other ruler that has used such ruthless and has had the ability to triumph and maintain power against all odds. From his r...

The overlapping crises in Hungary and Poland in the autumn of 1956 posed a severe challenge for the leaders of the Soviet Communist Party (CPSU). After a tense standoff with Poland, the CPSU Presidium (as the Politburo was then called) decided to refrain from military intervention and to s...

The origins of the Cold War Up to 1945 the most dominant countries were European, Britain, France and Germany, by the end of the war however this was very different. The retreating German army had destroyed whole areas of towns and industries, and allied bombing had left most of Germany in ruin...

Joseph Stalin When most people see or hear the name Joseph Stalin, they most commonly associate it with a violent and ruthless political leader of the Soviet Union who managed to send more Russians to their deaths than Hitler did Jews. Aside from this fact, most individuals know very little about...

COLD WAR ESSAY The cold war began because of the conflicting ideologies between Soviet Communism and American Capitalism and the misconceptions both countries had about each other. The fact that neither country would reveal anything about them selves added...

The Truman Doctrine's Impact in Cold War Strategy By the middle of the twentieth century's fifth decade, the world had been jolted by two catastrophic wars; a seven- year economic disaster and the recognition that weapons of mass destruction existed. Where blood had been spilled ...

Joseph Stalin lived from 1879 till 1953. Stalin was one of the most ruthless communist dictators of all time. After Lenin's death, Stalin pushed his way to the top and was set out to make the Soviet Union into an industrial power. In 1928, Stalin proposed the Five Year Plans, which were t...

Throughout history, we have seen a number of leaders. Some have brought greatness to our world but we have also seen the destruction one powerful person can cause. However, this was not the case for Joseph Stalin. Joseph Stalin brought about great reform to the country of Russia throughout the reign...

America's Involvement In World Affairs Since 1945 Since 1945 the United States government has been increasingly concerned with problems all over the world in various continents. Three countries we were concerned with for different reasons were North Korea, Cuba, and South Africa. Difficulties o...

A villain is known as a scoundrel or a wicked person. These words describe the dictators Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin very precisely. Both men were powerful during their rule, but both also caused immense destruction to their countries. Hitler ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. He turned Germany...

History has shown that strong individuals and revolutionary ideas can have a major impact on a country. Leaders are often driven by what they perceive as a desire to create a more perfect country. Frequently their egos and methods sway them from the realization of the ideals they set out to achi...

Rise to Power Stalin first became interested in politics when as a theology student; he began reading illegal the works of political philosopher Karl Marx. He eventually gave up his religious education to devote his time to the revolutionary movement against the Russian monarchy. After be...

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg The outcome of the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg trial for espionage in 1951 and their subsequent execution in 1953 was directly related to the political climate at that time. The government's evidence against the Rosenbergs was not overwhelming, but due to a...

a man and his army A Research paper by Kyle Ramirez for Mr. C's 2nd period class Josef Stalin and the KGB were huge influences on the Russian Revolution. The KGB, at the hands of Josef Stalin caused great damage, spread lies and used threats to p...

The historical impact of Operation Barbarosa cannot be denied. The Soviet victory over the Nazi German invaders set up the Soviets as a world superpower and set the stage for the Cold War. Had the Germans not attacked, the Russians may not have gained their dominance in Eastern Europe, and the W...

In the first half of the twentieth century, the Soviet State was undergoing changes in all aspects of life, including both political and economical reforms. Within Soviet society, there was a reform of another type taking place. In particular, the lower members of society, such as the proletariat, ...

HOW DID STALIN ACHIEVE POLITICAL DOMINANCE BY 1929 By 1929, Stalin had attained total political dominance in the Communist party and this was due to a variety of factors caused by the death of Lenin and the leadership struggle that followed it. A major factor was Trotsky and his failures. Trotsky ...

After the Potsdam Conference, which took place from the 17th of July to the 2nd of August 1945, the Allied countries, mainly the USA, the UK, and the USSR, were moving steadily apart from each other in terms of their interests, leaving Europe torn apart into the eastern and the western blocs. The en...

Dominique Tappy 7F - 04 October 2000 The Origins of the Cold War The Cold War was a struggle between conflicting universal values. In the West, the concepts of a market economy and a multi-party democracy were cherished as necessity. In the East, single party statism and a command administrativ...

Russia Under Stalin When Lenin's reign over the Soviet Empire ended in 1924, the future course of Communist policies and dominance of the party were cast into uncertainty. This insecurity in the Soviet nation was even further intensified by the rocky period of transition and the shaky events sur...

There are different interpretations of 'how and why Stalin was able to gain power', either concentrating on his own actions and abilities, or the situation at the time and the failure of his opponents. It would appear that the success of Stalin was due to both his own strengths and ...

Siege of Berlin By Christmas 1944, Berlin was in ruins, and still being bombed around the clock. The Nazis still talked about wonder weapons and the Führer's genius turning the tables, but in the city canny and cynical Berliners made grim jokes about giving each other coffins as C...

Many people associate the 1920's in Russia as a preparation for Stalin, and the period of time after 1953 as a long recovery from his dictatorship. People who were anti-revolution pointed to the horror and fatality under Stalin as justification for their position on the issue of the revolution. On t...