To What Extent Did Stalin’s Rule Mar the Key Turning Point...

To what extent did Stalin’s rule mar the key turning point in Russia’s political development 1856-1953? In an historical context, a ‘turning point’ can be categorized as an event o impact caused by an individual that, had it not occurred, would have altered the final outcome of a period of history. In the period of Russian history 1856-1953 there is no doubt there was a huge amount on political change, at the bringing of the period Russia was a state ruled by an autocratic Tsar and by the end it had seen provisional governments, local and national assemblies and a whole variety of rulers, some more autocratic and reactionary than others. Stalin’s period of rule in Russia could be seen as the most brutal rule Russia saw in this period,†¦show more content†¦These purges allowed him to remove any political opponents to himself or the party. He has been judged very harshly but a number of historians, including Steve Phillips judge that ‘enormous human costs of the policy and Stalin’s personal manipulation of policy to his own advantage’5 whe re some of the reasons as to why he is viewed in such a bad light, others see what he did as necessary. Martin McCauley wrote that ‘the future is built on the bones of the past’6 taking a more Marxist view of the long term result being of greater importance than the short term impacts. There are also questions over Stalin’s objectives, as at times they seemed contradictory, ‘economically Stalin was building Socialism, but politically he was destroying it’7. A number of historians contest this and consider Stalin to be a product of his time rather than a genuine key individual, ‘Stalin’s rise to power was not based on human qualities; it resulted from the functioning of an inhuman machine, the bureaucracy’8 . Stalin and Lenin took very different stances; Lenin followed Socialism in one country whilst Stalin wanted international socialism. Stalin was also far more brutal than Lenin. My judgment is that the turning point in this peri od (1916-17) was Lenin dissolving the Constituent Assembly as it was the true rejection ofShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesDavid M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Michael Adas, ed., Agricultural and Pastoral Societies