Stalin's personality has been of great interest to millions of people for many decades. Striking not only the economic successes achieved by the Soviet country during his reign, but also the absolute power that this person had. Outwardly inconspicuous and silent, Stalin managed to put things in such a way that not only in Russia, but throughout the world he is still considered one of the most outstanding political figures of human civilization. How did a poorly educated and poorly educated person manage to rise to transcendental heights and command the fate of the world?
The answer must be sought in the very system of government of the Soviet state. Lenin and his entourage put the Bolshevik Party at the head of the country. It was she who became the cement that turned all ministries, departments, republics and regions into a single monolith. Real power, accordingly, was concentrated in the hands of the party leader, not the prime minister and the president.
Comrade Stalin held the highest post in the party hierarchy since 1922. He was considered the general secretary of the Bolshevik Party and dealt with purely personnel issues. Appointed secretaries of district committees, city committees and regional party committees. Logically, these people were supposed to be engaged in propaganda work. That is, to prove to non-party citizens the advantages of the socialist system over the capitalist one.
In reality, it was not like that. Party leaders devoted a minimum of time to ideology. Their main activity was to manage industry, agriculture, the army and other important components of the economy. That is, the party was the governing superstructure over the administrative bodies of power. And at the head of all this was the modest and silent comrade Stalin.
As a man, he was cunning, careful, calculating and vindictive. It's no secret that Lenin's comrades-in-arms, and the leader himself, never considered Stalin to be his equal. Ulyanov, Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Bukharin and other leaders of the communist movement were brilliant orators, erudite and educated people. They all graduated from universities, knew several languages and regularly entered into polemics with each other.
Their fiery speeches could go on for hours. Moreover, it was not a set of slogans and appeals, but competent arguments based on deep knowledge. Comrade Stalin looked very pale against this background. To be honest, he could not connect two words. Therefore, he could only be thoughtfully silent and closely follow the controversy. When he determined the opinion of the majority, he began to feel quite confident.
The leaders of the Bolsheviks, for the most part, were educated people. Therefore, out of politeness, they were interested in Stalin's opinion. He immediately uttered a thought with which most of those present had already agreed. As a result, the opinion of the astonishing foresight of the general secretary of the party gradually developed.
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But the future leader of the peoples tried not only to appear smarter than he really was. Every day, they carried out personnel work hidden from prying eyes. Stalin very carefully and gradually placed people loyal to him to key posts in the party. By 1926, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Trotsky had no supporters in the higher party apparatus. They were all the people of the secretary general. That is, in 4 years, a real coup took place in the highest body of power.
After that, a steady displacement of representatives of the Leninist guard began from all posts. It all ended with high-profile trials of 37-39 years. Those who excelled Stalin in intelligence were ruthlessly destroyed. The newly made leader did not forgive anyone for the humiliations that he endured for 20 years from more educated and lively comrades.
Unhealthy suspicion and vindictiveness extended to those comrades-in-arms who never belittled the dignity of the "father of nations." In the basements of the NKVD, tens of thousands of people devoted to him perished.
If you look closely at the newsreel footage of the late 1930s, it is easy to see that the leader of the world's first socialist state does not walk, but flutters. Spiritual lightness is felt in every movement of the Secretary General. He is good-natured and cheerful. The bloody executioner destroyed all his enemies, and his soul was filled with inner freedom. This is the essence of the personality of this dictator.
Stalin and his associates To the left of the leader is the President of the Soviet Union M. I. Kalinin, behind Yezhov, Kaganovich, Mikoyan, and others.
But what about the huge economic successes that shook the entire civilized world? For 20 years, the country has created a powerful industrial base. Cities, factories, power plants, and factories were built from scratch. They gave work to the entire population of a huge country. Here there is such a term as "Stalinist promoted". This is a special cohort of people. Take Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Malyshev as an example.
In 1930 he was a steam locomotive driver. The guy is 28 years old. No higher education. What kind of career can you make when you're under 30? But someone drew attention to Malyshev and sent him to study at the Moscow Higher Technical School. In 1934 Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich became an engineer. A long career ahead. It can take tens of years. But this is Stalin's time.
Already in 1939, Malyshev became the People's Commissar of Heavy Industry of the USSR. Takeoff is almost vertical. Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich covered the path from an ordinary designer to a federal minister in just less than 6 years. In 1941, Malyshev was appointed Stalin's deputy for industry and at the same time People's Commissar of the tank industry.
Here he is a "Stalinist promoted". What is the essence of this person? Malyshev and others like him performed impossible tasks. Imagine a directive comes from Moscow to a tank factory: to double the production of tanks. But at the same time they do not give any new materials, or machines, or people. You need to double from scratch. The one who was able to perform such a miracle, and fell into the cohort of "Stalin's promoted".
Anyone could try. The doors of the directors' and ministerial offices were opened for everyone. At the same time, no one was interested in personal data, characteristics from the previous place of work, past merits and experience. It was all an empty sound. The person was tested in a specific case. If he coped with the task, then he remained in high office for many years. But if he could not cope, then very quickly disappeared into the basements of the NKVD. More than this hasty leader, no one has ever seen alive.
Let's take another example. Pavel Vasilievich Rychagov - ace, fighter pilot. Fearlessly fought in Spain, on Lake Khasan, on the Khalkhin-Gol River. He distinguished himself in the war against Finland. In 1936, an ordinary senior lieutenant, of which thousands. In 1940 he was awarded the rank of Lieutenant General of Aviation. At the age of 29, he became the head of the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Force. At the beginning of 1941 he was appointed Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR.
Rychagov, like Malyshev, is a "Stalinist promoted". But he makes a mistake: at one of the government meetings, in the heat of the argument, he declares that the pilots fly on coffins, and not on airplanes. It should be noted that the "leader of the peoples" was very sensitive to the development of aviation: he delved into the smallest details, constantly met with the designers. Therefore, Rychagov's career ended after a rash phrase. He was removed from his post and sent to study for advanced training courses with young cadets. After 2 months they were arrested and then shot. Such an end was also common at the time.
These examples perfectly characterize Stalin's personality. He had a special selection of personnel. This has never been practiced anywhere in the world. Extreme conditions were created for a person. If you do it, you will survive. If you fail, they will shoot you. As a result, a whole galaxy of ministers, party secretaries and generals appeared. Each of them chose the same as himself. A certain system has developed that has existed for decades.
Hence the low organization of labor, rush jobs at work, rudeness with subordinates, rudeness, swearing, shouting. All this was considered the norm. Those who could demand and not offer based on their knowledge were placed in high positions. Echoes of "Stalinist selection" are felt in our days. People with certain moral and volitional qualities are appointed as leaders. Professional knowledge is considered a secondary factor.
Joseph Vissarionovich himself never shouted at anyone and did not raise his voice. He was in control of himself and was a great artist. The leader of the peoples was very afraid to get his cream tunic dirty. It's like in that joke: "The orchestra in gov … e, the audience in gov … e, you, Mr. Director, excuse me, are also in gov … e, and here I go out - in a white tailcoat."
Everyone around Comrade Stalin was smeared over: Yagoda, Yezhov, Beria, Khrushchev, Malenkov, Kaganovich. There is nowhere to put samples on these people. And the "father of nations" seems to have nothing to do with it. The main thing is to shoot or plant in time. Then people will think that the "great and wise" really fights for justice and thinks about the aspirations of ordinary citizens.
At the same time, considering the personality of Stalin, one must not forget that the Great Patriotic War was won under his leadership. Every spring in the country there was a decrease in prices for basic foodstuffs. Moreover, there was a unique economic process. The ruble rose in price from year to year, and its purchasing power grew. If this year you did not spend 1000 rubles, then next year you could buy much more goods with this money. Therefore, it was profitable to keep the funds in the bank, even without interest.
The purchasing power of the ruble for food products exceeded the purchasing power of the American dollar by 1.58 times. It was under Stalin that an 8-hour working day, free education, healthcare, practically free housing, and the cheapest public transport in the world were introduced in the USSR. After the World War, the Soviet Union was the first in Europe to abolish the rationing system. Even the Americans admitted that if the USSR developed at such a pace, then by 1970 it would be in the top three most developed countries in the world.
Therefore, when evaluating Stalin's personality, it is necessary to show objectivity. Yes, the leader of the nations is to blame for the greatest atrocities. He was involved in the extermination of millions of people. The grief of mothers and children is on his conscience. This cannot be forgiven. But the well-being of the population grew steadily. Many evening schools, vocational schools and GPTUs were opened in the country.
Lenin and Stalin
Cinematography created great films, whole galaxy of talented artists worked in theaters. People looked to tomorrow with calm confidence. Markets were inundated with cheap food, and crime rates were well below modern. There was no bureaucratic arbitrariness, but only the leading role of the Communist Party.
And yet, without guile, let's say that if there hadn't been a Bolshevik coup, Lenin, Stalin, we would have lived in a completely different country. Much richer, happier and more prosperous than now.
Igor Tomshin