How Did Lenin Respond To Joseph Stalin's Foreign Relations
Joseph Stalin made extremely challenging decisions regarding Soviet’s foreign relations with other European and North American nations during his regime. Before Stalin’s rule, Vladimir Lenin became the first leader to create the world’s first single-party socialist state (12). He set up a Communist International organization that strongly advocated world communism. Lenin sent it out to Europe and Asia, in hope of liberating the people from capitalist and imperialist control. This policy contrasted the ideas of Stalin as he envisioned communism as an element of nationalism for the people of Soviet Russia. Stalin began building his program, named “Socialism in One Country”, since worldwide communism seemed highly unlikely (13). He chose to spend
the nation’s resources on increasing land and power of the Soviet Union, which in turn would increase the area of USSR and spread communism only under Stalin’s regime. Stalin implemented this change in 1924 to make Soviet Union more competitive with the rest of the major world powers, like Germany. To contain peace with Germany after World War one, the Soviets signed the Treaty of Rapallo in 1922 under Lenin (11). Joseph Stalin put forth a similar policy during his rule when he and Hitler signed the Nonaggression Pact in 1939, before the start of World War two (4). However, in 1941, the Germans broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact, which led to the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942, where the Soviet Red Army defeated the Germans and earned the status of one of the most powerful nations at the time (5). On August 29, 1949, Stalin decides to test the first atomic bomb, which led to the forty-five year Cold War between USSR and United States (2). To summarize, the failed foreign policies with the Germans and the increasing tensions with United States clearly support the claim that Stalin had no success in foreign relations during his regime.
Under his rule, Stalin changed the structure of the government while going to extreme measures to remove all opposition. Prior to Stalin’s regime, Vladimir Lenin ruled with an increasingly dictatorial and militaristic government, where they used force against workers and peasants who protested during the Russian Civil War (1). This contributed to the rise of Stalin’s regime as the people of Soviet Union hoped that his Five-Year Plan would improve working conditions (7). Furthermore, after Lenin’s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin, an elected General Secretary of the Communist Party
the nation’s resources on increasing land and power of the Soviet Union, which in turn would increase the area of USSR and spread communism only under Stalin’s regime. Stalin implemented this change in 1924 to make Soviet Union more competitive with the rest of the major world powers, like Germany. To contain peace with Germany after World War one, the Soviets signed the Treaty of Rapallo in 1922 under Lenin (11). Joseph Stalin put forth a similar policy during his rule when he and Hitler signed the Nonaggression Pact in 1939, before the start of World War two (4). However, in 1941, the Germans broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact, which led to the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942, where the Soviet Red Army defeated the Germans and earned the status of one of the most powerful nations at the time (5). On August 29, 1949, Stalin decides to test the first atomic bomb, which led to the forty-five year Cold War between USSR and United States (2). To summarize, the failed foreign policies with the Germans and the increasing tensions with United States clearly support the claim that Stalin had no success in foreign relations during his regime.
Under his rule, Stalin changed the structure of the government while going to extreme measures to remove all opposition. Prior to Stalin’s regime, Vladimir Lenin ruled with an increasingly dictatorial and militaristic government, where they used force against workers and peasants who protested during the Russian Civil War (1). This contributed to the rise of Stalin’s regime as the people of Soviet Union hoped that his Five-Year Plan would improve working conditions (7). Furthermore, after Lenin’s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin, an elected General Secretary of the Communist Party