Joseph Stalin Impact On Russia

In the modern age, part of the reason we study history is to prevent ourselves from making the same mistakes as the people of the past and to see what worked for them that might work other places in the modern age. By studying countries as vast and as culturally rich as Russia, we can learn much, both from success and failures. This can be clearly seen in Russia due to its many leaders, who have made decisions that have impacted not only the country, but the world for years to come. From the Czarist Period, the beginning of Russia as we know it, to the present, where tensions are high and investigations are ongoing, Russia’s leaders have made decisions that have impacted the world, even years after the decision.
Russia’s history as a country
Stalin’s reign of terror had a lasting impact that prevented Russia from moving forward at the speed it should have. Stalin started the Great Purges and used gulags as fear tactics to keep control, and his militancy cost money that could have been used elsewhere. These fear tactics left Russian politics paralyzed, even after the mass industrialization and urbanization of the country. Additionally, the money coming in from industrializing only went to further Stalin’s military exploits and even more industrialization. This industrialization could have aided the economy, but because Stalin focused so much on heavy industry, he instead damaged the economy, and this damage lasted for years to
His slipping grasp on the Soviet Union and its collapse at the end of Boris Yeltsin’s presidency lead to the rise of Vladimir Putin as the leader he is today. Gorbachev’s movement towards democracy and the fall of the Soviet Union on Yeltsin’s hands both lead to the political conditions in Russia when Putin was initially elected. While Gorbachev had a short term, it was on his hands that the Cold War ended, who knows when or if it would have ended without him. Even with Yeltsin’s longer term, he was the ruler of the Soviet Union when it collapsed. This changing political climate allowed Putin to gain popularity during his first few terms, and then during his third term start making major changes and starting to influence governments