At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia was a very poor country. Most of the people were peasants, and there was very little industry. After the First World War, things only got worse; the army suffered many huge defeats. The poorest of the people were starving, due to a shortage of food. During the war, in 1917 the Communists came about by two important revolutions; they were led by Lenin. Communism is a system of government in which the state controls the economy and one party holds power, attempting to make progress towards a higher social order, in which the people equally share all goods out. Russia was renamed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
In 1924 however, Lenin died, and within a few years Josef Stalin replaced him. The question is, why did so many people decide to trust a man, who grew into another world known dictator?
Mainly due to the fact that Russia was made up primarily of very poor people, the opportunity of spreading everything out equally, would be a pleasing one for them, and they would benefit from it. He promised changed and gave people hope in a better life without war, many would admit that although he was very crude, at the same time, he was efficient and accomplished his goals. Additionally, it is very probable that some people followed him because they feared him.
Another important reason as to why Stalin was able to come into power, was because of his position. Stalin held the position of General Secretary of the Party. This was seen as synonymous to leader, which gave him the reputation of being very responsible, strong and capable of being a leader.
Stalin was also very cunning. He had made his opponents appear to be weaker, to the people. For example, Trotsky, one very powerful contestant, seemed disloyal and disrespectful to Lenin, as Stalin didn’t allow him to find out about the latter’s funeral. Stalin made the most of this opportunity to gain support from the Communist