The concept of Stalinism, being the ideologies and policies adopted by Stalin, including centralization, totalitarianism and communism, impacted, to an extent, on the soviet state until 1941. After competing with prominent Bolshevik party members Stalin emerged as the sole leader of the party in 1929. From this moment, Stalinism pervaded every level of society. Despite the hindrance caused by the bureaucracy, the impact of Stalinism was achieved through the implementation of collectivization and the 5-year plans, Stalin’s Political domination and Cultural influence, including the ‘Cult of the Personality’. This therefore depicts the influence of Stalinism over the Soviet State in the period up to 1941.

In the period before 1941, …show more content…

Stalin used purging to kill those who threatened his power. The murder of Kirov, a party member who was gaining popularity within the Bolsheviks, in 1934 commenced the purging. In March 1935, mandates dubbed the ‘Kirov decrees’ were released. They stated that ‘parasites or anyone who knew a parasite was to be executed’. Thousands of Bolsheviks including those in the highest positions were condemned. The great show trials of the 1930’s accentuate the impact that Stalinism had politically. Influential figures including Zinoviev, Kamenev, Bukharin and Rykov were all tried and shot. Their alleged crimes all revolved around planning Stalin’s murder, economic destruction and going against communism. Stalin also purged the Red Army for plotting with Germany. He removed the leaders, anyone with a ranked position, resulting in ‘yes men’ being left; people who followed Stalin no matter what.
By Stalin holding the power to purge and control the Bolshevik party indisputably, it depicts the extent to which Stalinism had infiltrated politically and thus, its impact on the Soviet State.

In the period leading up to 1941, Stalinism was permeating into every level of Soviet life, thus showing its impact culturally upon the U.S.S.R. The Soviet Union is comprised of multiple countries and it needed a unifying force that would make it easier to