Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin and his Crimes against Humanity - Essay Example

? Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin and his Crimes against Humanity: The Reasons, The Acts and The Consequences Thesis: A man responsible for the murder of at least 20 million people was allowed to sit at the table of the Allies at the end of World War II. When Roosevelt came back from Yalta in 1945, he said that Stalin had something beyond being a revolutionist, he had something religious…(Nisbet 4) At the Nurembourg trial in 1946, Stalin and the Soviet prosecuting team were allowed to prosecute and judge. There is something very wrong with this scenario. Are we talking about two separate people? This essay will discuss how Stalin maintained an interior life of terror and a model facade for the rest of the world to see. A full expose will present how an agricultural nation can change into an industrial nation between two wars. There is a cost to pay for technology. It was beyond comprehension that it was at the cost of human sacrifice that the Soviet Union would rise from a peasant state to a World Power by the end of World War II. Stalin calculated every move. It will be shown that centralization had a three purpose function. Once he became general secretary in 1924, he used the same calculating mind to turn the country into a world power within 8 years. His acquisition of total control requires an analysis of the parallel of his childhood, the sociological situation of the country, and how he interpret his function as a leader. To conclude the consequences of his acts will be interpreted on a more subjective note. In 1924, Stalin became general secretary. As it was a vote between Trotsky and Stalin, there were those who were opposed to Trotsky for his beliefs and those who voted for him were then assassinated. Stalin feared those around him the most and stayed relatively isolated. From others, he demanded perfect loyalty. (Man 2008) Any deviation would be instant shooting. Trotsky was exiled to Mexico where he was then assassinated. The theme of perfect loyalty is one of the integral themes perpetuated through all his crimes. In 1924, only 25% of the Russian population was located in cities, the rest of the country lived in agriculture villages. Stalin realized that the power was in the hands of those who owned the land. Power meant financial gain. He set out a plan to manipulate the people in believing that he was their new god by replacing the Orthodox Church. He also demanded perfect loyalty from the koulack in the Centralization plan. When Lenin came to power in 1917, he offered territory to the peasants (koulak). It was Stalin's plan to take back the territory and rid them of all power. There are three things that bound each family: faith, the Tsar and the fatherland. Ridding each family of these three icons and creating new images would give Stalin ultimate power. Stalin banned religion, replaced icons with photos of himself. He had to change the outlook of the fatherland. He understood the power of the media. Every time he made a speech, he had it recorded on a vinyl record. He made sure each village had a gramophone and received records of each of his speeches. Villagers were impregnated with Stalin. He became their faith, and their Tsar. In 1924 Russia was a poor country with an abundance of natural resources. These resources could be exchanged for technology and other goods which would assist Russia in becoming an industrialized country. Within three years of power, Stalin initiated his 5 year plan: A peasant society to a World Power. Historian John Brent from Harvard University (Man 2008) and Historian Mark Kramer from Yale University (Stalin 2007) explain the reasons backing centralization. Technology was expensive. One way to pay for it was to centralize the agricultural fields of Russia and use the goods as an export commodity. "Centralization was an answer to the Bolshevik revolution and the chaos that followed. It was rationalized that it was the only way to meet the economic and structural needs of the economy". (Gouldner 1978) The last reasoning behind centralization was the simple fact that Stalin could not stand anyone having the possibility of revolting or having any power stand in his way. If he took the land away from the peasants, they could not fight back. Financing of technology, controlling the financial needs of the economy and keeping power in Stalin's hands are the three arguments behind centralization. Massive industrialization was paid for by selling wheat and grain commodities. Stalin was a man of lists. The peasants had to produce quotas to deliver to warehouses. They were not allowed to keep anything for themselves. Mass starvation set in. When the Ukrainian fought back, Stalin responded by house searches, closing the borders into Russia and sending the first prisoners to the Gulags in Siberia. John Brent (Man) said "In 1932, 5 million Ukrainians had starved to death while there was 5 million tons of grain in the warehouses". It also was an effective way to break the nationalistic backbone of the Ukrainians. Taking away private property, and eliminating the right of eating what one produces, was a calculated plan to break the spirit and the people. (Marcus 2003) This was the first crime of humanity. When he saw he was successful, he implemented harder contingencies. The farm lands were centralized, the quotas were set. Stalin had already started massive killings of 'non corporative' people. His killings got worse. He had no remorse. The population was large and had no other choice but to fulfil the Soviet Devil's Dream. In other areas it had a reverse effect. In 1929, over 12 million peasants went to different urban centres to find jobs, housing and food. There were housing shortages. Understanding Stalin's scheming temperament, he has roads to build: damns to build; work camps and many more projects. To find an everlasting stream of manual labour he sets the quota system at an impossibly high rate to force his men to send farmers to the gulags. In the 1930's it has been calculated that there were over 10 million forced labourers. The camp structure was also set up on a quota system, if someone did not produce he was shot. One camp, Kyla was called a death camp. As there was 100% death rate, they were sent as many people as they ask for. The camp was up at the arctic circle. Very few people came back from the Gulags. As he grew in power, Stalin became more paranoid. Before 1934, Moscow was relatively calm. Stalin made a scene when his wife became aware of his atrocities in the rural areas. She was attending university in the city where there were students from outside of Moscow. When she asked her husband, he became enraged. Historians say that he could not bare that she saw him as he truly was. She soon ended up dead (Man 2007). In a different angle, the personification of Stalin changes in his paintings, he becomes an all loving father figure. He is shown in parades as accepting flowers from children. Records show that Stalin had a horrible childhood. His father beat him daily. His mother sent him to seminary where he stayed three years before finding Marxism. He did not like speaking in public and did not speak Russian well. He changed his family records of his date of birth. He did not talk to his mother 40 years before her death. He often isolated himself thinking that there were conspiracies to get him. After his wife died, he said he was married to the Soviet Union. His terrible temperament contributed to the fact he trusted no one. At the 17th Congress in 1934, political executions started. He ended up killing everyone in his inner circle and 30 000 officers. He preferred working with people of his social background than the intelligencia of the Officers. As he was not a strategist, this would work against him in the opening of World War II as the new Officers did not have the experience. In the years of Terror over 1.5 million people were killed, all orchestrated by Stalin. He decided through his lists how many and who were to be executed, arrested, or interrogated. It has been found that he had up to 366 death lists. (Getty 1993 ) His purges lasted from 1936-1939. It is estimated that the population of the Gulags were at 3 million. It was easier for people to agree to having done something then to having to prove they didn't do it. Trials were needed to give legitimacy to Stalin's regime. (Obee 2005) though they might have been on the back of a horse drawn carriage and lasted for 10 minutes. Each person had to turn in other people at each interrogation. Stalin set the rules. He didn't have confidence in anyone. This element of mistrust kept the population on constant call. No one was protected from the Secret Police. This form of control is a form of manipulation calculated by Stalin to control the population. First the rural population then the urban population were put under total submission. Stalin was always portrayed in a positive light as though he was not part of the negative side of industrialization. He had the total loyalty of the civil population. He was idolized and loved. A political genocide is also a crime of humanity. Stalin is responsible for the 21 000 Poles who were massacred in the mass graves of Katyn. Once again Stalin chose the intelligencia to assassinate and the right social status to interrogate . (Fischer) Upon his death in 1953, he had fulfilled his dream in creating a great Super power. The Soviet Union was 'greatest perpetrators of crimes and greatest victims of Nazi atrocities. 28 million Soviets were killed'.( Basyler 2006). He died alone as he no longer trusted the Kremlin doctors. Would his paranoia be diagnosed today as a psychiatric disorder. The consequences of his act will be felt as a constant sense of mistrust between the Russians and the Americans or Europeans. The Russian people have a general disliking and mistrust of their own leaders. This is part of the socio-behavioural instincts from the beginning of the Tsars. The West should use Russia as a basis of what could go on behind closed doors. Should the Russia be held accountable for Crimes to Humanity? There is no moratorium. Stalin was told as saying no one remembers what Ivan the Terrible did nor do people remember what was done during the Armenian genocide? It will be the same thing with me. As Stalin knew the value of the media, we should use this as a lesson to document and make accessible in the major languages the crimes of such a Devil's Dictator. Knowledge is the best access to it not happening again. The Russian Government has not open up all the archives so the whole amplitude of his crimes are not known. It is known that he documented everything, so much can be learned and studied. Knowing that he was such a maniac, socio-psychologist will be able to establish a dictator model and clarify it with other dictators in present history. References. Bazyler, M 2006, 'The Role of the Soviet Union in the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and Impact on its Legacy' Titels des Artikels, pp.1-10, Viewed 4 April 2011 'The Second World War and the denunciation of totalitarian crimes: Written declaration n° 12025' 16 October 2009 Parliamentary Assembly http://assembly.coe.int Fischer, B 'The Katyn Controversy Stalin's Killing Field', pp. 1-10, The Center for the Study of Intelligence, Viewed 05 April 2011 https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol43no3/pdf/v43i3a06p.pdf Getty, J.; Rittersporn, G.; Zemskov, V 1993 'Victims of the Soviet Penal System in the Pre-War Years: A First Approach on the Basis of Archival Evidence'. The American Historical Review, 98(4),1017-1049 Viewed 2 April 2011 http://jstor.org Goldstone, R 2002 'The Role Of International Criminal Law in the Prosecution of War Crimes', Temple International & Comparative Law Journal 16(2),pp. 371-378 Viewed 4 April 2011 Gouldner, A 1978 'Stalinism: A Study of Internal Colonialism', pp. 1-44 View 4 April 2011 Marcus, D (2003) 'Famine Crimes In International Law', The American Journal Of International Law, 97,p 245 Viewed 5 April 2011 www.asil.org/ajil/marcus.pdf Negele, T (2005) 'The Silent Voices of Stalin's Holocaust and Mao's Chinese Holocaust' Viewed 4 April 2011 < http://www.naegele.com/documents/StalinMaoHolocausts.pdf> Nisbet, R (1986) 'The infamous courtship of a patrician and a revolutionist: Roosevelt and Stalin'. Modern Age ,pp. 103-123 Viewed 4 April 2011 Weiss-Wendt, A (2005) 'Hostage of Politics: Raphael Lemkin on "Soviet Genocide"', Journal of Genocide Research, 7(4), 551-559 Viewed 2 April 2011 Obee, D 'Researching Stalin's Victims' FEEFSH Journal, Volume X:16 Viewed 6 April 2011 'Stalin the myth' (2008), Parts 1-5, History Channel, 2007. [Online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvqNztRYpRc&feature=related Viewed 9 April 2011 'Stalin Man of Steel (2008), [Online] Available at: or youtube.com Viewed 10 April 2011 Read More