What was the logic behind Stalin's brutality?
score:1
One part of why Stalin was so brutal may also come from Russian history and outside forces. To this day, one of the reasons Russia expands its territory and contends with such a autocratic government is to protect itself from Western control and intervention. There was the Great Game, a proto-Cold War where the United Kingdom tried to use India to spread its influence to the territories neighboring Afghanistan and Russia, the French invasion of Russia in 1812, and the attack by the German Empire during World War I. Stalin, like many other Russians before and post-World War II, was obsessed with protecting Russia from any perceived future invasions by the West and establishing other Marxist-Leninist states to protect the Soviet Union. Stalin learned of Marxism from reading various sources and establish a particular version of socialism/lower stage communism I wrote about previously: a 'dictatorship of the proletariat' like what Karl Marx wrote about in his work Critique of the Gotha Program.
He established a command economy when the New Economic Policy implemented policy temporarily established a market economy not only because it is part of Marxist socialism, but because it would be able to protect the USSR from being affected by the market economy of Western capitalist nations. Stalin even saw a foreigner threat from other non-Marxist socialists, calling them "social fascists" and calling those who stood in the way of the dictatorship of the proletariat corporatists. To Stalin, these groups were strengthening capitalist nations like the United States and preventing proletariat revolutions that would lead to socialism, and eventually the final stage of communism.
Stalin also believed that if the dictatorship of the proletariat released its grip too soon if the face of the capitalist West, they would "end up being controlled by the most reactionary elements of their community", returning right back to capitalism & a market economy that would make Russia a puppet of foreign forces.
tl;dr Stalin's brutality was somewhat based on a logic that the dictatorship of the proletariat was the true method to Communism and that he was surrounded by enemies — enemies who wanted Russia to turn to capitalism. Russia had to deal with invasion and interference from Western nations before, so Stalin — to some degree — saw his brutality as a counterbalance and a way to purge those who were seen as too subservient to Westerners (and by extension, capitalism).
Update: As someone pointed out in the comments, the Great Game wasn't entirely one-sided and Russia was also imperialistic to its neighbors during that time. However, from the Russian perspective, their actions were a necessary move to prevent Great Britain from controlling their neighbors and - by extension- indirectly influencing Russian policy. Meanwhile, the British -thanks to somewhat exaggerated accounts and reports - believed they needed to control Central Asia and influence Russia because Russia was planning to control India, something Russia had no intention of doing. My point was that this feeling that western powers like Britain were planning to control Russia & that having neighbors aligned with Russia could help to protect the nation's autonomy is a concept that stretches to before the existence of the USSR & influenced Stalin's attitudes.
Upvote:14
Summary:
Don't confuse cause and effect - Stalin succeeded because he was the most brutal and ruthless Politburo member. Only someone even more brutal and ruthless could have succeeded in his place.
The certainty of dogmatic fanaticism requires no further justification; as it justifies itself.
.... Stalin, as Kotkin reveals him, was neither a dull bureaucrat nor an outlaw but a man shaped by rigid adherence to a puritanical doctrine. His violence was not the product of his subconscious but of the Bolshevik engagement with Marxist-Leninist ideology.
This ideology offered stalin a deep sense of certainty in the face of political and economic setbacks.
Stalin saw obstacles in his way, and removed them with whatever degree of force appeared necessary at the time. When the only possible direction is forward, no opposition can be tolerated.
Whatever went wrong, the counterrevolution, the forces of conservatism, the secret influence of the bourgeoisie could always be held responsible. .... Over and over again, Stalin learned that violence was the key to success. ....
But if he was sufficiently ruthless, all opposition ultimately melted away. ....
Stalin wasn't a dreamer like Lenin or Trotsky, which is precisely why he accepted the position of General Secretary of the Party; why the others were content to let him have the position; and why he ultimately proved to be master of them all. Stalin was the diligent, conscientious bureaucrat who plumbed the depths of the party organization for supporters; and always turned up with far more supporters than anticipated at every crisis of leadership.
All quotes from the article quoted in the original question.
More post
- 📝 Why did the Monitor and Merrimac (aka Virginia) have such radically different designs?
- 📝 How many lines did an ancient Greek copyist write per day?
- 📝 Were drugs used in early Buddhist traditions?
- 📝 Did the turret shown in this picture belong to a German battleship?
- 📝 What machine technology did the Egyptians have to build the great pyramids?
- 📝 How did sugar go from a luxury to a necessity in 18th century?
- 📝 Why did countries declare exclusive economic zones of up to 200 nautical miles?
- 📝 Has anyone written Australian history from the perspective of the original inhabitants - the aborigines?
- 📝 Did the Hanseatic league have any involvement with Jews?
- 📝 Was slaughtering cows in Kamchatka prohibited in the 1820s?
- 📝 Does History confirm that prosperity, capitalism, and some form "democracy" or representative republican form of government always go hand in hand?
- 📝 Why are ancient pottery items so well preserved?
- 📝 When did Galilee become part of Iudaea? When did it become separate?
- 📝 Why wasn't there more use of wind power in antiquity?
- 📝 What were conditions like for Chinese men subject to recruitment by the army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War?
- 📝 What's the most elaborate ancient mechanism?
- 📝 How can we explain the decline of Buddhism in India around the 12th century?
- 📝 PhD dissertations from Nazi Germany
- 📝 Did a forged seal ever seriously compromise a political or military operation?
- 📝 How long did Latin survive in Bavaria?
- 📝 When were confederate veterans barred from office and voting after the civil war?
- 📝 19th century cabins: why were beds off the ground? Or weren't they?
- 📝 An Austrian Emperor who thought taking his own sweet time about rewarding his underlings was the best way to inspire respect?
- 📝 Did temples in ancient Greece contain treasure?
- 📝 What sort of cold weather clothing did they wear on the Ross expedition to the Antarctic?
- 📝 Apart from Veer Savarkar and S.A. Dange, were there any Indian revolutionaries who filed mercy petitions to the British?
- 📝 What was the extent of Kohl's government opposition to the independence of Ukraine?
- 📝 Was the term "depression" (in the economic sense) originally coined to describe and downplay current events in the 1930s?
- 📝 Have historians offered interpretations on why the disciples claimed they saw a resurrected Jesus?
- 📝 Was the flexibility of German army a big contributor to their success?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What was the logic behind Stalin's brutality?
- 📝 In WWII, what was behind the very early decision to accept nothing but unconditional surrender in 1941-42?
- 📝 What was the context behind Felix Frankfurter's quote?
- 📝 What was the purpose behind Charles II's charter for Connecticut squatter settlements?
- 📝 What was the reasoning behind the Washington Committee's complaint to the Liquor Tax during the Whiskey Rebellion?
- 📝 What was the impetus behind the British Empire's acquisition of what is now Canada?
- 📝 What was the rationale behind restrictions on camera ownership in post-war Germany?
- 📝 What was the motivation behind prohibiting hunting in King's forests?
- 📝 What was the goal behind the 9 state approval of the United States constitution?
- 📝 What was the reason behind the death of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj?
- 📝 What was the reason behind the Reinheitsgebot (beer purity law)?
- 📝 What was the meaning behind these lip make-ups in Ancient China?
- 📝 Did Adolf Hitler ever address the fact that his own appearance was almost an exact opposite of what he considered the ideal Aryan appearance?
- 📝 What was the historical context of the 2nd amendment to the US Constitution?
- 📝 What is the significance behind "40 days" that often appears in the Bible?
- 📝 During the breakup of the Soviet Union, on what basis was citizenship granted or withheld for each of the fifteen new republics?
- 📝 What was the typical peasant's diet like in Europe during the High Middle Ages?
- 📝 What is the logic for the map maker classifying the map this way, specifically in Canada?
- 📝 What led some people to (correctly) believe that there was no land under the ice cap at the North Pole?
- 📝 What was the status of Arab Christians during the crusades?
- 📝 What was the religion of the Arabic people before conversion to Islam?
- 📝 What was the purpose of Nazi extermination camps?
- 📝 What was the internal Soviet reaction to the moon landing?
- 📝 What was the function of the walls of Jericho?
- 📝 What was the pound (unit of weight) initially equal to?
- 📝 At what point was the Byzantine Empire's decline irreversible?
- 📝 What was the reason for Soviet troops to withdraw from Yugoslavia in World War II?
- 📝 What was the point of horse armour?
- 📝 What was the first solar eclipse that was demonstrably predicted in advance?
- 📝 What was the role of the Soviet Navy during WWII?