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Stalin's Power During and After WW2 - Coggle Diagram
Stalin's Power During and After WW2
After WW2, there needed to be a change of political tactics. But afterwards, Stalin tried to re-assert his personal power. This became harder as his health began to fail.
Controlling the State during WW2
Stalin's method of rule had to change during WW2.
The situation required less terror and a focus on mobilising resources for war.
The State Defence Committee controlled war administration.
The Supreme Command controlled the military.
Following victory against the Nazis, Stalin was championed as a hero in the USSR
Controlling the State after WW2
The years between 1945 and 1953 are described as "high Stalinism".
Stalin focussed on consolidating his authority. This was mostly through terror.
But by his 70th birthday (1949), Stalin was becoming weak. He mostly maintained power through divide and conquer tactics. He used political machinations to divide any rivals.
A new generation of Communist party members, including Beria and Malenkov, threatened Stalin.
Stalin's political scheming (1950s)
The Mingrelian Affair (1951) was a purge of the Georgian Communist party. The purge targeted Beria's allies.
Following this, Stalin changed the Politburo in 1952. He transformed it into the Praesidium and expanded it form 10 to 36. This let him isolate Malenkov and Beria and promote younger politicians who supported him.
Another Purge?
Some argue that Stalin had plans for another purge in 1953.
For example, doctors were arrested and accused of a plot to assassinate Stalin.
It was believed this would be a pretext to start purging Jews in the USSR
Others argue that this would be used to remove Beria as a political threat.
The purge did not come to being as Stalin died in 1953.
Historical assessment
Stephen Kotkin (1995): Looking at the lives of people in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk , Kotkin argues that for them, Stalin took on the image of "a warm father figure" from the mid 1930s. His image was everywhere, a reassuring constant in the period of immense social change and disruption.
Photographs of Stalin were cut from magazines and newspapers and were pinned on the walls of people's homes.