During Stalin's time in power, there was a purge in the Soviet Union, a massive campaign of repression and persecution between 1934 and 1938. Specifically, the movement targeted certain groups with harsh purges and repression, resulting in the misfortune of many. During this campaign, the political environment in the Soviet Union was very tense and there was a general sense of panic. In general, this was a very difficult period in history, which had a profound impact on Soviet society.
Recently, some 1.3 million people have been sentenced, of whom about 682,000 have unfortunately been executed.
On December 1, 1934, a serious political incident occurred in Leningrad, which led to the assassination of the first secretary of the provincial party committee, Sergei Kirov. This incident laid the fuse for the subsequent purge and counter-action. After Kirov's assassination, Stalin carried out reforms of the Soviet political system, which laid the groundwork for large-scale political repression and censorship. From 1937 to 1938, there was a comprehensive political censorship of all kinds of activities in the Soviet Union, which led to the suspicion of "espionage sabotage" in the country. In the Soviet Union at that time, there were many public trials for show, including the Shacht case, the Industrial Party trial, and the Moscow trial. These public trials involved a large number of party, government, and military leaders and intellectuals. These public trials not only deprived the party, government, military, scientific, and cultural circles of the Soviet Union of many outstanding backbones, but also plunged the entire society into an atmosphere of extreme tension and unrest. The occurrence of these events directly led to the transformation of the Soviet political system and large-scale political repression, which had a far-reaching impact on Soviet society.
By the end of 1938, the pressure on the Soviet people had reached its peak, and the mission of the anti-rebellion campaign had almost been completed, and the ensuing manhunt had gradually stabilized. Such changes are also necessary to conform to the will of the people and to ease the pressure on the people.
The Soviet Union's anti-rebellion campaign had a tremendous impact on society and formed a clear constraint on economic development. Nevertheless, it eventually led to the extreme development of a centralized system, that is, Stalin's system of personal dictatorship. The establishment of such a system undoubtedly left a deep imprint on Soviet society.
During Stalin's reign, in an activity called the Suppression Movement, his cult of personality had reached unprecedented heights. Specifically, Stalin was highly regarded as an indisputable authority, his every word was rich in profound wisdom, and his cult of personality prevailed to the extreme. In the course of this anti-rebellion campaign, this admiration for Stalin was particularly evident.
Therefore, the Soviet Union under the leadership of Stalin is called the "era of Stalin worship". Stalin's cult of personality manifested itself mainly in the following ways: he was excessively respected and admired, which was reflected in his policies and decisions.
1. In celebration of Mr. Stalin's 60th birthday, express our respect and love through the recitation of poetry. It mentions that Stalin was praised by everyone as an "excellent navigator", showing a deep respect for him in the hearts of the people and a sense of being close to family. He is revered for the love of the people, and we have great respect and adoration for him.
In terms of media propaganda, the image of Stalin and his achievements were widely disseminated. For example, on the occasion of his seventieth birthday in 1949, Pravda published a congratulatory article in which he was honored as "a beloved leader and great teacher." The article not only celebrates his personal qualities, but also connects his name closely to the struggles of working people across the globe, highlighting his important place in history.
In terms of political status, Stalin was revered as a savior and hero in the Soviet Union, and his image was widely deified. During the Great Patriotic War, he led the Soviet people to victory as supreme commander-in-chief, an achievement that greatly increased his prestige among the people. In simple terms, Stalin was regarded as the soul of the Soviet Union, and his leadership earned respect and adoration for the victory of the country.
In modern society, the cult of personality has become a common social phenomenon. In the past period, Stalin's leadership guidelines and lines were massively disseminated and put into practice. Among the top leaders, there were those who supported and promoted the development of this phenomenon, including Molotov and Kaganovich, among others. Their behavior and attitude further exacerbate the cult of personality. This phenomenon deserves our deep thought, and we should look at it rationally and seek a more scientific and rational way of social governance.
Some political leaders have also gotten involved in the glorification of Stalin in order to satisfy their own selfish desires, such as seeking trust and elevating their status. For example, while Stalin was still alive, Khrushchev praised him to the point of fanaticism. Behind these acts, in fact, is the use and manipulation of politics.
There are multiple complex reasons behind the formation of the phenomenon of Stalin's cult of personality. This mainly involves the following aspects:1. The influence of historical context. 2. Shaping the social environment. 3. Driven by media publicity. 4. Concentration of political power. These factors intertwined and together contributed to the formation of Stalin's cult of personality.
Historically, the Soviet Union, led by Stalin, made significant achievements in industrialization and warfare. Especially in the process of industrialization, the economy of the Soviet Union has grown and strengthened rapidly, and this series of achievements has laid a solid foundation for the social development of the Soviet Union. In addition, in the Great Patriotic War, the victory of the USSR over the enemy country was undoubtedly a manifestation of its strong military power and national spirit of unity. These victories also laid the groundwork for the growing cult of personality of leaders in Soviet society.
In order to enhance the political atmosphere, certain political leaders and bureaucrats took the initiative to intensify the propaganda of Stalin's personality cult in order to strengthen Stalin's authoritative position in the political system, out of the need to implement Stalin's policies and guidelines. This behavior is seen as a political ploy.
Mass Sentiment: The broad masses of the population have deep admiration and love for Stalin. They believed that Stalin was an important figure in leading the Soviet Union to prosperity and victory.
In terms of cultural factors, the cult of heroes and leaders in Soviet society was deep, and this tradition provided the environment for the cult of personality. At the same time, the exuberant and exaggerated expressions of the Russian national character also provide the breeding ground for this phenomenon of personality cult.
There was a difference in Stalin's views and actions. Although he theoretically disapproved of the cult of personality, in practice he did not take strong measures to curb this tendency. In fact, he embraced this cult to some extent.
During the reign of Stalin, the cult of the individual reached an unprecedented height. However, this excessive praise and adoration also has a series of bad effects. These effects were not only reflected in Stalin's personal decision-making, which sometimes deviated from objective justice, but also caused many restrictions on the social structure and political life of the Soviet Union, resulting in a restriction on social progress.
As mentioned in previous discussions, the assassination of Kirov quickly led to a large-scale anti-rebellion. So why did the Soviet Union carry out this anti-rebellion campaign? The specific reasons are as follows:1. The need for political struggle. 2. Considerations for social stability. 3. Eliminate potential threats. The above is a brief explanation of the specific reasons for the Soviet Union's anti-rebellion campaign.
The international situation is unstable: After the Nazi Party came to power, the Soviet Union felt that its national security was seriously threatened, because they believed that there were hostile forces in many countries. In order to protect the country, the Soviet Union decided to carry out an operation to purge reactionary elements in order to maintain social stability and security. In short, after the Nazi Party came to power, the USSR felt threatened and therefore took measures to purge potential reactionaries in order to ensure national security.
The rule of the tsars affected Russia for a long time, and the Russian people under the authoritarian regime lived under long-term fear and control, and the people's minds gradually lost their enthusiasm and desire for democracy. Because of the authoritarian factors of historical tradition, people have gradually accepted the lack of democracy and freedom, which in turn has affected the overall progress and development of society. This is also the lack of democratic concepts and the limitation of people's pursuit of democracy in the historical background of Russia.
Deficiencies in the socialist legal system: As the first socialist country, the Soviet Union still needs to improve its legal system. Due to his lack of experience, Stalin further strengthened his power by using the purge campaign against political opponents. However, such an approach does not fundamentally solve the problem of the inadequacy of the legal system.
The question of personal admiration: Stalin was seen as the representative of the party and the state, and the excessive worship of him led to a breeding ground for the anti-rebellion movement. Stalin's influence was very great, and the cult of the personality was prevalent in society, which had a non-negligible impetus for the emergence of the anti-rebellion movement.
Within the power structures, there is a fierce struggle. Stalin may have strengthened his position of power by eliminating his political opponents through a campaign to purge the reactionaries.
In order to prevent coups and sabotage, Stalin changed the Criminal Code after the assassination of Kirov and began to resort to more severe political means, carrying out large-scale repression and persecution. In response to coups and sabotage, Stalin implemented strict precautions. After the assassination of Kirov, he took a series of actions, strengthened legal sanctions for such activities, and fought against potential enemies through large-scale repression and persecution. This is done in order to protect the stability and security of the country and its people. By amending the criminal code and imposing stricter political measures, Stalin sought to contain potential coups and sabotage at the source. Such measures were considered necessary at the time to ensure the stability and security of society. Although this was controversial, it was a response to the political environment of the time.
The concept of class struggle: Under the theoretical framework of Marxism-Leninism, we recognize that in the process of socialist construction, there will be some class enemies who try to undermine social stability. In order to protect social order and progress, we need to carry out actions to eliminate these potential threats by purging reactionary forces.
In the aftermath of the purge campaign, many vacancies provided an opportunity for Stalin to promote loyal cadres and further consolidate the grip of the party and state apparatus. In short, through the vacancies that followed the purge campaign, Stalin strengthened the promotion of loyal cadres and thus strengthened the control of the party and the state.
After Stalin's death, the Soviet Union began to revisit past cases. At the 20th Party Congress in 1956, Khrushchev, in his report critical of Stalin, mentioned that a large number of people had been "restored" in the last two years, to be 7,679. This move symbolized a kind of reflection and revision of history by the Soviet Union.
There was a controversial period in the history of the Soviet Union known as the Purge. It was a very dark time, and many innocent people lost their lives or were imprisoned as a result. This event had a profound impact on the social and political life of the Soviet Union, which is still remembered and reflected on today.