West European Studies

Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party in Russias Central Committee from 1922 to 1953. Stalin initiated a Command Economy in place of the New Economic Policy of the 1920s which in his opinion no longer worked. The new policy by Stalin had five-year plan and began a period of rapid economic collectivization and industrialization. The turmoil in the agricultural sector resulted to disruption in food production causing a widespread famine like the devastating soviet famine of 1932 to 1933. During the 1930s, he initiated the great purge referred to as the great terror. This was a campaign to wash out from the Communist Party every person who was accused of terrorism, sabotage or treachery. He extended the purge to the military and other parts of the Soviet society. Those accused were executed, incarcerated in Gulab labor camps, or exiled.

Stalins policy in the 1930s was initially meant to support the Communist International in establishing a popular front against the increase of fascism in Europe. He later gave up the idea in 1939, at the beginning of the World War II, and decided to form an alliance with the Nazi Germany. The secret protocols by the German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact shaped up Eastern Europe into Soviet and Germany areas of influence. Soviet Union allowed Germany to attack Poland in exchange for non-aggression against soviet territory, as promised by Hitler. In spite of the warning, Stalin was caught unaware when the Nazis initiated Operation Barbarosa in June 1941. This was a three pronged attack against the Soviet Union. The war started in the eastern bloc after Hitler who broke the pact by instigating Operation Barbarosa. Despite the fact that the Soviet Union was poorly prepared and suffered great losses in the beginning, the country supported Stalin, who took command of the war effort. They were overpowered in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943 the Nazis lost their initiative and were forced to retreat in 1945. This allowed the soviet forces to move to the Eastern Europe. Stalin formed puppet Communist regime, after being recognized by the Allied government of Soviet area of influence. He created the iron curtain between Western and Eastern Europe. Stalin established communist government in most of the Eastern Europe establishing the Eastern Bloc behind the iron curtain. This caused animosity between the Eastern Bloc and the Western World. This initiated the long time of antagonism, between the Stalin-led Soviet Union and the West, led by the United States. This antagonism is what is dubbed the Cold War.

In 1947, the Soviet Union created the Communist Information Bureau. The Bureau was an international body of Communist leadership that was charged with the responsibility of ensuring compliance with the Soviet Union line. In 1948, Yugoslavia was kicked out of the alliance after the condemnation of Josip Broz Tito, the Yugoslav leader by Stalin. Tito was condemned for refusing to follow the orders of the Soviet Union. The Cold War with the West was fueled further when Moscow announced a blockade of Berlin.  

More than any other person, Joseph Stalin shaped the features that characterized the Soviet Union regime and molded the direction of Europe after the end of the World War II. This is the reason why Stalin is considered by many to be the most powerful and influential leader in the 20th century.