To what extent was the success of Stalin in retaining power in the Soviet Union between 1929 and 1953 due to the appeal of Communism.

             Joseph Stalin was the longterm Soviet Communist leader who retained power between 1929-1953 due to a variety of reasons, a number of which can be attributed to the appeal of Communism.

             Stalin's intention in his industrial policiy was to transform the Soviet Union into a Superpower by equipping the country with a formidable industrial base. His aims were to catch up with Western industrial output and to give Russia a strong economy which would enable the country to equip and defend itself against foreign invasion. Stalin aimed to achieve this through a series of Five Year Plans.

             Part of the appeal of Communism was the equality of the people. The Russian people liked the fact that the resources of the country were being used to help the people achieve equality with the West. Stalin used this to his advantage within his Five Year Plans, as it emphasised rapid industrialisation based on these principles. To some extent these policies were successful, in only ten years the Soviet Union had made up the fifty year difference between her and the West. For example: production expanded six-fold, her coal and steel output was second only to the USA, and she was now the second largest manufacturer of heavy vehicals in the world. This transformation was all the more remarkable considering the rest of the world was suffering a severe economic depression during this period. These achievments certainly reinforced Stalin's position as Soviet leader, however during this peroid there was tremendous suffering and hardship of the peasants, work was labour, intensive and hard, five million Kulaks were liquidated, starvation increased for millions, enemies of Stalin and lazy workers were sent to labour camps and many workers were forced into jobs and often made to travel hundereds of miles.