Through terror and control, Joseph Stalin completely suppressed dissent and achieved close to total obedience.
             Along with Hitler and Mussolini, Stalin is revered as one of the three most powerful and influential dictators of the twentieth century. Through terror and control, Joseph Stalin completely suppressed dissent and achieved close to total obedience. Under the leadership of Stalin the Russian population was beaten into servitude. He chose his victims with stony ruthlessness eliminating millions of enemies, both real and imagined. All totalitarian regimes demand "total" control of the society and its economy by dictatorial power ... and this is what Stalin gained, total control of everything.
             Stalin's reorganisation of the Soviet Union's resources through the Five Year Plans faced numerous setbacks stemming from the Kulaks negative reaction to the principles of collectivisation. The measures he took to discipline those who refused his will involved either death by execution or starvation. This resulted in at least 10 million peasants perishing from 1932 to 1933. Both the old Bolsheviks and the alleged "right wing intelligentsia who opposed Stalin's ideals were eliminated in this bloodbath. (World Book, 2000, p.826) "When are you going to stop killing people?" Lady Nastor once asked him on a visit to Moscow. "When it is no longer necessary," Stalin replied (Bethell, 1977, p.34).
             In 1936 Stalin conceived a diabolical plan to wipe out his most influential political opponents. During the time leading up to the execution of his 'plan', he revealed to a comrade in a rare moment of candour his preferred method of dealing with foes; "To choose one's victim, to prepare one's plan minutely, to take an impeccable vengeance, and to go to bed- there is nothing sweeter in the world," and this is precisely what Stalin did. (Russia Besieged, p.34) He arran...