How and why did Joseph Stalin rise to absolute power, killing millions while modernizing, industrializing, and doing the collectivization of the Soviet Union?

The history is full of characters, who made great changes, came up with historical things, and then there have been those, who are remembered for their evilness and wrongdoings. Some of them remembered for their dictatorship and brutalness. One such famous character in history is Joseph Stalin, who died in 1953 after leading the Soviet Union for a long period. The scholars have always been trying to dig out to get more insights from the life of Stalin. It is still believed that there are various uncovered and hidden truths about his life as how he rose to this absolute power. It is a fact to keep in mind that his rise to absolute power was not something substantial in achievement, because his journey was based on brutalness, rather being based on some great leadership characteristics. The history has remembered Stalin as one of the ruthless dictators, who came in power after the death of Vladimir Lenin. It was an opportunity for him to defeat other counterparts to get into the ultimate power. He defeated two men, Leon Trotsky and Bukharin. It is important to mention here that Bukharin was not an opponent, rather any ally of Stalin at the time of death of Lenin (Carroll , 2010)

            It is so sad to see that Stalin did not care about anyone, and he even mistrusted his ally and did whatever he could to get into the power to control the Communist Party and the Soviet State. It is well known that Bukharin's idea of the social state was more positive and humane following the footsteps of a welfare state. But after his death, all went in the background, because Stalin's vision of power and state was based on the concept of a totalitarian state. So, this was the point of opposition between the two, and ruthless Stalin killed millions of people from the opposite party and executed them in a cruel manner. Bukharin was arrested by Stalin, and later he was tortured, and finally shot dead. It is quite shocking to see that Stalin is respected and honored by the people of Russia, regardless of his heinous crimes. It is maybe because they believe that he helped the country to win the war and raised the level of the country, which it has not achieved before. It is a fact that public look to those figures in history, who made their country strong and powerful, and when Stalin’s era is looked at in this context, then feelings of people are very much on the right side (SINGER, 2014)

            Stalin is also remembered because of industrialization, modernization, and the collectivization of the Soviet Union as a powerful state. His idea was very much clear to keep the essence of power to remain as strong as possible. At that period of time, the Soviet Union was the most powerful and strong state in the world, and Stalin made sure that it continues to be strong. He was master of making, as well as, breaking alliances to get going with his ultimate power. It is always the best strategy to remain in power to defeat your rivals, and this is what Stalin did so successfully. In moral and ethical context, one may not appreciate the rule of Stalin, because it was made on the dead bodies of millions of people. No one allows taking power by killing millions, and if it has been done by anyone it cannot be appreciated by any means. The history has written the crimes committed by Stalin, and those crimes cannot be forgotten for the work, which he did for the Soviet Union (YEGOROV, 2019)

References of How and why did Joseph Stalin rise to absolute power, killing millions while modernizing, industrializing, and doing the collectivization of the Soviet Union

Carroll , M. (2010). Joseph Stalin's Rise to Power: Facts More Intriguing Than Fiction. Retrieved April 8, 2020, from https://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2010articles/July2010/070110PaulGregory.php

SINGER, P. (2014). Why is Stalin honored despite killing millions? Retrieved April 8, 2020, from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2014/01/17/commentary/world-commentary/why-is-stalin-honored-despite-killing-millions/#.Xo84Gf0zaT8

YEGOROV, O. (2019). Stalin’s lifehacks: How to ruthlessly take power and get away with it. Retrieved April 8, 2020, from https://www.rbth.com/history/330225-joseph-stalin-rise-power-politics