Communism and Mother Russia

How do we go from Lenin to Stalin?
Lenin was a leader of the Communist (Bolshevik) Revolution and championed limited economic freedom in his New Economic Plan. This was not full blown Communism. Lenin was trying to apply communist structure to an agricultural society that needs an industrial base if it’s going to be competitive in the world market. This provided stability in a country that was always on the brink of revolution.
As the economy recovered under this plan and the government relaxed its repression and censorship, an intense struggle for power began between Stalin and Trotsky. Trotsky pushed for "permanent revolution". This supports the idea that  communism is inherently expansionist and is a major driver of cold war issues. But the Soviet people were more interested in making sure they themselves had a good life than with caring about uniting the people in every country. This is why the people supported Stalin, whose slogan was "socialism in one country". He is able to win over the approval of the Communist party and be voted in by the Central Committee. Stalin's 5 year plan was much more socialist than that of Lenin's NEP. The goal was for heavy industry to increase even faster, which it did.

The Soviet Union was a very backward country, as seen in the photo above. Both Lenin and Stalin's goal was to bring the Soviet economy in line with everyone else's.

There are four major premiers of the Soviet Union:
Stalin: known for- 5 Year Plan
Krushchev: known for- Cuban missile crisis
Brezhnev: known for-  Era of Stagnation
Gorbachev: known for- being in charge as the Soviet Union fell apart

Marxism is similar to religion in that it has the effect of distracting people from the situation at hand.
The Soviet Union eventually fell apart because they were wearing a fur coat but nothing underneath. In other words, it looked strong on the outside but underneath was a rotten economic underpinning. People put all of their hope into Marxism to save their country, but in the end it did nothing to stop the Soviet Union from falling apart.

Stalin's perceived threat to the Soviet Union:
The Marshall plan was an American initiative to help rebuild European economies after the destruction of World War II. Many Soviets saw the Marshall Plan as a backdoor attempt to push capitalism into their country.

Stalin's solution to threats such as these:
Stalin implemented a pogrom against any perceived enemies of the state. Everyday people would be here one day and gone the next. For instance, if Kat was a high ranking Communist leader and I was a peasant, she would quickly have me executed if I looked at her the wrong way on the street.

Communism in other countries:
Berlin- Stalin was annoyed with the outpost of West Berlin in the German Democratic Republic. He wished to eliminate this capitalist tumor on his communist organ. Berlin after WWII was the capital of the German Democratic Republic in East Germany. The capital of West germany was Bonn.

Greece and Turkey- These countries had already dealt with communist revolutionaries. The people were pushing for Communism to enter into their country and save them from their present situation.
Budapest- Nagy was the leader of the Hungarian revolution of 1956, a revolution that demanded an end to Communism in their country.