Stalin was an effective leader

First things first, I would like to clarify what is meant by "effective". This phrase has many, sometimes contradictory, meanings. If by effective you mean the ability to wield power for personal benefit, then Stalin was very effective. However, I will be arguing Stalin"s ability to improve the Soviet economy and serve the Soviet people. 1. Agricultural Collectivization/Liquidation of the Kulaks One of the primary goals of the "Five Year Plan" was to increase agricultural productivity in the Soviet Union. Lenin"s "New Economic Policy" sought to mix a state run economy with aspects of capitalism, such as private property. The result was "state capitalism", which saw steady improvement in the agricultural sector (1). Stalin did away with this new system, resulting in a catastrophic famine. Rapid collectivization led a dramatic decline in food production. The infamous Holodomor caused the deaths of 6 to 8 million soviet citizens, most of which were Ukrainian (2). Stalin targeted a specific class of peasants referred to as the "kulaks". Kulaks were affluent (at least relative to other peasants) farmers living in the Soviet Union. The kulaks resisted Stalin"s regime, being that they had the most to lose from collectivization. Stalin declared the kulaks an enemy class in 1929 (3). The violent removal of land owners led to further agricultural disruption, especially in Ukraine, the Soviet Republic with the most fertile land. 2. The Five Year Plans Stalin"s first Five Year Plan called for rapid industrialization, which was more or less successful. Iron, steel, coal, and oil production had doubled from 1928 to 1933 (4). However, growth began to slow down after this initial upswing. Even the impressive gains of the Soviet economy in this period didn"t meet Stalin"s expectations. Fueled by a fear of western/capitalist invasion, Stalin continued to push unrealistic quotas. Stalin claimed that the USSR would produce the highest number of industrial goods in the world by 1960, which simply never happened. The Soviet GDP never came close to that of the United States (5). The effect of forced labor must also be considered. Many of Stalin"s great work projects were carried out by prisoners of the gulag. The influence of free labor should not be compared to normal production. In fact, Khrushchev"s reduction of the gulag system could explain part of the mediocre performance of the Russian economy shortly after Stalin"s death in 1953; Khrushchev had a similar economic policy to that of Stalin, despite engaging in "De-Stalinization". 3. Military Purges Stalin began "the Great Purge" in 1936, which is known for the imprisonment and execution of many Soviet bureaucrats. However, he also targeted the military hierarchy. During the Great Purge alone, Stain executed three marshals and many other high ranking officers (6). Another purge, 1940-1942, led to the deaths of even more military personnel (7). Stalin"s paranoia led to a weakening of the Red Army, explaining the crushing Soviet defeats of 1941. Poor German planning and the harsh winter is what allowed the Red Army enough time to fully mobilize and retaliate at Stalingrad. In other words, luck was on Stalin"s side giving time to correct the self-created leadership problem in the army. I"d say Russia (or the entire world) should feel lucky Stalin didn"t accuse Zhukov of being a traitor. References: 1. https://www.marxists.org... 2. http://www.britannica.com... 3. http://spartacus-educational.com... 4. http://www.academia.edu... 5. http://phobos.ramapo.edu... (See table 9.1) 6. https://en.wikipedia.org... 7. https://en.wikipedia.org...