Russia Totalitarianism Three-Part Paragraph

How was Russia a totalitarian state?

Russia under Stalin was the epitome of a totalitarian state due to the use of propaganda, censorship, and indoctrination of Russian citizens. Stalin used propaganda in the form of posters and the media to promote his own self-image to his people. He was often shown as bigger than life and towering over the people surrounding him. Many posters also depicted Stalin holding hands with children or sitting with kids around him. The propaganda posters encouraged the public to think of Stalin as authoritative and powerful, but the images with children balanced out the commanding part of him and made him appealing by showing his softer side. Stalin also censored information opposing the government and his authority to keep his seat of power. He refused to allow any information that questioned his actions to be known by the people. Stalin destroyed the source of the offending information quickly by executing anyone who opposed him or by sending them to gulags in Siberia. By removing any information that contradicted him, Stalin was able keep his subjects ignorant of how horrible and damaging his decisions were to Russia’s peasants and middle class. His people were unaware of how their conditions differed from the rest of the world and simply followed Stalin’s leadership. Furthermore, Stalin used indoctrination to establish his totalitarian regime. He brainwashed his own people into supporting him wholeheartedly by constantly feeding them information about his own greatness and how his leadership benefits their country. He was supported everywhere in Russia: the media and press praised his intelligence, the walls were plastered with pro-Stalin posters, and public venues were strewn with information that encouraged the public to like him. The mass-indoctrination allowed Stalin greater control because he had power over a docile group of people that accepted Stalin’s role in their lives. Due to propaganda, censorship of information, and mass indoctrination, Russia became a completely totalitarian state under the leadership of Joseph Stalin.