What impact did Joseph Stalin have on the Soviet Union? Notes #4-4 New Leader • After Lenin died in 1924, Stalin gained control of the Communist Party, becoming the Soviet Union’s leader. Totalitarian rule • Stalin’s leadership of the Soviet Union can best be characterized as a period of censorship and terror. NKVD secret police office Eliminate Opposition • Stalin used purges and public trials to eliminate any opposition • Called The GREAT PURGE ** An estimated 40 million people were killed as a result of Stalin’s policies ** Command Economy (communist) • Established a command economy in the Soviet Union • Gov’t determined the type and quantity of goods to be produced. Bad Plans • Stalin’s economic programs included Five-Year Plans and collective farms. Five-Year Plan and collective farm propaganda posters Industry • Under Stalin, the Soviet Union increased its industrial output by developing heavy industry. Effects… • A major effect of Stalin’s economic policies was a widespread food shortage throughout the nation. ** An estimated 14 million died of starvation in the Soviet Union **