1941 - Political Strengths

• Stalin had never been politically stronger.
• There was no meaningful opposition to Stalin left at the start of the war.
• The purges meant that loyalty to Stalin was the only important consideration in political advancement and power.
• Stalin therefore had the authority to impose his will on everyone around him.

  • This was a strength for the Soviet Union when it came to the conduct of the Second World War.
• The cult of personality built up around Stalin was very effective in securing the loyalty and devotion of a large proportion of the Soviet people.
• In a time of rapid economic transformation and personal insecurity during the purges, many Russians held onto the figure of Stalin as the man to bring about improvements.
• Mistakes and excesses tended to be blamed on others such as Yezhov for the Great Purges.
• The propaganda of the late 1930s had focused on Stalin's cult of personality and an increasing nationalist and patriotic feeling.

  • This helped during the war years as the Soviet people readily adapted to the demands of the war.