Stalin's Post 1945 Rule

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer examines Stalin's control following the war. The writer notes that what the post-war situation demonstrated was a change, most of all, in Stalin's personal circumstances, which meant that, increasingly, he had to rule while away from Moscow. But far from this geographical position placing limits on his power, it inflamed his suspicions that those he entrusted would soon plot against him when their backs were turned against him. The writer maintains that it would be right to say that efforts amounted neither to denting power Stalin wielded nor did such initiatives imply that actions were overtly anti-Stalin. The writer concludes that, even though Stalin did not ultimately operate in dictatorial mode per se, still insisting at least nominally on the Council of Ministers and the Politburo, in the final analysis his grip on the country was as 'total' as it could have been after 1945.

From the Paper:

"What this far from untypical episode reveals is the way in which Stalin ruled the Soviet Union after 1945. Living for extended periods away from Moscow, Stalin conducted his day-to-day affairs from a distance. While away, it was the inner-circle of his most trusted advisors who stood by him and with whom he reached the majority of his political decision. Most significantly, as the Ilichev case reveals, important judgements were often made not at formal meetings, which invariably took place in the early evenings so as to suit Stalin's work habits, but within an informal setting during dinner, for example, as the editor found to his cost. Finally, the episode also illustrates the way in which those who dealt with Stalin were supposed to think and behave. What Ilichev had not been alert to, as he put off emptying his wine glass in one go, compared to the inner-circle, was this instinctive sense of what pleased and displeased Stalin. When Robert Service recounted this encounter in his biography of Stalin, he could have chosen countless other examples that conformed to a pattern of dictatorship which stood in marked contrast to how Stalin operated before and during the Second World War."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Yoram Gorlizki, 'Stalin's cabinet: the Politburo and decision making in the post-war years', Europe-Asia Studies 53/2 (2001), 291-312.
• -----, and Oleg Khlevniuk, Cold peace: Stalin and the Soviet ruling circle, 1945-1953 (Oxford and New York, 2004).
• William O. McCagg, Stalin embattled, 1943-1948 (Detroit, 1978).
• Robert Service, Stalin: a biography (London, 2004).
• Graeme J. Gill, Stalinsim (2nd edition, Basingstoke, 1998).

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