Was Joseph Stalin worse than Adolf Hitler?

Was Joseph Stalin worse than Adolf Hitler? Essay Was Joseph Stalin worse than Adolf Hitler? There are many points that could say that Stalin was worse than Hitler. They were both very powerful men in World War 2, which ruled very large armies during this period of time. Joseph Stalin (Right) was born on the 18thDecember 1878 in Gori, Georgia. Joseph was brought up in a poor family, making his childhood difficult. Joseph was born as Losef Besarionis dze Jughashvili. During 1913, Losef changed his name to Stalin which then translates to ‘Man of Steel.’ Joseph Stalin was in power of the Soviet Union from 1925 – 1953. Stalin was 61 years old once World War II started. During the 6 year war, he aged to 66 years old. Joseph Stalin's Picture Mr. Stalin became the leader of Russia in 1929, gaining control the country. His main aims were to strengthen the Soviet economy, strengthen Communism in the USSR and strengthen the soviet forces. Whilst in power, Stalin built up the Soviet forces to 35million people. This conscription History: The Players of World War II helped Russia push and fight against the Germans, taking over Berlin in the end. Joseph Stalin has said some powerful quotes in his lifetime. Some have even been made up to make him look more powerful Soviet Russia's Emblem, the Hammer and Sickle and strong. Some powerful quotes Stalin has said before include, “The only real power comes out of a long rifle.” “Die, but do not retreat” “Death is the solution to all problems. No man - No problem.” Some Jewish people believe that Stalin’s quotes are inspirational and he is their saviour, while others believe that he is as evil as Hitler. Some quotes made by Stalin directly relate to his past experiences, such as detaining them in Gulag. “Death is the solution to all problems” If there are problems, detain them, kill them. Then there are no more problems. “No Man – No problems” Page 1 People believe that Stalin was much worse than Adolf Hitler. The following statements state why he may have been worse with points backing it up. During World War 2, Stalin ordered his men to shoot soldiers in the Red Army that turned around and retreated during the war. It was estimated that 13,500 of Stalin’s own soldiers were killed for retreating during the battle of Stalingrad. They would be deemed traitors to the motherland, Russia, then killed. They would be seen as cowards since they would retreat during the battle. Soldiers may have retreated during the sieges because they may have found it unfair and too risky. When the Soviets sent their troops into battle, they would give each person either a gun or a clip of bullets. They made it this way so if one soldier with a gun died, another person with ammunition could pick it up and use it. This would save time and effort making the guns and ammunition. One of Gulag's Watchtowers Besides killing his own troops, Joseph would often kill his own citizens who didn’t meet his standards or requirements. He wanted his nation to be strong, filled with communists and people who believed in him. It was estimated that Stalin had killed around 25million people during his reign of power. Within the 25million people, it was said that 14.5million people starved to death. 1 million were executed for political offences and 9.5million people were deported to, or imprisoned in work camps such as the Gulag. (Above, Right) History: The Players of World War II The Gulag was a camp purely for the Soviets, also known as the Russians or USSR. The conditions inside this camp were extremely harsh. Prisoners had insufficient food and clothing to suit their needs. Inmates were mostly murders, thieves and military officers who have done the wrong thing. The Gulag was located in the remote region of Siberia where it was cold and snowing. These inmates would be forced to build structures such as the White Sea-Baltic Canal, the Moscow-Volga Canal, the Baikal-Amur main railroad line and hydroelectric stations for use by the Soviets. On the other hand, others believe Adolf Hitler was much worse than Joseph Stalin. They believe this because people know more information about Hitler than Stalin. Hitler was known for his mass genocide and extermination of the Jews. Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Whilst in power, Hitler ordered his army to gather up all Jewish people and transport them into Concentration camps for mass extermination. Page 2 Adolf Hitler (Right) used his brilliant persuasion skills to convince his army and citizens that the Jews were the main cause for everything bad which has happened. His military were so convinced, that they thought the Jews were not human, but were just a race. During Hitler’s reign, a total of 11 million people were killed by his mass extermination plans. From the 11million, 6 million of those were Jewish people. 2-3million people were Soviet prisoners of war and 1.8-2million people were Poles. The remaining people were killed for other reasons such as disabled people, homosexuals and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jewish people would be moved into lots of other different camps and then moved into Auschwitz, (Below) the main concentration and extermination camp. Jewish people would be transported by cattle trains to Auschwitz, where they would be sorted into groups. The women would be separated from the men. The Germans told the tricked the Jews to go into the showers, but really they were large gas chambers where they would be killed. Once they were gasses or killed by other causes, they would either be buried in a Main Gate at Auschwitz mass grave or burnt in large piles. Adolf Hitler with the Nazi Swastika The inmates in Auschwitz would live in very harsh conditions with limited supply of food and clothing to fulfil their needs. Inmates would also be chosen and used as medical experiments such and being injected with gangrene, so that the Germans could study the effects of it. If the prisoners had gold fillings, their teeth would be pulled out and melted down to make gold jewellery. Jewish inmates inside Auschwitz were not treated well. They would be treated as slaves and like toys. German soldiers would pick kids up by their arms, often dislocating it, and then throwing them at the wall. Leaving them there injured and bloodied. From researching Joseph Stalin and what he has done in the past, it makes him look evil and thoughtful at times. He saved the Jewish race from the Germans by invading them and stopping their extermination processes. Even though Adolf Hitler tried to annihilate the Jews, Joseph Stalin still killed his own troops and detained his own citizens in work camps which were in very harsh working conditions. History: The Players of World War II Page 3 Bibliography Websites http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090401134835AAkDr4k http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/joseph_stalin.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/stalin.html#backg http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/stvictims.htm http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/gula.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_died_in_the_Holocaust http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stalingrad http://www.saidwhat.co.uk/quotes/famous/joseph_stalin/the_only_real_power_comes_out_1885 http://thinkexist.com/quotes/joseph_stalin/3.html http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_did_Hitler_come_to_power Images http://josephstalinfans.com/ http://cidc.library.cornell.edu/DOF/sovunion/captioned/gulag.htm http://www.topnews.in/people/adolf-hitler http://www.flickr.com/photos/designwallah/3288782469/ Books The Era of the Second World War – Josh Brooman - 940.53 - BRO World War II – Dudley Woodget - 940.53 - WOO Page 4 History: The Players of World War II