Compare and Contrast The Motives of Lenin and Stalin

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov and Joseph Stalin were the most powerful and influential leaders
Russia had ever experienced. When Lenin came to power he ran his government in a very
pragmatic way. He focused on the working class of Russia and the economy because if the
working class wasnt thriving neither could the economy. On the other hand Stalin took a more
drastic approach to the problem of a crumbling russia, exercising his supreme power as a
dictator and attempting to unify his country under an iron fist. Although both Stalin and Lenin
sought to stabilize Russia their methodologies and policies were drastically different.
Lenin was a logical and realistic leader that cared about the people in his country. He
didnt see his power as a means of self gain but rather a way of benefiting the people of his
country. Lenin was also a firm believer in equality and wouldnt stop at anything to see his
people thrive. When he first came to power many of the people in Russia were impoverished
and in desperate need of a change. Most of these people were slaves to the industry, many
were underpaid and could not quit their jobs or they would starve. To improve the lives of his
people he raised wages and created better working conditions which had never been done
before. Lenin is often referred to as the father of soviet Russia and is remembered as a symbol
of the ideas and principles of soviet Russia.
On the other hand Stalin was a paranoid dictator who terrorized his own people and
wanted nothing but absolute power. He created a cult of personality for his use of propaganda to
shape his image into a heroic father figure. He wanted to unify his people under an iron fist
through collectivization, Industrialization and militarization. This was part of the five year plans
that were meant to improve the economy of Russia, many of these plans failed. Stalin's legacy
is made up of famines, purges, fear and paranoia which rank him as one of the most ruthless
leaders Russia has ever had.

Lenin and Stalin sought to stabilize Russia by implementing drastic policies and utilizing
their absolute power as dictators. Both Dictators wanted to improve Russia's national economy
by implementing economic reform, Lenin's was called the new economic policy and stalin's was
called the five years plans. Lenin was a pragmatic leader who pushed for equality and economic
reform to try and help a crumbling Russia. Stalin was a self driven power hungry dictator who
eliminated anyone who he thought to be a threat. However both leaders wanted to create a
stable Russia using their own methodologies and policies.