Senate Did Stalin begin the industrialisation of Russia because he foresaw the rise of Hitler?

Inspired by the following thread derail in the Rogue One forum:

Thoughts? I thought it might be worth discussing just how "farsighted" Stalin was, and what his real motives were.

 

You post a lot.

 

If Stalin cared about defending his country, maybe he wouldn't have killed off all the generals who actually knew how to go about that task. But no, the generals were a political risk to him...they were going to launch a coup against him...because he was a maniac running the country into the ground.

 

I'd also suggest that, had Stalin not been around somehow (say, he'd died shortly after the revolution) - his rivals of the time (notably Trotsky) had just as much reason to industrialise. "No Stalin = No Industrialised Russia" might be stretching things somewhat - it may have happened slower, but it would have still happened.

 

I figured that because the topic was derailing another thread, here was the best place for it, rather than continuing the thread derail - I was curious to see if there was anyone who could make a convincing argument that the OP was right all along.

I've done some "homework" - reading about the 1920s, and reading a Stalin biography - and I couldn't find anything saying Stalin feared the Nazis back in 1928 or so.

In the 1930s on the other hand - there was a reference to him being impressed with The Night of the Long Knives - and saying something along the lines of "this is how you deal with rivals".

 

No.

 

He foresaw the rise of Trump.

 

I believe Stalin began industrialization because Tsarist Russia was laughably behind the rest of the Great Powers in terms of development and you need to develope in order to compete in this world, but what do i know.

 

I look forward to the next question in this series; "Did America sit on its hands for the start of the war because it foresaw that was the best way to single-handedly defeat Hitler?"

 

Well, since you ask.
Whenever I used to tell people that I discussed politics or history on an online forum, they would be interested and ask "which forum?".
So I'd tell them which forum. The reaction to that was always interesting, but never positive.
I've never heard anyone go "Oh yes of course, makes sense that Star Wars fans in general have great insight into history and politics!". Never. Have you? And if not, what makes you think this is "worth discussing" on here?

As to the topic at hand:
Stalin was totally like Palpatine, man. And Hitler was kinda his Dooku. Don't you see it? The parralels! The mirroring! And since Palpatine saw it all coming, Stalin must have, too.

 

You are a monster and revisionist!

CLEARLY this was the best way for the US to defeat Hitler single-handedly as we did:

 

See if I were you I'd have gone with "Did Australia get involved in 1939 so Endersai could feel superior"?

 

Semi-serious answer because I'm sick and bored.

Stalin, for all of his many, many faults, was keenly aware of his country's strategic situation. Germany had invaded the Russian Empire during World War I to devastating effect, causing Finland, Poland, the Baltics, and very nearly Ukraine to fall out of Moscow's sphere. During the subsequent Russian Civil War, the UK, the United States, France, and Japan had sent their armed forces to intervene on the side of the Whites against the Reds and continued to be hostile to the USSR long after the war (the U.S., for example, did not recognize the Soviet Union until 1933). It was not hard to guess that the West-- either Germany for a second time or an anti-Communist alliance-- would again attempt an invasion of Russia at some point in the future. So while Stalin was not prescient enough to see Operation Barbarossa as far back as the 1920s, industrialization was in part meant to prepare for something like it. The worst case scenario was a war on two fronts (e.g., Germany from the west, Japan from the east) and the USSR was very, very lucky that the Axis were too stupid to coordinate operations at all.

The need to excuse Stalinist brutality as having a "reason" amuses me, though.

 

Vin's a meanie head because he called me Hitler

 

No blue milk for him in April then...

 

Remember how upset Jesus made Skywalkernumbers get, over the Tsarists and their graves?

Good times.

 

David, if you can make it through 2017 without making a pop culture reference on here, I'll buy you dinner. Deal?

 

No.

Endersai would have felt superior anyways.

 

What? I might as well delete my account. Hey, wait...

 

See? Vivec gets it, dp4m. Be more like Vivec.

 

You're lucky I don't report you...

 

Sorry, I know it's a big ask to move from conservatism to radicalism like that.

 

Stalin began industrialization to make sure the graves of the Romanov kids stayed apart from their parents'.