Joseph Stalin is one of the most significant historical figures of the twentieth century. The name Stalin means “man of steel” and Stalin lived up to it. Many see Stalin as one of the greatest tyrants of his time, overseeing the war machine as the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union, one of the most powerful countries at the time.
Between 1922 and 1952, Stalin held power as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In 1941, he became the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union where he governed the country as a part of collective leadership, and eventually, he consolidated power and ultimately became a dictator with absolute power and authority.
In this article about Joseph Stalin uncover the many layers of his personality through some of his most memorable quotes.
“A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.”
Stalin was known for his very cruel methods, and he had zero regards for human life. This was especially evident with Holodomor, the mass starvation of Ukrainians from 1932 to 1933.
“Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.”
Stalin was aware that a lot of power lies in those who control the democratic process in the country therefore he did not shy away from installing his people into every pore of the society.
“This creature softened my heart of stone. She died and with her died my last warm feelings for humanity.”
Despite being usually represented as a very cruel and cold man, Stalin did love his family and said these words in 1907 at the funeral of his first wife.
“Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.”
Having amassed so much power, Stalin made sure that the education system of the Soviet Union is fully in line with the communist ideas, but also with his ideas.
“History teaches us that the class or social group which plays the principal role in social production and performs the main functions in production must, in the course of time, inevitably take control of that production.”
Stalin was not known to be the most prominent Marxist ideologue, but he was versed in Marxism and believed in its core ideas until the rest of his life.
“Death is the solution to all problems. No man – no problem.”
Stalin’s cruelty was known everywhere, many of his enemies ended up in Gulags while others were arbitrarily executed.
“There are on occasions, as we know, when resources are abundant, but they are expended so incompetently that the advantage is nullified. I believe in only one thing, the power of human will.”
Stalin was a highly determined and driven man, and he was not shy from using any resources at his disposal to achieve what he desired.
“Writers are the engineers of the human souls.”
A lot of blind belief in the Soviet system stemmed from the pens of the ideologues, the writers, and the journalists, people who tried to bring the idea legitimacy of Stalin’s rule to the wider masses.
“The only real power comes out of a long rifle.”
Stalin was not a great believer in soft power, although he did use propaganda extensively. He was a realist and believed that the greatest power comes from a long rifle.
“Oppose Sectarianism: Engage with other groups locally when goals align, put aside petty differences for the interests and well-being of the masses, conduct oneself mannerly when others do the same, and focus on political work rather than squabbles.”
In his several works, he called for the greater unification of the Soviet Union and strongly opposed sectarianism. Sectarianism was a sign of opposition, and he could never stand for that.
“As you see, the point is not which class today constitutes the majority, or which class is poorer, but which class is gaining strength, and which is decaying…It is difficult for me to imagine what ‘personal liberty’ is enjoyed by an unemployed person, who goes about hungry, and cannot find employment.”
Stalin believed in collectivism and every form of individualism was frowned upon not just by him but by many members of the Soviet elite.
“Real liberty can exist only where exploitation has been abolished, where there is no oppression of some by others, where there is no unemployment and poverty, where a man is not haunted by the fear of being tomorrow deprived of work, of home and of bread. Only in such a society is real, and not paper, personal and every other liberty possible.”
Even though he was building the Soviet Union on the principles of abolishing exploitation, millions of people starved to death during his rule, and many of them were exploited in a vast network of labor camps.
“You cannot make a revolution with silk gloves.”
Stalin believed that every great revolution needs to be a bloody affair and he believed that with every profound change there will be great resistance, therefore, one should be ready to get their hands dirty.
“Music’s a good thing, it calms the beast in the man.”
Although he was very cold and calculated, Stalin was known for being an admirer of the arts.
“Imperialism carries the contradictions of capitalism to their last bounds, to the extreme limit, beyond which revolution begins. Of these contradictions, there are three which must be regarded as the most important.”
Throughout his life, Stalin remained a stark component of capitalism which he equated with imperialism. He believed that capitalism was so full of contradictions and that one day it is bound to explode in a revolution.
“In the Soviet Union, it takes more courage to retreat than advance.”
Stalin perpetuated the idea of the bravery of the Soviet people during the Second World War and the heroism of the nation. He also skillfully positioned himself at the very center of these events and garnered a lot of political cloud from it.
“Take some exercise, try to recover the look of a human being.”
Stalin did like to take days off or at least work from his other residences where he pursued gardening and other relaxing activities.
“The Pope! How many divisions has he got?”
Stalin was very disenfranchised by religion and was a stark Communist. He believed that religion is outdated and that a socialist person must look towards a future in which they rely on the strengths of the collective and their strengths rather than God.
“I admire Trotsky, but for propaganda purposes, we must have someone to hate. Since 1937, we have had no one.”
Just like every dictator Stalin also counted on having enemies or at least making enemies so that he can position himself as the righteous one. Leo Trotsky, a prominent Soviet revolutionary was one of these enemies and he suffered greatly because of Stalin’s relentless campaigns against him.
“When the Bolsheviks came to power, they were soft and easy with their enemies… we had begun by making a mistake. Leniency towards such a power was a crime against the working classes. That soon became apparent…”
In the early days of the 20th century, the Bolsheviks also pursued Stalin, and he was quite critical of them throughout his political career.
“Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?”
Stalin oversaw a complete transition into a totalitarian state in which he was almost deified by the population. He counted on a complex network of media outlets, the education system, and the entire state apparatus to maintain strict censorship and oversight over everything that is publicly said or done.
“Advance towards socialism cannot but cause the exploiting elements to resist the advance, and the resistance of the exploiters cannot but lead to the inevitable sharpening of the class struggle.”
Stalin believed that exploitation will always trigger a class conflict and this conflict will inevitably lead to a revolution.
“A cadre must know how to carry out instructions, must understand them, adopt them as his own, attach the greatest importance to them and make them part of his very existence. Otherwise, politics loses its meaning and consists merely of gesticulating.”
Stalin counted on the work of thousands of people in the state apparatus to keep the Soviet Union going and being one of the most powerful countries on earth.
“History shows that there are no invincible armies and that there never have been.”
Stalin was completely right about claiming that there are no invincible armies. After his death, the Soviets began to deviate from Stalin’s ideologies and started a de-Stalinization process.
“Undoubtedly, our path is not of the easiest; but, just as undoubtedly, we are not to be frightened by difficulties. Paraphrasing from the well-known words of Luther, Russia might say: Here I stand on the frontier between the old, capitalist world and the new, socialist world. Here on this frontier, I unite the efforts of the proletarians of the West and of the peasantry of the East in order to shatter the old world. May the god of history be my aid!”
Throughout his life, Stalin tried to write, and he published many books about his experience as a leader and also about the Soviet path toward Socialism. Today it is believed that his path toward socialism was very far removed from the original socialist thinking of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Stalin – Character and Personality
Stalin was one of the most notorious dictators of the 20th century. He was a man of high intelligence, excellent memory, enormous self-control, a strong drive to learn, a strategic mind, and terrifying shrewdness. Stalin’s contemporaries described him as “several Stalins”, referring to his ability to adapt to different circumstances and different interlocutors, whom he skillfully deceived by always hiding his real goals and motives.
His former revolutionary comrades, who became his enemies, especially Trotsky, spread the thesis that Stalin was the most ordinary mediocrity. Although this was said by his enemies, judging by his skill to maneuver the political life of the Soviet Union, he was far away from mediocrity.
Stalin rarely raised his voice, although he knew how to be rude and insult people, especially towards the end of his life when he became completely unpredictable and constantly in a bad mood. He was so unpredictable that sources claim that he would order people to be arrested, but who were, after torture and severe punishments released and even appointed to high positions. On some occasions, he would even visit his prisoners, and make jokes with them. His personality was nothing short of a cold, calculated sadist.
Stalin was a skilled organizer and manipulator; he was capable of deceiving and enchanting the people. He encouraged a cult of personality created around him. He was presented as a warm father figure who smokes a pipe, loves children, and has simple taste. He succeeded to charm the people and stay in power for so long.
He came to power when the country was in a tricky situation, he was intelligent and skilled enough to manipulate the people and took steps that others would not dare take.
Stalin’s desire was simple, to show people that he has absolute power and authority over them. He could kill them with just one of his words, torture them, save them again, and even reward them; he had the power of God over life and death, the power of nature to cause progress and destruction, to inflict pain, and to heal.
Wrapping Up
Joseph Stalin remains one of the world’s greatest tyrants of all time. Stalin is seen as a complex character, quiet and composed yet very dangerous when it comes to life. We hope the collection of quotes showed you aspects of his character and personality as a leader and how much value he placed on people and their lives.
