Russia

 

My trip to Russia is brief. I have no interest in staying after I learn about Joseph Stalin and the atrocities he is overseeing. I soon learned with the coming of Stalin came the end of liberalization in both society and the economy. The beautiful Russia I had been told about was gone. Stalin had placed heavy restrictions on the Russian culture, leaving it barely recognizable to its own citizens. I will never forget the faces of the people I saw on the streets when Stalin announced his "First Five Year Plan." It called for intense economic growth beyond what the people of Russia were capable of dealing with. His production targets were so preposterous, he caused a shortage of goods. The great upheaval he caused in the agricultural sector of Russia would soon cause a widespread famine. The year of 1932 still haunts me, when I think about the starving I witnessed, and the lack of food I had to endure. Thankfully I had left before the "Great Purge", but a friend wrote to me from Russia, and from what I heard, it could not have been much worse. Anyone who he felt displayed signs of treason or betrayal was sent off to the camps. Anyone who he felt threatened his position of power was sent to the camps. After Sergey Kirov died, murders kept following in. Stalin blamed high-ranking officials who threatened his position for Kirov's death. The last I heard was of the 1936 Constitution, which was merely propaganda; Stalin still retained full control of Russia regardless of what social and economic rights were given to citizens.