Stalin was born into a very poor family in Georgia, a region in southern Russia. Stalin considered himself the father and savior of the country. Its main goal was to industrialize the Soviet Union and promote the Communist Party. He was an extremely power hungry individual and would do anything to gain and maintain his power. Stalin became paranoid when people got in his way or were seen as a threat to him. His solution to these people was to kill them. Stalin went through several purges while in power. Stalin's paranoia and deep desire for power led to the murder of loyal Soviet citizens, known as purges. (Manual p 443) Several reasons could be given to explain the terror of Joseph Stalin. He first believed that the country should unite with him as its leader. Second, Stalin believed that the Soviet Union had only 10 years to catch up with the Western world in industrial growth before Germany invaded. Soviet heavy industry was weak and did not have the capacity to produce enough heavy machinery and metal for the war. Stalin's solution to this problem was to exploit thousands of gulag prisoners on construction sites and in factories, which became part of his sinister industrialization project. (Russian origin Ekaterina Gracheva) Stalin experienced multiple terrors, also called purges. Its first purges date back to the years 1930-1933 and targeted opponents of industrialization and kulaks. Surprisingly, those who suffered most from the Stalinist purges in the Soviet Union were not the Russians. Stalin focused on his political opponents and their supporters, these people being his greatest enemies. His most violent acts of terror - The Great Purges - took place between 1934 and 1939. In 1934, Sergei Kirov, Stalin's rival, was...... middle of paper...... doors with its icons. Censorship of anything that could reflect badly on Stalin was decreed. Propaganda was everywhere – images, statues, praise and continuous applause for the leader. Mothers taught their children that Stalin was “the wisest man of his time.” History textbooks and photographs were altered to make him the hero of the Revolution and erase the names of those purged. To ensure the existence of an inexhaustible supply of "traitors", NKVD interrogators focused on two questions: "Who recruited you?" and “Who did you recruit?” » The “confessions” often condemned casual associates, friends and even family. “Even at a time when the threat of war in Europe was increasing, much of the military leadership - the only remaining basis for potential opposition. - was executed. It was at this point that Stalin's method began to show clear signs of madness..”(