yr12_induction_klitsch_l

=Analyzing the Significance of Stalin's Henchmen=

Introduction:
[|Stalin] was a great communist who held power over the [|Soviet Union] together with his henchmen. He was the towering figure in the USSR 1929 – 1953 and therefore the fact that he ruled with other key men such as Beria, Voroshilov, Kamenev, Kaganovich, and Molotov, was obscured. All of Stalin’s henchmen were of great importance as they contributed to the USSR’s successes and failures.

Beria: Secret Police Chief
media type="youtube" key="D9Gt2rf-U98" width="425" height="350" In the video above Beria is holding a speech at Stalin's funeral in 1953 with Voroshilov to his right. Beria was born in Georgia where his political career began before he became one of Stalin’s most trusted subordinates in 1935. He ran the purges of the [|Communist Party] in Transcaucasia and is known for his merciless actions as well as his sexual sadism. He raped young women and afterwards killed the victims. Molotov once said that " we must seriously dig into his biography, into his past, in order to fully understand his rotten, treacherous role in our country, in our Party. We have studied his biography very little. Let as now take this up more seriously."During [|World War II] he took control of production of armaments and aircraft. In 1944 he supervised the Soviet atomic bomb project and the deportation of the ethnic minorities.

Voroshilov: Soviet Military Commander
Voroshilov was a leading figure in the “Stalinist Centre”. He was a military commander in [|World War I] and a close associate of Joseph Stalin. Voroshilov was appointed People’s Commissar for Defense as well as member of the [|politburo]. In 1935 he reorganized the Soviet general staff, introduced new machines and weapons to the army, and developed the air force. He was a brave and courageous commander, however, simultaneously very incompetent, resulting in numerous casualties. Hence he was removed as defense commissar after the initial Soviet defeats in World War II.

Kamenev: Bolshevik Revolutionary and Soviet Politician
Kamenev was a famous Soviet politician and a Bolshevik revolutionary. He joined Joseph Stalin in 1922 to form the ruling triumvirate, attacking Leon Trotsky. In 1925 Stalin removed Kamenev as Moscow party head for the reason that he shifted his attack to Kamenev and Zinovyev. After conspiring against Stalin with both Zinovyev and [|Trotsky], Kamenev was expelled from the party in 1926. He was trialed in the first of the purge trials in 1936 and confessed to fabricated charges, hoping to save his family. Kamenev was found guilty and executed in August.

Kaganovich: Industrial Minister
Kaganovich was a Soviet politician and a close associate of Joseph Stalin. From 1922 – 1939 Kaganovich was the secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and responsible for all the assignments within the party. He was well known for his loyalty towards Stalin and even manipulated the elections leading to the defeat of Stalin’s political rivals. In 1930 he became a member of the Politburo and Presidium. He also supervised the execution of Stalin’s economic policies, including rapid industrialization and collectivization of agriculture. Kaganovich contributed to the establishment of the first Soviet metro system in Moscow and led the heartless suppression of the workers’ strike in Ivanovo-Voznesensk. In 1935-1937, Kaganovich worked as the minister for the railroads and organized arrests of thousands of railroad administrators and managers as “saboteurs”. In 1937-1940, he was the minister for Heavy Industry and Oil Industry. Everywhere, his assignment was connected with arrests in order to improve discipline and compliance with Stalin’s policies. In the late 1930’s he was given the nickname “Iron Lazar” for his ruthlessness in the execution of Stalin’s orders. In Party conferences he would demand increased efforts in the search for and persecution of “foreign spies” and “saboteurs”. He even chose Stalin over his own brother who committed suicide. When speaking about Molotov, Beria, and Kaganovich, Malyshev said that Kaganovich is" a sometimes hot tempered fellow, but we know that he does not bear grudges. He'll erupt, but it quickly passes and he makes the right decision." Kaganovich was a member of Stalin’s State Defense Committee in World War II and a full member of the Politburo until 1957. Stalin greatly valued kaganovich’s loyalty and sincerity.

Molotov: Prime Minister
Molotov was a key figure in the “Stalinist Centre” and became a member of the Politburo in 1926 under Stalin’s patronage. In 1930 Molotov was made prime minister and carried out Stalin’s line of using maximum force to crush peasant resistance to collectivization. Between 1935 and 1938 Stalin convicted most of the pre-Stalin Bolshevik leaders, and millions of other Russians were deported to labor camps. This was a huge crisis called the [|Great Purge]. Even though Molotov was not responsible for the purges, he was intimately involved in the processes. Frequently Stalin required him to sign the death warrants of prominent purge victims, and Molotov always did so without question. [|George F. Will,] an American author, once said “Stalin's henchman Molotov, 96, died old and in bed, a privilege he helped to deny to millions.” The Soviet Union made great strides in industrial technology under Molotov’s prime minister-ship, despite the great human cost. The development of a modern armaments industry was crucial since Nazi Germany was becoming a threat to the Soviet Union. Molotov and Kaganovich were primarily responsible for guiding this success. In 1939, Molotov was appointed foreign minister and soon after Germany and the Soviet Union concluded a formal non-aggression treaty to divert [|Hitler]’s attention to Poland and the West and to buy time before the inevitable war between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The trade agreement was known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact although in fact they only acted as agents for their masters, Stalin and Hitler. The [|Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact] ended in June 1941 when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, hence Molotov rapidly negotiated with Britain and later with the United States for wartime alliances. In 1942, Molotov signed the Anglo-Soviet Treaty of Alliance and represented the Soviet Union at the San Francisco Conference, which created the United Nations. Molotv was a determined defender of Soviet interest, thus carrying out Stalin’s wishes. In the postwar period Molotov was not needed anymore, ergo Stalin wanted to get rid of him.

Conclusion:
After analyzing five of Stalin’s henchmen I have come to the conclusion that all five were of great importance. They supported Stalin in every way possible and truly believed in the party.