However, after the death of Lenin in January 1924, Stalin successfully outmuscled and outmaneuvered his opponents to take complete control of the Communist Party. The effects of the purge could be seen in the disastrous winter war with Finland in 1939-1940. Early on the time Stalin had seized power over Russia, he had immediately brought out his version of the cult of personality. Separately, Stalin did have control over the purges from the top, but it was up to the local officials to execute these plans, and there was little Stalin could do in this realm. There are several methods Stalin had introduced to obtain control over the Soviet Union by directing individual policies and techniques into a particular group. His first action was to eliminate his opponents one by one. So perhaps Stalin was just trying to listen to these members when he implemented policies for rapid industrialization. Stalin's brutality did not stop with civilians and enemies of the Communist Party. The stability of the bureaucracy in Russia allowed Stalin to control it at his will as he dominated the Politburo which ultimately controlled the bureaucrats . The use of Censorship Stalin maintained a rigid control of opinion so as to reinforce his power, Stalin controlled the education and media to make sure that there were no opposition opinions to be transfer to the Russian people, and ensure that people would the Communist Stalin had run this plan 3 times all of which did not meet all of its aims and targets but he did gain a developed control over the work force. Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) was a Russian revolutionary aligned with Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik faction. Upon Stalin’s rise to power, some members of the former Bolshevik party began to question his authority. Joseph Stalin’s Paranoid Purge Almost Cost Russia's Victory in World War II. - … 227 . It extended to the very people that were fighting for him and the country. In overall, Stalin had created and introduced numbers of methods, whether they were forced or ideas to catapult him to more control over the Soviet Union. Stalin’s Five-Year Plans also required a vast amount of bureaucracy to make sure the development projects and workers required could be managed effectively to achieve his goals. Though not a significant party leader during the October Revolution, his accumulation of power during the early and mid-1920s allowed him to eventually gain control … In 1942, as Germans pushed their way toward Stalingrad in the early days of World War II, Stalin issued one of his most well-known and cold-blooded edicts, Order No. - turned Russia into a powerful, modern nation in only 30 years - didn't personally order all the excess purges, secret police got out of control - advances in medicine and education - living standards beginning to rise - forced industrialisation saved Russia from Hitler. With the help of allies Zinovyev and Lev Kamenev, Stalin expelled Trotsky out of the Soviet Union. What methods did Stalin use to control the Soviet Union? Stalin controlled the people through a variety of methods: Fear, during the Great Purges a culture developed of informing on friends, loved ones, parents, neighbours and work colleagues.