An essay of the novel Stalin's Barber Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An of the novel Stalin's Barber - Essay Example Although Stalin was a man in possession of enormous political power, deep inside he was very insecure. Some consider him to be suffering from paranoia and delusion. Having made many enemies during his rapid ascent to the highest office, Stalin was ever fearful of retaliation from his enemies. He constantly feared the threat of assassination and did his best to minimize the chances. Toward this end, Stalin deployed body doubles of his during public events. In case an assassination attempt is made, he would thus survive. The plaster of Paris busts in the basement must have been models or dummies serving as his decoy. By all accounts, Stalin’s reign as the premier of the USSR was a terrifying one for the population. He is surely one of the most feared dictators of the 20th century, second only to Adolf Hitler (who was, ironically, defeated by Stalin). The summary executions, curtailment of several fundamental human rights (including freedom of speech) and intolerance toward dissenters were abominable features of the Stalin years. Stalin was thus a monster in terms of his practice. But when it came to rhetoric he was a seasoned politician. He paid lip service to the superiority of State over the individual, imploring his fellow countrymen to put the interests of their country above their own interests. This is a ploy to mellow down the citizeny and condition them to not raise any critical questions. When the sustenance of the State is put above concerns for individual human rights, social unrest is nipped in the bud. It is thus an effective strategy to control the population by invoking all egiance to a vague notion of patriotism. In the politically surcharged years of the Russian revolution, it was understandable why several conspiracies were hatched. There was mistrust, opportunism and exploitation even among stakeholders of the revolution, let alone the