During the 1930s, the government in the U.S.S.R felt forced to change the country to be less backward, as many rulers had felt compelled to do since the reign of Peter the Great. The U.S.S.R. was a large country with few industrial areas, and a primarily agricultural economy. The major powers of the time, such as Great Britain and the U.S.A, had been industrializing since the 19th century. Stalin was determined to make up for the 50-100 years the U.S.S.R. was behind in as little as 5-10 years. (Reader, 20) In order to accomplish his goals, Stalin imposed policies such as the industrialization of many rural areas, collectivization of farming, and later, imposed purges.

All of the changes imposed by Stalin were, according to him, for the soul purpose of industrializing the U.S.S.R and having...