The dictatorship of Joseph Stalin, which lasted three decades and ended in 1953, left a lasting, but damaging, imprint on the Soviet Union in terms of political, economic and social. “Under his inspiration, Russia modernized its society and educated its masses…Stalin found Russia working with a wooden plow and left it equipped with nuclear power” (Jamieson, 1971). Although his policies of collectivization and industrialization placed the nation as a leading superpower on the world stage and significantly ahead of its economic position under the rule of the Romanovs, this did not come without enormous sacrifices. The devastating living and working standards of the proletariat, widespread famine, purges and labor camps had crippling effects on Russia's social progress in 1938. Subsequently, the economic and political benefits of the policy of Stalin were undone by the seriously damaging costs it had on the people. of Russia, who had to pay with their freedom and their lives. In particular, Stalin's five-year plans, beginning in 1927, were rewarding for the country's heavy industry, but ruthless and demanding, at the expense of workers. Claiming that the USSR was up to a hundred years behind advanced nations, Stalin threatened that if this deficit was not made up within ten years, Russia would face imminent annihilation by the capitalist powers. Targets were set for each industry and were to be achieved within five years. In 1937, after the Second Five-Year Plan, although many goals were not achieved, the achievements were significant; employment rates doubled and gross industrial production was five times its 1927 level (Downey, 1989, p. 20). In this regard, Stalin had a profound impact on the modernization of Russia, transforming the agrarian country into a... middle of paper ... the harmful impacts of his policies far outweighing any political or economic gains. Although the Five Year Plans accelerated the success of the industrial movement, they significantly hindered the social advancement of workers. Furthermore, the failure of the collectivization campaign, although beneficial to the modernization of the nation, led not only to a sharp decline in agricultural production, but also in the freedoms of the proletariat. Devastating famine, inexcusable forced labor camps and merciless purges, all started by one man, killed millions. Historian Alan Jamieson's statement may be somewhat accurate, but it makes no mention of the millions of murders committed or the brutal suffering inflicted on the Russian people. The implications of Stalin's regime on Russia as a nation were therefore digressive and undoubtedly negative...