individualism to collectivization. (Lih) The fact remained, however, that their policies were not working. Lack of foreign loans and low industrial production, among other things, indicated a failure of the recently implemented socialist system. The government could guarantee itself loyalty only with impressive gains in the economy, gains which were noticeably lacking. When Lenin (below) died in 1924, the Russian state was prime for assault by the capitalist world. (Lih) B. Stalin's Reformation Following Lenin's death, the Communist party faced the immense task of holding the fledgling government together without the strong leadership of the party's founder. Opposition to Communist policies grew without Lenin's unifying presence. Leaders such as Leon Trotsky, Grigory Zinoviev, and Lev Kamenev rose as potential leaders of the nation, but were expelled from the party by hard-liners. By 1929, the post as leader of the Soviet Union was undisputedly held by Joseph Stalin. (Lih) Stalin opened his rule of the Communists by declaring a list of goals which must be upheld at any cost while the Russians built "socialism in one country". These included rapid industrialization, unity within the party, and alertness against socialism's opponents. Stalin pushed the first goal at unprecedented rates, claiming that Russia would be shattered by outside forces if it did not catch up quickly. This action bolstered Russia's economy at a tremendous rate, at the cost of other socialist ideals such as democracy and equality. In 1931, Stalin justified these sacrifices by saying, "We are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this distance in ten years. Either we do it, or they crush us." (Lih) Stalin required resources to carry out his actions, and imposed a "tribute" on the peasants in the form of food and other goods. This hurt his popularity significantly, and in an effort to overcome this proble...
