How important was the use of fear in the achievement of Stalin’s economic policies?

During his time in power, Stalin reinforced a ‘cult of personality’ throughout Soviet Russia in order to push through his most radical economic reforms. Indeed, the cult was inaugurated during Stalin’s 50th birthday which conveniently coincided with the introduction of the 5 year-plan in 1929. By furthering his personal presence throughout society Stalin effectively created and atmosphere of fear and admiration aiding the implemention of economic reforms which focussed on unrealistic production goals. For example, Collectivisation was an economic policy spearheaded by Stalin throughout the five year plan but it ultimately led to the starvation of millions with little success. Fear played an especially important role during the Ukrainian pogrom which was hidden under the guise of Collectivisation, allowing both soviet soldiers to carry out the massacre in order to avoid unwanted consequences but by also creating an atmosphere which disallowed Ukrainian peasants from rising up due to the hardline approach of stalin’s enforcement of his policies. However, while fear was certainly necessary for the implementation of Stalin’s economic policies it is hard to ignore the equally important role propaganda played in maintaining the iconic image of Stalin to the general public. Images of prosperity, oil paintings and films of Stalin riding tractors into the sunset kept the general public in a constant state of admiration. When paired with the fact the West were experiencing the Great Depression, the introduction of relatively modern amenities would have been a key incentive to accept economic reforms as it appeared Soviet Russia was better off to their Western counterparts.In conclusion, it is clear fear played a highly important role in maintaining an allegiance to Stalin within both the military and the government and Stalin’s overarching presence ultimately led to the death of millions. However, it could be argued propaganda played a more important role in shaping the general publics view of Stalin’s economic policies and kept many civilians ignorant of the unpleasant reality.