Final answer:
A totalitarian state has centralized control with a single leader or party ruling over all aspects of society, using propaganda, surveillance, and repression to maintain power. Stalin transformed the Soviet economy through central planning, emphasizing industrialization and collectivization, often resulting in severe hardships for the population.
Step-by-step explanation:
Key Traits of a Totalitarian State
The key traits of a totalitarian state include a centralized government that holds absolute power over public and private life. There is often a single leader or party that controls all aspects of society, from the economy to education, and a systematic use of propaganda and surveillance to maintain control. Dissent is not tolerated, and the regime enforces strict obedience through fear and repression.
Methods to Maintain Power in Totalitarian States
Totalitarian rulers maintain their power through various means, including intense propaganda campaigns to control public opinion, purges and show trials to remove any potential threats, secret police to monitor and control the populace, and strict regulation of both economy and society to ensure compliance with government policies.
Soviet Economy Under Stalin
Under the direction of Stalin, the Soviet economy underwent significant changes with a shift towards central planning. The First Five-Year Plan focused on rapid industrialization, increasing production of heavy industries at the expense of consumer goods. Forced collectivization was implemented in agriculture, consolidating individual landholdings into large, state-run farms, which led to widespread famine but allowed the state to control agricultural production and distribution.