Final answer:
Stalin transformed Russia into the industrialized USSR at a high human cost, through economic plans and establishing a totalitarian regime, crucially timing the country's rise to power before World War II.
Step-by-step explanation:
Joseph Stalin transformed the 1800-year-old country of Russia into a modern industrial power, known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). He implemented a series of economic plans that aimed to modernize the country and significantly improve its industrial and agricultural production.
Despite the human cost and the hidden aspects of Soviet life, Stalin's impact on the Soviet economy and the successful implementation of his five-year plans positioned the Soviet Union as a global power to be reckoned with.
Through a series of Five-Year Plans, he centralized the economy and pursued forced collectivization, leading to a significant increase in Soviet industrial and agricultural output. However, this came at a massive human cost, including the Holodomor, brutal purges, a totalitarian regime, and the establishment of gulags. Stalin's rule prepared the USSR as a formidable force by the eve of World War II, further entrenching his power post-victory.