Compare And Contrast Castro And Stalin

Joseph Stalin and Fidel Castro were dictators famous for their communist ideology and violent reigns while totalitarian dictators. Defined by Dictionary.com, Totalitarianism is “absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution” and a dictator is “a person exercising absolute power, especially a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control in a government without hereditary succession.” Dictators are usually stern, but passionate in front of the public. Joseph Stalin and Fidel Castro both came to rise in environments that were challenging politically, economically, socially or all of the above. They offered another light that people were desperate to see. They wanted change. Similarly, Stalin and Castro’s childhoods and use of propaganda shaped part of their reign. In contrast, Joseph Stalin’s treatment of Soviet citizens was harsher than Castro’s of Cuban citizens. Growing up, Joseph Stalin suffered many hardships at a very young age. He grew up poor and an only child. He suffered from smallpox at 7, which scarred his face and was in a carriage accident a few years later, that left his left arm deformed.

They both had similar traits in the way they rose, their characteristics, and how they were shaped. At the same time, there were differences in how they ruled over their countries. Their use of propaganda and experiences from childhood both shaped not only how the public perceives them, but how they perceived the world. Their treatment of citizens differed between the two. Stalin used violence to repress Soviet citizens. Castro pushed education for his people to assist his aim in creating a well-rounded Cuba. In politically, economically, and socially declining environments, Joseph Stalin and Fidel Castro both gained power and attempted to bring the change the people so desperately