With the death of Lenin in 1924, Joseph Stalin rose to power and took over the reigns of power in the Soviet Union. Through hard-line rhetoric and even great political execution Stalin was about to bring about significant changes to the Soviet Union in all aspects of life. But these significant changes have been the subject of critical debate as many historians argue over whether Stalinism was a continuation of Leninism or whether Stalinism was a counterrevolutionary governmental program that corrupted and distorted Lenin’s vision of the Soviet Union. Economically Stalin was building socialism, but politically he was destroying it. Stalin and the bureaucracy that kept him in power were evil, but the economic policies of the regime were good
