This book forms part of the Wayland series Witness history which examines major historical topics through a mixture of narrative and analysis of the issues involved. Each book in the series is designed to introduce readers to a range of contemporary sources and aims to encourage them in the handling and assessment of original historical material. Charting the history of the USSR from Lenin's death to the beginning of the Cold War, the book examines how Stalin succeeded in taking power and analyzes his creation of a totalitarian system of government. The author discusses how the political changes in the 1920s and 1930s affected its relations with the Western countries. Stalin's economic policies and the rise of the USSR as a superpower after World War II are also considered. The author has also written The Russian Revolution, War in the Trenches and Towards European Unity in this series.