Lenin's government would eventually end a long civil war and begin to censor and subordinate all political parties to itself. After Lenin's death, Joseph Stalin came to power and effectively he ruled as a totalitarian dictator. Stalin controlled most of the political power in Russia and began a series of purges to remove all non-Communists from office. These purges would later spread all throughout the government and into the public. Millions were harassed, arrested or simply killed. Under Stalin, all private ownership had ended. A mass program of industrialization began (Harris). The citizens during this period endured great hardship. Agricultural production output diminished resulting in food shortages, and these shortages were enhanced by the mass exportation of food to pay for industrial imports. After World War II, miraculously national unity was strengthened, as well as the Soviet Army. The Soviet Union became a superpower, with the United States being the only country in contention for this title. After Stalin's death in 1953, Khrushchev became First Secretary of the Communist Party. Khrushchev would openly denounce Stalin and his actions because they were unnecessary and harmful to the Communist party and the Russian people (Harris). Khrushchev concerned himself with lessening the plight of the individual, attempting to increase the food supply and switching from heavy industry to light industry, which would produce home appliances. However, Khrushchev's plans didn't amount to much and he was blamed for the Russian "defeat- in the Cuban Missile Crisis. After Khrushchev came Brezhnev. Brezhnev sought to centralize power and end the anti-Stalinist sentiments. There began an outright attack on dissidents from the literary and scientific communities. During this time period, there was inefficient land use, and labor and resources shortages, which resulted in economic slackening.
