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The period from 1945 to Stalin's death on 5 March 1953 was characterised by the reimposition of rigid ideological control, renewed repression, the onset of the Cold War, and the consolidation of the Soviet empire in Eastern Europe. The wartime relaxation of controls had raised hopes of liberalisation, but Stalin crushed these hopes systematically. Understanding this final period of Stalinist rule — and evaluating Stalin's overall legacy — is essential for completing the depth study.
The war had devastated the Soviet Union:
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deaths | Approximately 27 million (military and civilian) |
| Cities destroyed | 1,710 towns and 70,000 villages |
| Industry | 31,850 factories and plants destroyed |
| Transport | 65,000 km of railway track destroyed |
| Housing | 25 million people left homeless |
| Agriculture | Livestock numbers halved; vast areas of farmland ruined |
Stalin's response was characteristically ambitious and ruthless:
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