While Lenin was capable of having people assassinated to serve his political agenda, Stalin took this to another level. Stalin maintained his power by suppressing criticism and by authorizing a purge of party members that had competing views. Stalin had 70 percent of the Soviet National congress executed between 1934-1939. This differed from Lenin who allowed his Bolshevik opponents to remain in their posts under a close eye. This was a complete break from Marxism, which saw the party as leading everybody into the new future. However, Stalin practically destroyed the party with his massive purges. While Stalin may have deviated from Marxism his policies forced industrialization and led to rapid industrial growth. People were then better educated and had more food and material goods, but this came at the cost of thousands of