Which leader succeeded Lenin and established a totalitarian state in Russia?

The leader who succeeded Lenin and established a totalitarian state in Russia is Joseph Stalin. After Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin gradually consolidated power, shifting the Soviet Union towards a totalitarian regime characterized by centralized control over all aspects of life, including the economy, culture, and politics.

Stalin implemented policies such as collectivization of agriculture and rapid industrialization, accompanied by widespread purges, censorship, and state propaganda. His rule was marked by an oppressive atmosphere where dissent was ruthlessly suppressed, truly embodying the principles of totalitarianism where the state sought to penetrate all levels of public and private life.

The other individuals listed played significant roles in Soviet history but did not establish a totalitarian state in the way Stalin did. Lenin founded the Soviet state but did not have the time to fully realize a totalitarian regime before his death. Trotsky was a key figure during the Russian Revolution and a prominent Marxist theorist, but he became a target of Stalin's purges and was ultimately exiled. Khrushchev succeeded Stalin but is known for his policies of de-Stalinization, which sought to dismantle some of the repressive systems established by Stalin.