What three ways did Stalin use to transform Russia into a totalitarian government?

Stalin was a master of using fear, eliminating his competition, scapegoating, controlling education, creating an effective Propaganda machine, controlling the flow of information to the people, and killing any communist party members who opposed his regime. He believed that he was the the true communist leader and to carry out all of his policies, he had to be the USSR's dictator. No threat to his power was too small to liquidate. Within a few years after Lenin's death, Stalin created his totalitarian state.