By 1938 Stalin wanted a modern capital ship because battleships remained symbols of international and personal power. The comparison notes that even Franco possessed one, although it was neither large nor especially capable. The surviving Gangut class gave the Soviet fleet battleships on paper, but these inherited Imperial Russian ships did not represent Stalin's regime. A new ship would advertise Soviet industrial arrival and give him a capital ship identified with his own rule. The requirement joined military ambition to prestige and political ownership.
Notable Point · 52:38-54:18
Stalin and the prestige battleship
Stalin's desire for a modern battleship shows how capital-ship procurement could serve political status and personal ownership alongside operational ambition.