Hm...interesting. The technique is certainly competent, but entirely rote. Like someone who picked up one of those "How to Draw" books, diligently learned its techniques, and then never strayed an iota from that point. Not an artist, but perhaps he could have been a professional illustrator, doing work for books, magazine articles, etc.
Of course, as has been pointed out, regardless of whether he became a dictator or not, it would have been *someone*. The socioeconomic forces at work were too strong; someone would have bubbled up out of them. Bad times breed apparatchiks.
All that being said, however, that is one weird lookin' german shepherd, or whatever that's meant to be. S'all crooked and stuff.