1.11) Stalin's power struggle

Question 1

Give an overview of Trotsky

Answer 1

• Most likely candidate for leader
• Planned the Oct revolution and led Red army to victory in the CW
• Great speaker and writer of revolutionary ideas
• Very arrogant
• Wanted to push other countries to have revolutions
• Had attacks of fever (ill)

Question 1

Give an overview of Stalin

Answer 1

• Powerful position in party as General Secretary
• Seen as mediocre and a dull speaker
• Politically intelligent
• Thought USSR should focus on building communism
• loyal to Bolsheviks for over 20 years

Question 2

What are factors that worked in favor of Stalin taking power of the party?

Answer 2

• Stalin tricked Trotsky into missing Lenin’s funeral, where stalin made a speech that earned him lots of praise. Also prevented Lenin’s testament to be read out
• Stalin became party secretary and was supported by Zinoviev and Kamenev
• Stalin then betrays Zinoviev and Kamenev and joins forces with Bukharin
• Stalin then turned on Bukharin and had him fired
• 1929 Stalin became leader of the USSR
• Stalin’s supporters packed the congresses so he would win

In Lenin’s testament it revealed that he didn’t want Stalin to take power in any instance and didn’t trust him

Question 3

What are factors that worked against Trotsky to take power of the reds?

Answer 3

• Trotsky lost all votes in the party and then lost his job as commissar of war
• He lost support of the red army
• 1927 Zinoviev, Trotsky and Kamenev were expelled from the party

Question 4

What problems did Stalin face after becoming the USSR’s leader?

Answer 4

Stalin had no loyal supporters as he had betrayed them all.
The military was weak and economy was poor

Question 5

What was Stalin’s first job as leader?

Answer 5

To develop industry:
* provide tractors/ mechanise farming
* catch up with western world
* have a **strong **industry, capable of supporting the nation when at war

Question 6

Why was is so important for the USSR to industrialise quickly?

Answer 6

So that they could compete with international superpowers

Question 7

Why was agriculture so closely linked to industrial development?

Answer 7

In order to industrialise there must be enough food to feed the workers in the cities.