2) Idelogical Differences

Question 1

What were the two wings? Who led them?

Answer 1

Left wing: Trotsky. The left wing believed in lenin’s harsh policies during the civil war.

Right wing: Bukharin. Took inspiration from the NEP and believed in gradual change.

Question 2

What was the left wing policy about industry?

Answer 2

• ‘Dictatorship of industry’: they believed the NEP was ideologically wrong because it favoured peasants and returned power to capitalists.
• introduced heavy taxes to accelerate industrialisation

Question 3

What did policies did the Right have about industry?

Answer 3

• economic stability more important than rapid industrialisation
• they thought the alliance between peasants and workers would break by increasing taxes
• NEP for 20 years (Bukharin) “at a snail’s pace”

Question 4

What policies did the Left have about world revolution?

Answer 4

• “Permanent revolution”
• revolution in Western Europe
• needed economic resources from other countries

Question 5

What policies did the aright have about world revolution?

Answer 5

• 1924 “socialism in one country” initiated by Stalin and Bukharin
• said that this view is what Lenin had
• economically self sufficient
• played on the nationalism of the country

Question 6

What was the importance of ideological battles?

Answer 6

• competitors did not attack each other personally, instead they attacked each other’s ideological differences
• it was vital in winning support from different sections of the party
• ideology was crucial after Lenin’s death
• an alliance between Trotsky and Bukharin was unthinkable because they were in two opposing wings BUT Stalin was in the ideological centre, strengthening his position greatly.

Question 7

Why did ideological differences emerge?

Answer 7

There were 2 competing versions of Leninism - Lenin was pragmatic.