21 - Stalin's Rise To Power And The Establishment Of Dictatorship Flashcards
What did Lenin dictate in December 1922? What was he partially paralysed by?
His “Testament”
A stroke
Who did Lenin give his opinion of in his Testament? Why was he particularly critical of Stalin?
Politburo
He insulted his wife
What post did Lenin suggest Stalin should be removed from?
General Secretary of the Politburo
Who were members of the Politburo afraid of? What 2 major events did he triumph in?
Trotsky
October Revolution and Civil War
Who was seen as charismatic and a brilliant orator? Who was seen as methodical and unthreatening?
Trotsky
Stalin
What was Trotsky critical of within the Politburo?
The decline of internal party democracy
Who did Stalin appoint to key positions as General Secretary? Why?
His own supporters
So they “owed” their place to Stalin
What 2 reasons was Trotsky absent from Lenin’s funeral?
He was recovering from illness
He was misled about the date
Who praised Lenin at Lenin’s funeral? What did Stalin “commit” himself to?
Stalin
Carrying on Lenin’s work
What kind of revolution did Trotsky believe in? What did he believe Russia should actively encourage abroad?
Permanent revolution
Socialist revolutions
What decree did Stalin believe in? What did this allow Stalin to accuse Lenin of?
Socialism in One Country
Not having faith in Russian people
How did many Politburo members view Trotsky? What did they fear?
Arrogant and dangerously ambitious
He would become too dominant
What skill/ambition of Stalin’s did many people underestimate?
Political skill and ambition
What machine did Stalin have control over? What did he “deliver”?
Party machine
“The votes”
What position was Trotsky forced out of in 1925?
Commissar for War
When was Trotsky expelled from the Communist Party? When was he deported?
1927
1929
What 2 systems of Lenin’s did Stalin maintain and extend?
One-party rule and centralised control
What was Stalin keen to assert within his party? What congresses took place less frequently?
Political dominance
Party congresses
What did Stalin control as General Secretary? What type of bureaucracy was developed?
Major party appointments
Loyal servants
What increase did Stalin benefit from in the 1920s and 1930s? What was noticeable about new members?
Party membership increase
They were younger and less educated
What did new Communist Party members know about party loyalty? What did this lead to?
It would benefit them and their families
Reliable supporters of Stalin’s dictatorship
What did Stalin ironically claim about the 1936 Constitution?
It was “the most democratic in the world”
What autonomy was promised in the 1936 Constitution? What did centralisation cause?
Regional
Little self-government
How often did the 1936 Constitution promise elections?
Every 4 years
