3) The Defeat Of The Left Flashcards
1
Q
Outline the defeat of the left.
A
1925 - party congress, all left were defeated. Stalin sided with the right.
1926 - Kamenev and Zinoviev were dismissed as party chairmen
1927 - the left defied openly, denied right to speak.
- because they so openly opposed, Lenin’s charge of factionalism was used against them. They were defeated.
2
Q
How did the triumvirate destroy Trotsky’s reputation?
A
- suggested he was disloyal to Lenin’s ideas
- he didn’t attend Lenin’s funeral
- criticised “Lessons of October”, his book, for disrespect to Lenin. They said he emphasised his own role at the expense of Lenin.
- Zinoviev invented ‘Trotskyism’ - a form of menshevism, incompatible with Leninism.
- 1924 party congress, Stalin had many supporters (as general secretary) and Kamenev and Zinoviev also held high positions. All votes went against Trotsky.
