chapter 8 stalin

Question 1

facts and backstory bout stalin

Answer 1

• Mother wanted him to be priest but he read Marx book and Lenin writings became a bokshevik,
• Stalin ‘ man of steel’
• did 1000 raids for money for party
• was Editor of Pravda
• Commissar of nationalities in Lenin sovnarkom
• Important in civil war and lead many battles

Question 2

what job given

Answer 2

• 1922 became general secretary of bokshevik party meaning power was with him to decide who could work or who couldn’t. He used this to his advantage to gain power appointing his friends…

Question 3

who were his opps

Answer 3

zinoviev trotsky kamanev bukharin

Others : to sky, rykov

Question 4

factors on why he became leader

Answer 4

• strengths and ideas of stalin
• willingness to form alliances unlike trotsky
• trotsky weakness and his ideas

Question 5

1) stalin strenghts

Answer 5

• made general secretary of bolshevik party, considered boring job, but allowed him to appoint members loyal to him and removed opposition loyal like trotsky. by 1930 all members loyal to him
• also cunning enough to put opposition in bad light , lenin funeral weong data making seem arrogant, whlst boosting popularity as chief mourner
• photoshopped himself with lenin

Question 6

ability to form allainces using ideas?

Answer 6

• promoted socialism in one country, which was idea sociaism should be fully done in russia forced rather than elsewhere, which is what trosky wanted
• worked with KAMANEV AND ZINOVIEV, as they feared trotsky, to form TRIUMVARATE, and removed trotsky from comissiar of war etc
• here they alos collectively not release lenin will and testament which promoted trosky as next leader and shaded them
• then woeked with BUKHARIN, RYKOV AND TOMSKY, to expel kamanev and zinoviev
• then attacked Bukharin for supporting NEP, removed him
• then attacked tomsky and rykov for soame reaosn, expelling them
• finally killed trotsky in mexico in 1937

Question 7

weakness of trotsky

Answer 7

• jew, and menshevik originally, jews went against traditional communist ideals, and mensheviks were opposition= SEEN AS OUTSIDER
• resigned from comissiar of war as commander after making tactical mistakes by being out manooevuered by stalin like lenin funeral etc. THIS WAS DETRIMENTAL AS LOST POSITION OF EXTREME POWER IN form of army support
• not willing to collect support from party unlike stalin
• promoted PERMANENT REVOLUTIOn (revolution of communist with other european countries, unpopular as people wanted it in russia first)
• failed to see urgency in leadership contest, assumed it would be hand given as his successes before
• wanted to win intellectually rather than using cunning but effective techniques unlike stalin
• underestimated stalin completely, seen as a dark horse and someone not to worry about