Contenders for power Flashcards
Character: Stalin
Reasonable (though sometimes rude)
Patient
Jealous
Hard-working
Violent
Reliable
What were Stalin’s 4 key strengths?
- Role as General Secretary meant he could appoint supporters to key roles in the Party
- Opponents underestimated him because he was very good at concealing his real thoughts and ambitions
- Placed himself close to Lenin in 1922-23, and claimed to know Lenin’s wishes
- Zinoviev and Kamenev allied with him to isolate Trotsky because he didn’t seem to be a threat to other contenders
What were Stalin’s 5 key weaknesses?
- Not very prominent in Oct/Nov revolution or the civil war
- Colleagues saw him as ill-educated, rude and crude
- Lenin had criticised his violent methods
- Seen as boring: ‘a grey blur’ according to Menshevik Nikolai Sukhanov
- Senior Bolsheviks knew Stalin had fallen from Lenin’s favour
Character: Trotsky
energetic
organised
ruthless
arrogant
What were Trotsky’s 4 key strengths?
- Recognised as a hero of the Oct/Nov revolution for his leadership of the MRC and organisation of the seizure of power
- Recognised as a hero of the civil war for his role in creating and leading the army
- An inspirational speaker and intellectual; the writer of many important books on communist theory
- Known for his formiddable political skills and organisational ability
What was Trotsky’s political affiliation?
the left of the Party
What were Trotsky’s 4 key weaknesses?
- Arrogant and dismissive of people who weren’t as intellectual as him (badly underestimated Stalin)
- Indecisive and inconsistent (allied with Kamenev and Zinoviev after opposing them)
- Feared by many Bolsheviks who worried he might use his Red Army influence to take power
- Didn’t seriously try to build a base of followers in the Party and attacked Party bureaucracy in 1924 when he needed its help
Character: Zinoviev
intelligent
imposing
vain
inconsistent
compromiser
What was Zinoviev’s political affiliation?
the left of the Party
What were Zinoviev’s 4 key strengths?
- An ‘Old Bolshevik’
- Had a strong power base in Leningrad, where he ran the local Party
- One of the Party’s best speechmakers, with a commanding presence
- Lenin had once called him his ‘closest and most trusted assistant’
What were Zinoviev’s 3 key weaknesses?
- Opposed Lenin in 1917, arguing against the timing of the uprising and briefly leaving the Party
- Vain and prone to unpredictable mood swings
- Underestimated Stalin, too late in switching his support from Stalin to Trotsky
Character: Kamenev
thoughtful
loyal
inconsistent
compromiser
What was Kamenev’s political affiliation?
the left of the Party
What were Kamenev’s 4 key strengths?
- ‘Old Bolshevik’
- Had helped form Party policy and was close to Lenin
- Had a strong power base in Moscow, where he ran the local Party
- An effective team player, good at reaching compromises between different people
What were Kamenev’s 3 key weaknesses?
- Opposed Lenin in 1917, arguing against the timing of the uprising and briefly leaving the Party
- Viewed as Zinoviev’s sidekick, seen as lacking the ambition to be a sole leader
- Underestimated his opponents, especially Stalin
Character: Rykov
Loyal, moderate, wanted to find common ground
What were Rykov’s 3 key strengths?
- Widely respected in the Party as an ‘Old Bolshevik’
- A good administrator; he had helped implement war communism and the NEP
- Supported by Sovnarkom; he was chosen as Deputy Chairman in 1923 and Chairman in 1924
What were Rykov’s key weaknesses?
- His policy of heavy taxation on vodka was very unpopular
- Opposed Lenin over the timing of the revolution
- Lack a power base; too much of a conciliatory moderate, overshadowed by Bukharin
What was Rykov’s political affiliation?
the right of the Party
Character: Bukharin
brilliant
very popular
eager to please
naive
What was Bukharin’s political affiliation?
the right of the Party
What were Bukharin’s 3 key strengths?
- Popular in the Party; close to Lenin and Trotsky; a close associate of Stalin
- Widely regarded as the best theoretician in the Party
- An expert on agriculture and economics (key issues for the Bolshevik government)
What were Bukharin’s 3 key weaknesses?
- Had no power base because he was so cooperative and wanted to avoid Party in-fighting
- Popularity in the Party made him a target for Stalin
- Underestimated Stalin, left it too late to make an alliance with Zinoviev and Kamenev
Character: Tomsky
Plain speaker, moderate political views
What was Tomsky’s political affiliation?
the right of the Party
What were Tomsky’s 3 key strengths?
- Widely respected in the Party as an ‘Old Bolshevik’, with working class origins
- Strong base of support from being General Secretary of the Red International of the Trade Unions
- Natural ally of moderates such as Rykov and Bukharin
What were Tomsky’s 3 key weaknesses?
- Hated Trotsky so much that he could not see the threat from Stalin
- His power base in the trade unions made him a target for Stalin’s resentment
- His support for the NEP was used against him by Stalin when the grain crisis of 1927 hit
