Contenders for Power-Stalin and Trotsky Flashcards
What was Stalins reputation?
being a man of violence and rude
What was Stalins pet name used by his allies such as Bukharin?
Koba
What was Stalin’s role in the Party?
General Secretary
Why was Stalins role as General Secretary a strength for him after Lenin’s death?
as the Party bureaucracy was expanding and he was able to gain loyalty from subordinates
Why did Stalin purposefully place himself close to Lenin ?
so that Stalin could claim that he knew what Lenin wanted
When was Stalin elected to the Central Committee?
1917
What was Stalin one of the 5 members of when it was set up by Lenin in 1918?
the Politburo
From what year was Stalin Commissar of Nationalities ?
1918
When did Stalin become General Secretary?
April 1922
How did Lenin’s testament describe Stalin?
as rude and unfit as General Secretary
How was Stalin’s role in the 1917 Revolution a disadvantage?
he only played a minor role as he was overshadowed by more prominent members
In what year was Lenin’s sister enlisted to defend ‘comrade Stalin’ against criticisms from his opponents in the Politburo?
1926
Who were 2 of Trotsky’s admirers?
- Serge
- Radek
What did Serge and Radek back Trotsky on?
revolutionary ideology and Party democracy
Who broke alliances with Stalin for Trotsky?
Zinoviev and Kamenev
What was a strength about Trotsky’s character?
he was an extraordinary organiser
What made Trotsky a key contender in regards to his knowledge?
He was an excellent ideologist and theoretician
What was a weakness about Trotsky’s character?
he was arrogant and dismissive of people with lesser abilities
Why was Trotsky unfit for the workload of being a leader?
He was often unwilling to get involved in the boring detail of party administration
What was a quality of Trotsky’s which made him prominent during the Civil War?
he was an inspiring speech maker
What did party members suspect Trotsky would do after Lenin’s death?
many feared in and thought he might use the Red army to seize power after Lenin’s death
Why were ‘old Bolsheviks’ suspicious of Trotsky?
as he had previously been a Menshevik
What was Trotsky’s ultimate downfall during the power vacuum?
he made no serious attempt to build a base of support within the party due to his arrogance
What was a weakness of Trotsky’s that he was unable to control?
he often fell ill at critical moments, such as Lenin’s funeral
What is an example of when Trotsky made a serious error of judgement?
He attacked the Party Bureaucracy in 1924 when he needed its support
