Establishment of the USSR Flashcards
Failures of the Provisional Government
§ Failed to carry out land reform
§ Kept Russia in the war
§ Delayed promised elections.
○ A second revolution in october toppled the provisional government.
Russian Civil War
○ Another three years of war ensued.
○ The result of the war lead to divisive economic policies in the Bolsheviks.
One Party State Choice
○ Economic policy was most contentious.
○ War communism was adopted in the civil war for emergency measures.
§ Requisitioned grain from peasants for soldiers.
§ Bann on private trade
§ Nationalization of all factories and mines.
○ Lead to the Kronstadt Rising in march 1921
§ Caused by:
□ War Communism
□ Civil War Damage
□ Democratic Restrictions
○ This revolt was crushed.
§ Lead to Lenin advocating NEP.
○ The NEP stepped back to retain capitalist elements in the economy.
○ Lenin then banned all factions in the party
§ Caused by
□ Kronstadt Rising
□ NEP
§ Opposed by several communists
§ Claimed to be temporary measure to cope with acute political and economic crisis.
Changes from Lenin’s absence
○ Lenin’s health began to decline in 1922
§ Restricted his role in politics
○ Significant political differences over:
§ Internal political democracy
§ Furthering world revolution
○ The Politburo gained dominance in government over the:
§ Central Committee
§ Party Congress
Who Were the emerging leaders of the Politburo?
○ Initially Trotsky was the likely candidate to succeed Lenin.
○ Zinoviev and Kamenev were long associated with Lenin.
○ Bukharin was a well known and popular revolutionary leader.
○ Stalin was not well known and seem unlikely to emerge a major leader.
Party Factionalism
○ Stalin was however granted the position of general secretary of the communist party of the Soviet Union.
§ Granted him the power to appoint and dismiss officers.
○ Leading communists resented Trotsky’s rapid rise to the top.
○ Lead to Zinoviev and Kamenev allying with Stalin to stop Trotsky succeeding.
§ Triumvirs
○ Lenin’s awareness of party factions lead him to propose to Trotsky to form a joint bloc for Democracy against growing signs of bureaucracy.
Lenin’s testament
○ Outlined Lenin’s fear of Stalin’s attitudes to non-russians.
○ Lenin favoured a looser federation of autonomous states
§ As opposed to Stalin’s ambitions for a unitary state.
○ Lenin was most concerned about Stalin’s use of force against those in the Soviet Republic of Georgia who were against his plans.
○ Led Lenin to add a postscript to remove Stalin from all posts.
○ Until his death Lenin urged Trostky
§ Launch a campaign against bureaucracy
§ Restore Soviet democracy
Whispering Campaign
○ The Triumvirs began to spread a campaign
§ Trotsky’s non-bolshevik past
§ Earlier disagreements with Lenin.
Defeat of the Left
○ Lenin’s absence left Trotsky isolated.
○ Congress re-elected Stalin as general secretary
○ Stalin began to replace Trotsky’s supporters with his own.
○ By end of 1923 Stalin had enough control of the party machine to ensure his nominees were elected as delegates to future congresses.
○ In October, 46 communists party members issued a statement criticizing the lack of leadership
§ Over economic policy
§ Lack pf party democracy
○ This statement lead to the formation of the left opposition under Trotsky.
○ Stalin used his growing power to ensure supporters of the left opposition were removed.
○ The conference condemned the views of Trotsky and the 46 while accusing them of disloyalty to the politbro.
○ Ten days after Lenin’s death, Stalin changes the constituion of the RSFSR to the USSR.
○ Zinoviev and Kamenev blocked the threat of Lenin’s testament
§ For the sake of the party.
§ Threatened Trotsky to be expulsed for any more controversy.
○ Led to the defeat of the left.
Disadvantages of Triumvir opposition +
Trotsky’s Beliefs
○ Zinoviev and Kamenev’s opposition to Trotsky showered the opposed Lenin of several important issues.
○ Stalin’s position was strengthened since he didn’t criticize.
○ Trotsky believed in permanent revolution
§ Shared by leading Bolsheviks.
§ That communists should help revolutions develop in other countries.
§ An underdeveloped Russia needed the help of developed countries to progress to socialism.
Socialism in One Country
§ Stressed the need for
□ Peace
□ Stability
§ Despite its backwardness and isolation the new Soviet state cold construct socialism on its own.
§ Supported by Bukharin
□ Member of the right wing party of the communist party
□ Stalin for th centre, and Bukharin for the right argued that
® With the faiure of revolution in eurpe it ws important to maintain the political and economic notes.
® Smychka
○ Trotsky removed from his position as comissar of war.
§ Warned of expulsion from politbuo and central committee if further controversy ensued.
Politburo Divisions
○ NEP achieved some economic recovery but it was uneven.
○ Peasants were opposing the Soviet Regime’s centralization ambitions
○ Party was split into a right, center and left.
§ Left
□ Zinoviev and Kamenev
® Targeted Stalin as anti-Leninest
§ Right
□ Bukharin
§ Centre
Stalin
