How did Stalin rise to power + ideological debates

Question 1

What key positions did Stalin hold within the communist part?

Answer 1

1919 - made head of the Orgburo

1922 - assumed position as General Secretary (in charge of party organisation

Question 2

What did these positions allow Stalin to do?

Answer 2

Appoint lower and middle ranks of the party and gave him significant powers of patronage

Question 3

What did Stalin initiate in 1924?

Answer 3

Lenin Enrolment - from May 1924 this allowed 128,000 people to join the Communist party.
He said the party needed new working class members

Question 4

Why was the NEP criticised?

Answer 4

Ideologically - didn’t conform to communist principles - emergence of a richer class of peasants and Nepmen prospering.

Lenin had insisted it was a temporary to help recover from civil war.

By 1925 - workers’ standards of living declining and peasants hoarding grain rather than selling it

Question 5

What was argued about the NEP and by who?

Answer 5

It was as key part of the leadership struggle.

The left of the party (led by Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev) = rapid industrialisation.

The right of the party, led by Bukharin argued that the NEP should continue because it was stabilising the economy and pacifying the peasants.

Question 6

What was Stalin’s view on the NEP?

Answer 6

His view was fluctuating:

Left leaning up to 1925.

Supported its continuation until 1928.

In 1928 Stalin abandoned his alliance with Bukharin and came out in favour of replacing the NEP with rapid industrialisation and collectivisation.

Question 7

What was the view of ‘permanent revolution’?
How would it benefit Russia?
Who supported it?
What branch of government would be supported in order to carry it out?

Answer 7

The left of the party:

“Russian communism could not survive alone as it didn’t have the economic resources.”

Meant that communist regimes in more developed countries could support Russia in the building of socialism around the world.

Maximum support should be given to the Comintern until a socialist society was achieved everywhere

Question 8

What was the view of ‘socialism in one country’ and who supported it?

Answer 8

The right of the party:

The view that a world revolution was unlikely as revolution had already failed in Germany and Hungary.

The preservation of the Soviet Union should be the main aim as a workers’ state could be created to rival the capitalist powers

Question 9

Which side of the debate did Stalin favour and who did this appeal to?

Answer 9

Stalin put forward the idea of Socialism in one country in 1924 but suggested this could be alongside a workers paradise in the Soviet Union.

It appealed to Russian patriots, portraying Trotsky’s ideas as out of touch.

It appealed to many in the party who wanted stability and feared continuous revolutionary turmoil Trotsky was advocating.

Question 10

Why was Stalin seen as the ‘grey blur’?

Answer 10

His leadership ambitions were consistently underestimated by other members of the politburo

Question 11

How did Stalin defeat the left opposition (start)

Answer 11

By forming an alliance with Zinoviev and Kamenev in undermining Trotsky (who was the post popular contender in the leadership struggle)

Question 12

Why did Stalin form an alliance with Bukharin and what did it lead to?

Answer 12

Initially advocating the continuation of the NEP - when he was attacked by Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky.

But he was supported by other Communist party members and managed to get all three expelled from the party, Trotsky was expelled from the USSR all together in 1929

Question 13

How did Stalin defeat the right opposition?

Answer 13

When he came out in favour of rapid industrialisation:

When Bukharin attempted to defend the NEP in 1929, Stalin moved his supporters to vote against him and Bukharin was them removed from his positions in the Politburo and the Comintern

Question 14

What had Lenin’s view on socialism in one country been? Why had the policy failed?

Answer 14

All theories of Marxism-Leninism had assumed it was impossible for revolution to survive in a single country - the capitalist countries would come together and strangle the revolution so it was essential for the Bolshevik revolution to trigger a chain of other revolutions.

Events contradicted this - Revolutions in Germany and Hungary were crushed and the defeat In the Russo-Polish war in 1920 blocked the revolutionary way to the West - in 1920 USSR was the only communist state in the world.

Question 15

How did Stalin use Lenin’s funeral to his advantage?

Answer 15

He was in charge of arrangements of the funeral so used this to promote the cult of Leninism, making it a state occasion.

He insisted Lenin’s body was embalmed and placed on public view - he was making Leninism into a religion with him as its high priest.

Trotsky was absent in Sukhum on the black sea recovering from influenza.

Question 16

What was the significance of Trotsky’s absence?

Answer 16

Gave political advantage to Stalin.

It was suspected that Stalin manufactured Trotsky’s absence through misleading messages but many also believe he was ill and a long way away.

Question 17

What was Trotsky’s mistake during Stalin’s defeat of the left?

Answer 17

Trotsky failed to make a decisive move against Stalin - the 13th party congress in May 1924 was the perfect occasion but he hesitated (he was either nervous or didn’t want to be seen to cause splits in the party or was waiting for a better opportunity) - Trotsky never found a better opportunity to challenge Stalin

Question 18

What else was significant at the 13th party congress?

Answer 18

It was at a time when Stalin’s control of the bureaucracy was being perceived as a threat by his rivals.

Kamenev and Zinoviev protected Stalin from criticisms arising from Lenin’s testament at the congress

Question 19

Why did Trotsky begin to lose power?

How did this compare to Stalin’s actions?

Answer 19

He was not a natural conspirator like Stalin and lacked patience to mobilise supporters until it was too late

Stalin was focused on building up loyal supporters such as Molotov, Kirov, Voroshilov etc and placing them in key positions

Question 20

After the 13th party congress why did tensions grow in the triumvirate and what was significant about what Stalin did?

Answer 20

Kamenev and Zinoviev became frustrated by their failure to control Stalin..

…Bukharin soon became an ally of Stalin against the others.

At the time socialism in one country and NEP debates were intense.

Stalin invariably placed himself in the ‘Golden Middle’ avoiding extreme positions.

Question 21

By the beginning of 1925 why was the balance within the party swinging further away from Trotsky?

Answer 21

At the Central Committee in January, Trotsky was forced out of his post as People’s Commissar of War.

Trotsky was isolated but not yet defeated.

Question 22

Without fears of Trotsky how did the Triumvirate become even more fractious?

Answer 22

Kamenev and Zinoviev opposed Stalin in the central committee in 1925.

The battle lines of the power struggle were redrawn at the 14th Party Congress in Dec 1925 as Zinoviev and Kamenev launched a direct attack on Stalin.

Question 23

Why was it hard for the Zinoviev and Kamenev attack on Stalin to be successful and what was the outcome?

Answer 23

They had been allied to him the previous year and frequently backed Stalin’s views of the dangers of factionalism so from 1925 they were painted as factionalists endangering security of USSR at a precarious time.

Kamenev and Zinoviev were gradually pushed back towards their former enemy, Trotsky in the left opposition.

Duumvirate was virtually running the country 1926-1927

Question 24

Why was the power struggle far from over in 1926?

Answer 24

Stalin and Bukharin still feared Trotsky especially now Kamenev and Zinoviev had joined him so the Left Opposition became the United opposition.

There was bitter infighting (theoretical and political) and a war of words took place between the main contenders in books and pamphlets - known as the Literary Discussion

Question 25

Despite Stalin generally having the upper hand what happened in 1926?

Answer 25

He still faced continuous criticism so in December 1926 his frustrations led to him offering to resign as General Secretary.

Trotsky and the united opposition increased the pressure in the spring and summer of 1927 when Stalin was being blamed for crushing the Chinese communists in Canton and Shanghai.

Question 26

How did the defeat of the left end?

Answer 26

Stalin and Bukharin were backed by inbuilt majorities in Party committees.

In 1927 the Central Committee voted to expel Trotsky, K and Z.

In November Trotsky and Zinoviev were expelled from the party altogether.

Question 27

Despite looking strong outwardly, why did tensions begin to arise in the duumvirate?

Answer 27

Political tensions began to arise in 1928 - partly about power (Stalin’s long-term aims didn’t include sharing power) and partly about policy in relation to the NEP and the peasants

Question 28

What was happening at the beginning of 1928 surrounding the NEP and why did Bukharin face criticism

Answer 28

Russia was facing a serious food shortage because as the regime had difficulty buying enough grain from the peasants.

Bukharin was criticised for being too soft on the peasants.

Question 29

What were Stalin’s views on the peasants in favour of and what was the outcome?

Answer 29

Tough actions to compel peasantry to increase grain supplies.

As Stalin moved to harsh measures in the countryside, divisions between him and Bukharin widened.

Question 30

What made tensions worse between Stalin and Bukharin?

Answer 30

Stalin supervised stern measures against peasants in Siberia in Jan and Feb in 1928 - didn’t discuss with Bukharin first.

Stalin was planning for rapid industrialisation (later became first five year plan) and Bukharin wanted slower paced industrialisation.

April 1928 Bukharin protested about ‘excesses’ to officials expecting other party leaders to support him, they didn’t.

He was now isolated and vulnerable

Question 31

In Feb 1929 what was Bukharin almost desperate enough to do?

Answer 31

Consider an alliance with Trotsky (didn’t go through with it but Stalin was aware of the contact between them)

Question 32

What happened to Bukharin in November 1929?

Answer 32

November 1929, he was expelled from the Politburo

Question 33

What was the outcome for other contenders before 1940?

Answer 33

Of those who contended for power in the 1920’s Stalin was the only one to live beyond 1940 - the rest dies through violence of Stalin’s orders

Question 34

In what way was Stalin not satisfied with just defeating his rivals?

Answer 34

They were forced into humiliating confessions of past ‘crimes’ or conspiring against the USSR and their families were often victimised.

Question 35

How was the memory of the other contenders contribution to the revolution systematically expunged?

Answer 35

By the falsification of the documentary or photographic record of their place in history