Ideological debates Flashcards
Who was on left and right during leadership struggle
Left was Trotsky Z and K, right was Rykov, Tomsky and Bukharin, Stalin fluctuate.
Key areas of debate
NEP and industrialisation, unclear whether should continue. Permanent revolution or socialism in one country, Leninist theory clear should expand but events had shut that option down, left still maintained it, Stalin wanted compromise, appealed to those who wanted stability.
Lenin’s funeral
Stalin put in charge used it to build cult of Lenin, state occasion and body embalmed, Trotsky missed the funeral.
Trotsky’s hesitation
Should have made a move early 1924 when Stalin was being perceived as a threat, party congress would have been good time, at congress Stalin still supported by Z and K.
Stalin’s personal following
Built up supporters like Molotov, Kaganovich, and Kirov, began to ally with Bukharin after 1924.
Balance of power 1925
Swingling away from Trotsky, lost post as Commissar for War, not expelled yet but it was suggested, lack of opposition to Trotsky dissolved Triumvirate and Z and K directly attacked Stalin at congress 1925, however easily painted as factionalist, Stalin and Bukharin form the Duumvirate and ran country essentially from 1926.
Struggle in 1926
Fears of Trotsky as Z and K join him, war of words in the ‘literary discussion’ Trotsky did not win unusually as Stalin’s line appealed to the party members, wrote ‘on questions of Leninism’ and was well prepared.
1927
CC voted to expel Trotsky Z and K from the CC, T and Z expelled from the party as well as lots of other ‘oppositionists’.
Policy divide in duumvirate
Bukharin always seen as ‘soft’ on the peasant question, food shortages in 1928, Stalin favoured tough action to compel more grain and personally supervised this in Jan and Feb without Bukharin’s support who also wanted to industrialise slower, Stalin going more radical now less opposition.
Fall of Bukharin
Very politically isolated and considered an alliance with Trotsky in 1929, deprived of government posts and expelled from Politburo in November 1929.
