Ideological debates and issues in the leadership struggle Flashcards
Lenin’s Testament:
Who was Lenin’s wife and what did she demand?
How did Stalin deal with situation?
What meant Stalin remained in the party?
What happened instead of it being read out at congress?
Lenin’s widow, Krupskya demanded the testament be read out in the 14th party congress.
- Stalin offered his resignation
- Kamanev and Zinoviev spoke in defence of Stalin as they couldn’t handle a blow to their side
- it was instead read out to a regional group of delegates before hand
Issues with NEP:
who wasn’t it popular with and why?(2)
Not popular especially with the urban working class because: ideologically unpalatable to many in the party- ripped up membership cards on introduction Rise in signs of return of bourgeois owners, Nepmen and kulaks.
Early Trotsky: What did he base industrialisation on? positions: what didnt he take advantage of? what was happening at congress? why?(past)
- Based rapid industrialisation in the context of permanent revolution
- did not have a party position like Stalin’s 3, and so didn’t have the means to advance his alternative to NEP
- did not take advantage of the Testament- was not read out in April 1923
- Outvoted at congress
- his own past- 1)arguments could be labelled as Menshevik deviation
2) his dictatorial methods during the civil war undermined his accusations of tyranny
What did Trotksy do in October 1923?
What was the outcome of this?
How did Stalin use this to his advantage?
- Wrote an ‘open letter’ to the central committee
- zinoviev accused him of factionalism
- Stalin wanted to be perceived as the mediator and moderate, argued against Trotsky’s expulsion from the party- he could tell Trotsky was already on a path of self destruction
What was the ‘Group of 46’?
What else did Trotsky argue?
- A platform of Bolsheviks who supported Trotskys view that the party was becoming undemocratic and paralysed by bureaucracy- losing its connection to the masses.
- He argued that NEP was nor for the working class- referring to the scissors crisis that year.
Bukharin and NEP: What was introduced in April 1925? What was reduced and when? What could peasants now do? What did Bukharin admit about this? What was Bukharin criticised for saying?
April 1925- series of measures that were designed to boost agricultural production gain capital interest by selling grain
food tax reduced
peasants could now hire labour and lease out land
Bukharin admitted this was ‘riding towards socialism on a peasant nag’
He encouraged the peasants to “enrich themselves”- was made to withdraw his statement.
Lenin cult:
When did Lenin die?
How and what was he transformed into?
Trotsky:
1)
2)what did he contradict?
3)what did he fall foul of?
Died 5 January 1924
Transformed into a messianic figure- the savoir of the proletariat and the Soviet Union’s founding father
-Brain removed to be studied
Body embalmed and could be viewed by the public
1) missed funeral while Stalin was chief mourner
2) openly contradicted NEP which was bringing recovery
3) he fell foul of the disciplined party centrism
What happened to Trotsky 1925+ 26
1925-replaced as Commissar for Defence
1926- Lost seat in Politburo
When had the Triumvirate disintegrated?
What was the main point of argument and between who?
How did Stalin maintain a centrist perspective in NEP?
What was the name of this Policy?
By 1925 Triumvirate had disintegrated
NEP- ZK switched against NEP v Bukharin and Stalin
Stalin suggested NEP was necessary but also never distanced himself from industrialisation
Socialism in one country
Socialism in one country: Context: What were the sides? How did Trotsky criticise it? What was his alternative? Why was this unpopular?
Why was socialism in one country popular?
failure of revolution in Germany
Perceived stabilisation in the west
ZKT V Bukharin and Stalin
Described it as wholly unmarxist and would involve further concessions to bourgeois peasants
His alternative was ‘permanent revolution’- continuation of revolutionary struggle abroad and move towards industrialisation.
Rejected any compromise and was unrealistic
New party members from the Lenin Levy accepted Stalin’s patriotic view and Lenin supported NEP.
When was the United Opposition?
Why had Kamanev and Zinoviev decided to join now?
What did their argument rest on?
How did Stalin deal with this issue?
What did this lead to?
How did Bukharin respond to critics?
How were the opposition defeated?
1926
They felt they had a sufficient powerbase to challenge Stalin
Argument rested on the idea that the leadership continued to neglect the workers and bolster the ‘kulak threat’
Stalin used the Secretariat to replace their supporters with his own
Zinoviev lost his powerbase in Leningrad.
Bukharin attacked his critics in the press
Prada refused to print opposition views and the OGPU was used to smash their printing press.
When did Kamanev and Zinoviev lose their seat in the Politburo?
What was Kamanev accused of by Stalin?
What did the united opposition continue to do?
What happened in 1927? What were they accused of?
What were the outcomes of the three?
July 1926
Kamanev accused of ‘Preparing a Schism’
United opposition continued to criticise leadership particularly on foreign policy while claiming to remain loyal to the party.
All 3 expelled in 1927 along with hundreds of their supporters
-‘factional struggle to create an anti-Leninist party in conjunction with bourgeois elements’
KZ pleaded to be readmitted to the party and renounce opposition
Trotsky refused to recant and begun his journey into exile.
NEP: What did Bukharin want v what did Stalin want?
How did Stalin gain support for his side?
Bukharin- continuation of NEP for a prolonged period of time to consolidate the position of the Soviet Union.
Stalin- Pursued industrialisation as a means to protect the Soviet Union against foreign aggression
Stalin used ficticious reports of a possible British invasion to discredit the United opposition in a time of crisis and consolidate support for the new Stalinist line
Bukharin:
what was his reaction?
who was accused of what?
Why didn’t Bukharin beat Stalin?
objected
Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky accused of ‘right wing deviation’
Didn’t have a strong power base like Stalin
Why was NEP becoming less politically acceptible?
-Grain crisis 1927
