Ideological debates and issues of leadership Flashcards
who introduced the NEP and when?
Lenin 1921
what was the NEP a radical divergence from and why?
o Marxist theory
o Because it allowed private enterprises to continue in contradiction of revolutionary socialism
What were the questions successors faced about Lenin’s implementation of the NEP?
o If it was temporary and to be discarded as soon as possible
o If it should be stuck to to build the economy as a precursor to socialism
What were the views of the left on the NEP?
wanted to abandon the NEP
what were the views on the right on the NEP?
believed it should continue
What was Stalin’s attitude on the NEP?
Fluctuated
left in 1925
right up to 1928
back to left 1928-29 in favour of rapid industrialisation and collectivisation
What was permanent revolution and who held this view?
Trotsky
maximum support given to comintern in tormenting revolutions across the world until a study socialist society was achieved everywhere
What was the view Stalin came to instead of permanent revolution and what year?
1923
Socialism in One Country
should aim for a workers paradise within the USSR as an example to the world
How did Lenin’s funeral benefit Stalin?
o Allowed him to entrench his position further
o Placed in charge of arrangements for it
o Promoted the Cult of Leninism by making the funeral a state occasion
o Insisted that Lenin be embalmed and placed on public view
o Trotsky was absent, position made even weaker by his lack of appearance
What was the perfect occasion for Trotsky to make a move against Stalin and what happened?
o Thirteenth Party Congress, May 1924
o Trotsky hesitated possibly because he was nervous about being said to cause a split in the party
o The Triumvirate seemed strong to protect Stalin from criticisms
Trotsky and the weakening of his position
o He never found another opportunity to challenge Stalin after the thirteenth party congress
o His position of power weakened
o Trotsky wasn’t a natural conspirator like Stalin and so he lack instinct for bureaucratic infighting
o Waited too long to win allies
What was Stalin doing that Trotsky failed to in the power struggle?
building up a personal following
What happened with the Triumvirate at the Thirteenth Party Congress?
o Difficult for Kamenev and Zinoviev to control Stalin
o Tensions grew
Where did Stalin place himself during the debates over the NEP?
The ‘golden middle’
What happened at the beginning of 1925 with Trotsky?
o Party swinging even further away from Trotsky
o Forced out of his post as People’s Commissar for War
What did Zinoviev propose about Trotsky and what was Stalin’s response?
o Proposed that Trotsky should be expelled from the party
o Stalin rejected this due to wanting to keep him image as a moderate
How did Trotsky weak position affect the Triumvirate?
Without fears of Trotsky to keep it together, the Triumvirate became even more fractious
End of the Triumvirate?
o Kamenev and Zinoviev opposed Stalin in the Central Committee 1925
o Fourteenth Party Congress - Kamenev and Zinoviev launched a direct attack against Stalin
Why did Kamenev and Zinoviev join Trotsky ?
o painted as factionalists and endangering the security of the USSR
o pushed towards joining the Trotsky
Duumvirate
Stalin and Bukharin
virtually running the country in 1926 and 1927
What was the name of the theoretical infighting in 1926 and what was the result?
o Literary Discussion, series of books and pamphlets
o Trotsky didn’t win as he had expected, Stalin appealed to majority of party members
What did Stalin offer to do due to the continuous criticism?
Offer to resign as General Secretary
What did the Central Committee do in 1927?
Expelled Trotsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev from CC
What happened at the Fifteenth Party Congress?
o Expulsions from party
o This included Trotsky, Kamenev and other ‘oppositionists’
o Stalin and Bukharin triumphant
What led to the breakdown of the Duumvirate?
o Tensions about power, Stalin’s long-term aims weren’t about sharing power
o Tensions partly about policy, in relation to the NEP and peasants
What crisis intensified dissatisfaction with the NEP?
o Food shortage, beginning of 1928
o Party members keen to see Russia industrialise more quickly
What did Stalin supervise in 1928 and what is significant about this?
o supervised stern measures against peasants in Western Siberia
o Significant that he didn’t talk to Bukharin about this beforehand
What did Bukharin protest in 1928?
o against ‘excesses’ by officials
What led to Bukharin being isolated?
o His numerous speeches in favour of ‘sensible’ policies made little impact
o repeatedly clashed with Stalin in the Politburo
What radical revolutionary policies was Stalin reverting to?
o War in the countryside against the ‘Kulaks’
o Sudden and rapid industrialisation
o New emphasis on interventionist foreign policies
o Aggressive support for the Commintern
