Power Struggle Flashcards
When did Lenin die?
January 1924
When was Lenin’s testament blocked from being read?
May 1924 - at 13th Party Congress
When and why did Trotsky criticise Zinoviev and Kamenev?
October 1924
For not backing Lenin in 1917 (over timing of Oct Rev)
When and why do Zinoviev and Kamenev criticise Stalin?
December 1925
For his move to the right and support for NEP
What do Stalin and Bukharin form in 1925?
Duumvirate - virtually running the country between them in 1926 and 1927
What do Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky form in 1926?
How does Stalin respond?
United Opposition
Stalin accuses them of factionalism
When are Zinoviev and Trotsky expelled from the Party?
November 1927 - 15th Party Congress
Kamenev expelled in the same year
When and why did Stalin split from Bukharin?
Early 1928 - Bukharin’s support for NEP
Who was expelled from the Party in 1929?
Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky
When is Stalin’s dictatorship fully established?
December 1929
How did the Left of the Party think industrialisation should come about?
Wanted to abandon NEP in favour of rapid, state-controlled industrialisation
How did the Right of the party think industrialisation should come about?
Believed NEP should continue, with peasants becoming richer and the state using taxes to fund gradual industrialisation
How did Stalin think industrialisation should come about?
Inconsistent - initially opposed the Left but adopted the same idea of rapid industrialisation once Trotsky was no longer a threat
Who believed in permanent revolution?
Trotsky and the Left
Who believed in socialism in one country?
Stalin
What did Marxist-Leninist ideology dictate should have happened after Lenin’s death?
Power should have been shared by collective leadership - therefore, there was no mechanism for choosing a successor
Which major issues were unresolved at the time of Lenin’s death?
The organisation of the economy, relations with the outside world, and the extent of centralised control
How had a power vacuum already started to emerge before Lenin’s death?
After Lenin had been left incapacitated by a major stroke in 1922, a ‘Triumvirate’ of Zinoviev, Kamenev and Stalin was formed to block the ambitions of Trotsky
What did Lenin create to make the transition to a new leadership easier?
His Testament, which was meant to be read out at the Party Congress after his death. He assessed his colleagues rather harshly, not endorsing anyone as his successor.
What did Lenin say about Trotsky in his Testament?
‘He is, to be sure, the most able man in the Central Committee’, but also has ‘too far-reaching self confidence’.
What did Lenin say about Kamenev and Zinoviev in his Testament?
Talks about ‘the October episode’
What did Lenin say about Bukharin in his Testament?
He is ‘the most valuable and greatest theoretician of the Party’ but his views are not fully Marxist
What did Lenin say about Stalin in his Testament?
Very harsh about Stalin, calling his attitude ‘intolerable’ and suggests that people should ‘think about a way of removing Stalin from that post’ (General Secretary)
Who persuaded their colleagues not to publish the Testament?
Stalin, Kamenev and Zinoviev
Contenders for power?
Stalin, Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev, Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky
Why was Lenin particularly harsh about Stalin?
He had insulted Lenin’s wife, Krupskaya, and Lenin disapproved of his brutal actions in crushing opposition and dissent in Georgia
Why was Stalin already in a strong position by the time Lenin died?
Part of the Triumvirate, position as General Secretary gave him power
Stalin: character
Gained a reputation as reasonable and reliable, but some of his more experienced colleagues saw him as intellectually inferior
Stalin: strengths
Held crucial position as General Secretary when bureaucracy was growing rapidly
Underrated by his opponents
Placed himself close to Lenin during his illness so could claim he knew what Lenin wanted
Stalin: weaknesses
Colleagues saw him as crude and violent
Minor role in the revolution, overshadowed by those like Trotsky
Stalin’s colleagues knew Lenin had turned against him despite the fact that the Testament had not been read
Trotsky: character
Extraordinary organiser and man of action, as well as an exceptional ideologist
Trotsky: strengths
He was second in power and influence only to Lenin
He had played key roles in the October Revolution and the Civil War
Trotsky: weaknesses
Many Bolsheviks feared Trotsky - they thought he could use his Red Army to seize power after Lenin’s death
Trotsky had been a Menshevik
Colleagues disliked his arrogance
Example of serious error of judgement made by Trotsky during the leadership challenge
Attacking the Party bureaucracy in 1924 when he needed its support
Kamenev: character
Capable and intelligent, but developed a reputation for ‘flip-flopping’
Kamenev: strengths
Old Bolshevik
Close to Lenin - after his stroke, he entrusted many of his personal papers to Kamenev
Strong powerbase in Moscow, where he ran the local party
Kamenev: weaknesses
Reputation for inconsistency and being too ‘soft’ to be sole leader
Had opposed Lenin in October 1917
Underestimated his rivals, especially Stalin
Zinoviev: character
Intelligent and educated, one of the Party’s best speechmakers, but with a reputation for inconsistency
Zinoviev: strengths
Old Bolshevik
High in Lenin’s favour - called Zinoviev his ‘closest and most trusted assistant’
His role as party boss in Leningrad gave him a strong political power base
Zinoviev: weaknesses
Had opposed Lenin in October 1917
Underestimated his rivals, especially Stalin
Bukharin: character
Likeable (Lenin - ‘the darling of the party’), a brilliant intellectual and theoretician, but was unsuited to party infighting
Bukharin: strengths
Popular within the party, close to Lenin and respected by Stalin
Widely regarded as the best theoretician in the party
Expert on economics and agriculture
Bukharin: weaknesses
No power base
Underestimated Stalin (but, due to his popularity, was a target of Stalin)
Made tactical mistakes (like leaving it too late to ally with Z+K)
Rykov: character
Moderate, wanted to play a unifying role
Rykov: strengths
Widely respected - Old Bolshevik
Shown administrative ability in the implementation of War Communism and then NEP
Extensive support from Sovnarkom, who chose him as Deputy Chairman in 1923 and then Chairman in 1924
Rykov: weaknesses
Overshadowed by Bukharin among the moderates
Policy of putting heavy taxes on vodka aroused intense opposition
Underestimated Stalin
Tomsky: character
Moderate, with a reputation for plain speaking
Tomsky: strengths
Respected as one of the few working-class Old Bolsheviks
His role as chief spokesman for the trade unions gave him a strong position within the Party
Natural ally of moderate leaders like Rykov and Bukharin
Tomsky: weaknesses
His intense hostility to Trotsky blinded him to the danger of Stalin
His power base in the trade unions made him a target for Stalin’s jealousy
Support of NEP used against him when the grain procurement crisis hit in 1927
Why did the ‘socialism in one country’ approach prevail?
Because it was the most pragmatic approach considering the international situation
What did Stalin do to destroy Trotsky’s reputation as a devoted Leninist?
Did not tell him when the funeral was, so he missed it
When did Trotsky have a good opportunity to move against Stalin but didn’t?
Thirteenth Party Congress in May 1924 - probably hesitated to avoid being blamed for causing a split in the Party. Stalin also had support from Zinoviev and Kamenev at this time
How did Trotsky’s personality contribute to his failure in the leadership challenge?
He was not a natural conspirator like Stalin and lacked the patience to win over potential allies
Examples of people in Stalin’s support base during the leadership challenge?
Molotov, Kaganovich, Voroshilov and Kirov
Why did the Triumvirate break apart after the Thirteenth Party Congress?
Kamenev and Zinoviev became frustrated that they couldn’t control Stalin. Stalin then allied with Bukharin against them
In which big debates in the Party did Stalin place himself in the ‘golden middle’?
Socialism in one country vs permanent revolution
The future of the NEP
What happened in January 1925 which indicated that Trotsky was losing power?
At the Central Committee meeting in January, he was forced out of his post as People’s Commissar for War
What episode of the power struggle came after the formation of the Duumvirate?
the ‘Literary Discussion’ in which the main contenders fought through a series of books and pamphlets - Stalin’s line appealed to the majority of workers
What did Stalin do in response to continuous criticism in December 1926?
Offered to resign as General Secretary
What did the United Opposition accuse Stalin of in the spring and summer of 1927?
Blamed him for the crushing of the Chinese communists in Canton and Shanghai
How did the Duumvirate succeed against the United Opposition?
In October 1927, Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev were expelled from the CC
In November, Trotsky and Zinoviev were expelled from the Party altogether
What happened in January and February 1928 which indicated that the relationship between Stalin and Bukharin was falling apart?
Stalin personally supervised stern measures against the peasants in western Siberia without discussing with Bukharin first (acted UNILATERALLY)
What economic policy brought in by Stalin in 1928 created friction with Bukharin?
The First Five Year Plan
How did Bukharin respond to Stalin’s new radical policies?
Allied with ‘rightists’ like Tomsky and Rykov - even corresponded with Trotsky
How did Stalin respond to Bukharin’s opposition?
1929
April - Removed him from several government posts, including editorship at Pravda
November - Expelled him from the Politburo
What did Stalin do in December 1929 which symbolised the start of his dictatorship?
Made a speech outlining the harsh nature of the policies he intended to follow
How did Stalin eliminate the other contenders for power?
Some went into exile (Trotsky), some tried to reconcile with Stalin but lost their high posts (Kamenev and Zinoviev lost their places in the Politburo, Rykov was sacked as Party Chairman and Tomsky was removed from his role with the trade unions)
