Russia: DP3 - Reasons For The Emergence Of Stalin As Leader Of The USSR By The End If The Late 1920's

Question 1

Summary

Answer 1

oPre-death of Lenin, Stalin was appointed as the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party.
oThrough the secretariat, Stalin strategically placed candidates whom he could trust at every level of the party structure. Historian Fitzpatrick claims Stalin and his “team” of loyal leaders he had appointed are a key feature in how he exercised power as he molded this team.
oStalin was able to exploit changes in Russian society after the Civil war, manipulate the portrayal of his and Trotsky’s ideology, hide his flaws while highlighting and exploiting Trotsky’s flaws, and exploiting and manipulating Lenin’s ban on factionalism.

Question 2

Manipulation

Answer 2

• Ruthless, cautistical and determined
• Exploited jealously – forming troika
• Quietly undermined Party members, sidelining them and damaging their public image
• Lenin’s funeral

Question 3

Patronage

Answer 3

• S. reorganised the Party machine to surround himself with loyal and indebted colleagues
• S. was General Secretary, shaping political machine every level of the Party structure
• S. in charge of Lenin’s Levy, 500,000 new members from 1923-1925 in the Bolshevik Party
• Historian Deutscher: “authentic Bolsheviks were reduced to a small minority”
• Members were poorly educated, susceptible to patronage from S.

Question 4

Side-switching

Answer 4

• Stalin pragmatically switched between the left and write to manipulate rivals with false alliances and sideline competition
• Troika opposed Trotsky, supported “Socialism in one country” and suppressing Lenin’s Testament
• Once Trotsky was politically damaged, Stalin cut ties siding with Bukharin against the Kulaks to sideline the left further isolating them (T, K and Z the “United Opposition”) as S advocated for the NEP
• Stalin urged the United Opposition was “anti-Leninist”, they were eliminated 1927
• Stalin shifted to reverse his position, eliminating Bukharin by manipulating the vote in 1929

Question 5

“Socialism in one country”

Answer 5

• “Socialism in one country” appealed to post-C.W. nationalistic and patriotic sentiments as 9.5 million Russians had died in the C.W.
• Stalin portrayed Trotsky as a factionalist, enemy of the nation, alienating him.
• Stalin misrepresented Lenin to gain support.

Question 6

The “Cult of Leninism”

Answer 6

• Stalin misrepresented Lenin to gain support.
• Stalin created a cult of Lenin: mausoleum was erected, Petrograd became Leningrad and he gave several speeches on Lenin’s ideology, he was seen to continue the doctrine of Lenin
• Lenin’s funeral, Stalin chief mourner
• Formidable claim to power
• Suppression of Lenin’s testament

Question 7

Ban on factionalism

Answer 7

• Ban on factionalism passed by Lenin (1921)
• Stalin suppressed opposing ideologies to his “socialism in one country” on the grounds of implementing the BOF
• He expelled Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev accusing them of factionalism and anti-Leninism, same with Bukharin

Question 8

Trotsky’s mistakes and society

Answer 8

• Historian Lynch: Trotsky’s personal failings impacted his attempts to ultimately secure power and “serious weaknesses undermined his success”
• Lenin’s funeral blow to T’s popularity
• Immense urban decline, 1/3 post C.W. survivors back to rural communities, these were proletariat supporters of T.
• Molyneaux “the social force represented was weaker than the social force Stalin represented” (Stalin’s social force of rising bureaucracy vs. the proletariat).

Question 9

Concluding statement

Answer 9

Through manipulation and cronyism through patronage, political tactics such as side switching to eliminate opposition and adaption to social climates after the Civil War and manipulation of public image to portray Stalin being Lenin’s successor, Stalin was able to effectively gain control of the Communist Party and Russia and consolidate his position as Lenin’s successor.

Question 10

Historian Fitzpatrick

Answer 10

Stalin and his “team” of loyal leaders he appointed are a key feature in how he exercised power as he moulded them.

Remember: Fitzpatrick appoints maths teachers to mould questions

Question 11

Historian Deutscher

Answer 11

“Authentic bolsheviks were reduced to a small minority”

Remember: deutshes are never authentic, and target minority groups.

Question 12

Historian Lynch

Answer 12

A