Russia Topic 7 - The Power Struggle Flashcards
what were problems with Lenin’s health?
- in May 1922 lenin suffered his first stroke
- In December 1922, he suffered his second stroke which left him bedridden
- He kept working until 1922, but after March 1923, he was left without the power of speech
- from then until 1924 he was sidelined from politics and had minders who would look after him as well as his wife: Nadezhda Krupdskaya
- Stalin prepared for his takeover so made himself close to lenin before his death
when did Lenin die?
January 1924
what happened at Lenin’s funeral?
- his body was embalmed and his tomb turned into a shrine
- His brain was removed and sliced into 30,000 pieces and starred so scientist could ‘discover the secrets of his genius’ in the future
- Stalin insisted that he’d be remembered
- Trotsky did not attend his funeral
- Zinoviev give a speech at his funeral which highlighted the cult of Lenin and the admiration to the first leader of the Soviet union
What does power struggle mean?
The period of time where high ranking Bolshevik competed for power and to be lenin’s successor.
began when lenin fell ill
ended with Stalin in 1929
What did Lenin’s death cause?
A power vacuum – the successor to lenin leadership was complicated. In Marxist-Lenin ideology, power was supposed to be shared by collective leadership
What is collective leadership?
after lenin, they abandoned strong central leadership and wanted collectiveness by a committee of equals – those who feared Trotsky.
What is ideology?
Ideology = a set of ideas which reflects beliefs, interests, social needs and aspirations of an individual in society.
what was lenin’s testament?
written december 1922 - january 1923
an assessment of his colleagues and who should success him
who did lenin include in his testament and what did he say about them?
- zinoviev and kamenev = criticised the october revolution
- bukharin = favourite of the whole party
- stalin = has unlimited authority, too rude and should be removed
- trotsky = most capable man in the central committee
who did lenin want him to success him?
trotsky
how was the testament interpreted at the time?
- largely ignored
- edited and certain parts were read out at party officials
- his misgivings were suppressed by stalin and never mentioned again
who were the contenders for power on the left wing?
trotsky
zinoviev
kamenev
who were the contenders for power on the right wing?
bukharin
rykov
tomsky
who were the contenders for power in the ‘moderate’ wing?
stalin
contenders for power - Trotsky
background, strengths, weaknesses
background:
- part of the MRC during the october revolution
- commissar for war
- leader of the red army
strengths:
- energetic man
- formidable political skills
- brilliant intellectual man
weakness:
- feared by other bolsheviks
- made no attempt to build alliances
- previously a menshevik
contenders for power - Zinoviev
background, strengths, weaknesses
background:
- member of politburo
- spokesman for central committee
- head of comintern
- chairman of comintern congress
strengths:
- involved in october revolution
- lenin’s ‘closest and most trusted’ assistant
- role in leningrad gave him a strong political power base - party organisation
weaknesses:
- underestimated his rivals
- left it too late to side with trotsky
- opposition to lenin during coup held against him
contenders for power - Kamenev
background, strengths, weaknesses
background:
- skill full politician
- managed people and situations
- chairman of politburo
- worked closely with zinoviev
strengths:
- had great influence = entrusted with lenin’s papers
- had a strong power base in moscow = ran the local party
- was thoughtful and intelligent = could get things done
weaknesses:
- gained reputation for inconsistency and opportunism by opposing lenin in 1917 and switching between stalin and trotsky
- underestimated his rivals
- seen as too soft as a leader
contenders for power - Bukharin
background, strengths, weaknesses
background:
- joined the bolsheviks in 1906
- head of press and propaganda 1918-29
- member of politburo
- editor of pravda 1918-1929
strengths:
- popular within the party
- close to lenin
- expert on economics and agriculture
- best theoretician in the party
weaknesses:
- had no power base as he respected others
- underestimated stalin = he was more popular
- made tactical mistakes = leaving it too late to make an alliance with zinoviev and kamenev
contenders for power - Rykov
background, strengths, weaknesses
background:
- deputy chairman of government 1923
- chairman of government 1924
- moderate wing of the party
strengths:
- widely respected for his experience during the revolution
- shown administrative ability in the implementation of war communism and switch to the NEP
- support from sovnarkom
weaknesses:
- reputation as a drinker
- underestimated stalin
- arguing against lenin was held against him
- conciliator more than a litter - overshadowed by bukharin
contenders for power - Tomsky
background, strengths, weaknesses
background:
- head of trade unions 1920
- central committee of politburo
- chairman of central council of trade unions 1918
strengths:
- respected for his working clsss origin aiding contributions to the party
- his role as chief spokesman for trade unions strengthened his power
- naturally alot of moderate leaders
weaknesses:
- his support of the NEP was used again during grain crisis of 1927
- his power base in trade unions made him a target
- intense hostility toward to trotsky blinded him to the danger of stalin and his alliance allowed stalin to gain power
contenders for power - Stalin
background, strengths, weaknesses
background:
- working class
- radicalised at age 10
- had early involvement with social democrats
- sided with bolsheviks in 1903
- member of central committee and editor of pravda in 1912
- commissar for nationalities 1917
- general secretary 1922
strengths:
- crucial position as general secretary when the party bureaucracy was expanding rapidly
- worked hard to master the theories of marxism-leninism
- underrated by his opponents = good at concealing his intentions
- placed himself close to lenin near his death
weaknesses:
- seen as crude and violent
- played minor role during the october revolution = overshadowed by trotsky
- lenin had turned against him due to an argument with his wife
why did lenin criticise stalin?
stalin made rude comments to lenin’s wife which caused angry fallout on the phone
what did stalin give to the politburo
his resignation - they voted whether he shouldn’t resign or not and voted to keep him in which soon was regretted
what was the cult of lenin
stalin elevated lenin to a ‘god like’ status and glorified his work - lenin wouldn’t have wanted this
why did trotsky not attend lenin’s funeral?
given the wrong date by stalin
or
his own sickness prevented his attendance and was located in Sukhum ( quite far )
what was the impact of trotsky not attending lenin’s funeral?
gave a political advantage to stalin because it gave him the authority to use this against trotsky during the power struggle
how was stalin viewed by the west?
- unknown until 1924
- underestimated
- sinister later on
what was the debate of the NEP and industrialisation for the lefts
left wing:
- wanted to end the NEP
- go rapid industrialisation in 1926
- argued peasants had a stronghold in the economy so wanted to requisition for grain for industrialisation
- didn’t like capitalism elements = privatisation of small businesses ——> suggested it was lenin’s short term solution
what was the debate of the NEP and industrialisation for the rights
- keep the NEP due to economic stability
- encourage peasants to become richer so more could be spent on consumer goods to benefit the manufacture industry
- slower pace industrialisation
- supported peasant/worker alliance
what was the debate of the NEP and industrialisation for stalin
- shifted ideological views frequently
- 1925 = leftist view
- 1927 = rightist view
- 1928 = replace NEP with FYP (Five Year Plans)
what was permanent revolution
the idea of spreading communism worldwide
who favoured permanent revolution and why?
trotsky
- socialism couldn’t be achieved without a socialist revolution in the eeet
- the russian working class was too small and the economy was underdeveloped
- russia should give money to the working class
- other countries should stage a revolution until world communism is achieved
what is socialism in one country?
the idea to build a workers paradise in the soviet union
who favoured socialism in one country and why?
stalin
- russia could build a soviet state without the help from others
- allowed stalin to attack trotsky for lacking faith in the russian people and brand him a menshevik
- increase his popularity
what is bureaucracy
a system of government in which most of the important decisions are taken by state officials, rather than by elected representatives
excessively complicated administrative procedures
what was trotsky’s relation with bureaucracy?
1923 = raised an issue of bureaucracy which he defined as mindless and unthinking carrying out the duties laid down by superiors
what was stalin’s relations with bureaucracy?
had killed the traditional internal party democracy
as general secretary, he could appoint whomever he wanted and based this around loyalty rather than experience
when did stalin defeat the left?
1924-1927
when did stalin defeat the right?
1929
how did stalin defeat the left?
- zinoviev and kamenev supported stalin at the thirteenth party congress and protected him from the criticisms of lenin’s testament
- after the thirteenth congress party, tensions grew within the triumvirate
- 1925 = trotsky forced out of his post as people commissar for war at the central committee in january
- by the fourteenth party congress in december 1925, zinoviev and kamenev launched a direct attack on stalin and sided with trotsky
- mid 1926 = zinoviev and kamenev formed an alliance with trotsky - united opposition
- october 1927 = central committee voted to expel trotsky, zinoviev and kamenev
- november 1927 = trotsky and zinoviev expelled from the party
how did stalin defeat the right?
- the food shortages faced in 1928 meant that stalin wanted to increase grain supply from the peasants by implementing harsh measures but bukharin was seen as ‘soft’
- stalin didn’t discuss his stern measures against the peasants in west siberia in january and february 1928. this was when he was developing the Five Year Plan
- april 1928 = bukharin protested against ‘excesses’ by officials and expected other party leaders to support him
- 1928-1929 = stalin shifted his ideology reverting to a radical revolutionary policies in many areas: war against the kulaks and rapid industrialisation
- 1929 = bukharin found himself desperate enough to form an alliance with trotsky, but didn’t control
- april 1929 = deprived of several of his government posts, like editorship of the pravda
- november 1929 = bukharin was expelled from politburo
- tomsky was forced out as trade union leader in 1929 and removed from the central committee in 1934
- rykov was expelled from politburo in 1930 and removed from the central committee in 1934
rise of stalin factors:
mistakes of opposition:
- trotsky was feared so stalin was underestimated
- triumvirate between stalin, zinoviev and kamenev
- zinoviev and kamenev united with trotsky but it was too late
background:
- working class
- beat by his mother
- trained to be a priest
- good education
experience:
- general secretary
- party organiser
- party membership
- politburo, orgburo, secretariate
- support of lenin
personal ambition:
- pragmatic = kept shifting ideological debate
- humble = offered to resign at the 12th party congress and 15th party congress
- ruthless = wasn’t afraid of attacking other contenders
- strong power base = his positions within the party increased power
- created cult of lenin = show his support by glorifying lenin and his work
ideological debates:
- nep and industrialisation
- socialism in one country
