Stalin's rise 1924-1928 Flashcards
Why was Stalin able to win the leadership struggle in 1929 in Russia?
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- His rivals made mistakes.
- Stalin was a very clever politician. He used his position as general secretary to undermine his rivals and he switched alliances to benefit his own position.
- He took a pragmatic approach to policy. He supported Lenin’s New Economic Policy between 1924 and 1928, when it appeared to be working, so he could attack the Left Opposition, but he switched to supporting rapid industrialisation in 1928 when NEP was becoming unpopular.
- Stalin’s policy of Socialism in One Country was attractive to many
- Skillfully using the cult of lenin to associate his own name with lenins making him seem to be the natural successor of lenin - Lenin’s funeral -speeches, tricked Trotsky into not coming
What mistakes did Stalin’s rivals make in the leadership struggle in Russia?
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- Zinoviev and Kamenev had trusted Stalin and worked with him to keep Trotsky out of power.
- Zinoviev and Kamenev agreed to not publish Lenin’s ‘Testament’, which had severely criticised Stalin.
- Trotsky did not attend Lenin’s funeral, did not insist that Lenin’s ‘Testament’ was published and was not popular with the Party members.
- Some were concerned because he had such an influential role in the Red Army.
- He underestimated Stalin as a politician and was more concerned with the other contenders.
- Other party members did not agree with Trotsky’s idea of permanent revolution
Who were Stalin’s rivals in leadership struggle in Russia?
Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev and Bukharin.
What did Lenin’s testament say about the individuals involved in the Russian leadership struggle?
❖Trotsky was the most capable, but far too arrogant.
❖Stalin was too powerful, too rude, and he should be dismissed as party secretary.
❖Kamenev had not supported Lenin’s October Revolution, and so should not be trusted.
❖Zinoviev had not supported Lenin’s October Revolution, and so should not be trusted.
❖Bukharin was the favourite of the party members, but Lenin felt he did not fully understand Marxism.
What was the split in the Communist Party that Stalin exploited in the leadership struggle in Russia?
- The right wing wanted to continue the New Economic Policy to slowly industrialise and favoured the idea of socialism in one country, ie building communism in the USSR. (bukharain)
- The left wing wanted to abandon the NEP, and have rapid industrialisation and worldwide revolution. (trotsky)
How did Stalin eliminate his rivals in the leadership struggle in Russia?
Stalin was very clever. He divided and conquered his rivals in 3 stages:
❖Stage 1: Stalin united with Zinoviev and Kamenev to attack and isolate Trotsky. (1924)
❖Stage 2: Stalin united with Bukharin to attack the United Opposition of Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky. (1927)
❖Stage 3: Stalin turned on Bukharin to attack the Right Opposition. (1928)
3 factors for Stalin’s success
- role as general secretary
- political cunning
- weaknesses of opponents
What was the great turn ?
The great turn was a propaganda term which referred to the period from 1927 to 1929 marked Stalin’s shift from the NEP, which allowed some degree of private enterprise, to rapid state-controlled industrialisation and collectivisation. The violence surrounding all 3 aspects of the great turn served to intimidate the non-communist population into submission
3 key aspects of the great turn ?
- rapid industrialisation
- collectivisation
- cultural revolution
4 reasons for the great turn
- political reasons
- personal reasons
- security reasons
- economic reasons
What were the political reasons for the great turn ?
- Pressure from the party who were calling for a more radical approach to the economy, and Stalin used this sentiment to justify the First five year plan and the beginning of collectivisation.
- Many on the left ,and Stalin himself, believed that the peasant population and the Kulaks were holding the country to ransom .
- Was also the argument that won him the leadership struggle, as the left made up the majority of the party
Personal reasons for the great turn ?
Stalins chance to Write himself into history as this was solely a policy of his making.
What were the security reasons for the great turn ?
- The west had become increasingly hostile to the USSR as the 1920s progressed.
- Stalin used the implied threat of war too in order to strengthen his case for rapid industrialisation as a way of “catching up with the west”.
- Also the goal of becoming self-sufficient
Economic reasons for the great turn ?
- By the late 1920s, the NEP was showing signs of stagnation.
- The economy was still heavily reliant on agriculture, and industrial production was not growing fast enough to meet the needs of the Soviet state.
- For example: high levels of unemployment, lacking any real central planning, level of agricultural procurement fell by 25% in some areas, there was no incentive for peasants to grow excess grain because the governments low price policy was a disaster.
What were the impacts of the great turn?
- The great turn was a key turning point in Russian soviet history for its industrialisation.
- Central planning was to be seen on a scale never seen before, with organisations such as GOSPLAN working towards creating and managing large scale project efficiently
- The great turn was the final step in Stalin’s consolidation of power and also to achieve Stalins policy of ‘socialism in one country’
