Stalin's Rise To Power Flashcards
1
Q
Divisions and contenders for power:
A
- Trotsky initially seemed the most likely person to succeed Lenin. He played key roles in Bolshevik seizures of power and the Reds victory in the Civil War
- In 1922-3, a ‘triumvirate’ of Stalin, Kamenev and Zinoviev formed to block Trotsky’s rise to power. They dominated the central committee
- by 1924-5, Stalin was becoming more dominant, so Zinoviev and Kamanev joined Trotsky in the Left Opposition
- Bukharin was on the right of the Party. He joined Stalin against the Left Opposition, but Stalin resented Bukharin’s popularity
2
Q
Stalin’s attitude to foreign powers:
A
- Stalin’s main aim in foreign affairs was to keep Russia safe while maintaining the domestic priority of building socialism in one country
- pressing concerns over instability in China and opportunities in Germany that Chicherin was eager to pursue
- in 1929, he used the Comintern to launch an attack on social democratic parties in Europe, which he believed were diluting the appeal of communism to the working classes
3
Q
Stalin’s policy towards China (1925-7):
A
- rival groups battled for power in China (Chinese Communist Party and nationalist Guomindang)
- Trotsky supported CCP
- Stalin worried that a weak CCP would threaten Russia’s borders. He supported a bourgeois revolution led by the GMD
- GMD built up its army, violently suppressed worker revolts and massacred CCP members
4
Q
Treaty of Berlin (1926):
A
- aimed at building ‘trustful cooperation between the German people and the people of the USSR’
- if one of the two countries was attacked by a third country, the other would remain neutral in the conflict
- neither country would join in any economic boycott organised against either of them
- Russia received large financial credits from German banks
5
Q
Changes in Comintern:
A
Before 1929: Comintern was of low priority
Commitment was to developing socialism in one country
After 1929: an attack on anti communist, social democratic parties in Europe
Ensured all foreign communist parties purged themselves of ‘weak’ elements
Imposing strict party discipline on foreign communist parties
6
Q
Reasons for Stalin’s more aggressive foreign policy after 1929:
A
- a way to attack Bukharin, who was opposed to the new focus
- a result of Stalin’s confidence in having removed Trotsky
- a ‘stalin revolution’ in foreign policy
- connected to Stalin’s fear of challenges from power bases in other countries
7
Q
The Left and NEP:
A
- led by Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev
- wanted to abandon the NEP for state-controlled, rapid industrialisation funded by ‘squeezing’ the peasants
8
Q
Stalin and NEP:
A
- attitude was inconsistent
- during his struggle with the Left, he supported the NEP
- once Trotsky was no longer a threat, in 1928-9, he shifted to a policy of replacing the NEP with rapid industrialisation and the collectivisation of agriculture
9
Q
The Right and NEP:
A
- led by Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky
- believed NEP should be continued
- peasants should become richer and the state using taxes on the peasants to fund gradual industrialisation
10
Q
What was the ‘Great Turn’:
A
- rejected the NEP and committed to rapid industrialisation under state control, along with the collectivisation of agriculture
- marked the start of Stalinism
11
Q
Reasons for the ‘Great Turn’:
A
- slow pace of industrialisation under NEP
- grain procurement crisis of 1927-8
- ideological concerns about the NEP (many in the party were keen to revert to ‘true’ communist ideology)
- Stalin’s changing attitudes (maybe driven by economic reasons or he felt more secure in his position)
12
Q
Key features of the first Five Year Plan:
A
- central planning
- rapid industrial growth (planned to increase by 300% between 1928-32)
- investment in infrastructure
- new industrial centres
- propoganda and discipline
- ideology
- the use of foreign experts
13
Q
Grain procurement crisis of 1927-8:
A
- there were few incentives for peasants to sell their grain
- Stalin was convinced that the kulaks were hoarding grain
- Stalin closed the free markets and pressured local officials and police to seize grain by force
14
Q
Strengths of Stalin in power struggle:
A
- role as general secretary meant that he could appoint supporters to key roles in the party
- his opponents underestimated him
- places himself close to Lenin in 1922-3
- as he didn’t seem a threat, Zinoviev and Kamanev allied with him to isolate Trotsky
15
Q
Weaknesses of Stalin:
A
- not very prominent in the Oct/Nov revolution or the civil war
- colleagues saw him as ill educated and rude. Criticised his violent methods
- seen as the ‘grey blur’
