Stalin's Rise to Power Flashcards
What did Lenin say about Stalin in his Political Testament?
Stalin should be removed from his position as general secretary as he was not capable of using his authority with sufficient caution
What did Lenin say about Trotsky in his Political Testament?
He was the most capable man in the party but was too preoccupied with the administrative side of work and too arrogant
Other than Stalin and Trotsky who else did Lenin discuss in his Political Will?
Bukharin, Zinoviev and Kamenev
When did Lenin die?
1924
What qualities did Trotsky have which enabled him to be considered as Lenin’s successor?
1) he had organised the November Revolution
2) he had directed the Red army’s victory in the Civil War
3) he was the only party member who could write and speak as powerfully as Lenin
4) he was popular with the Red army and younger party members
What qualities did Stalin have which enabled him to be considered as Lenin’s successor?
1) he had been General Secretary of the Party since 1922
2) he had been a loyal party member for over 20 years
3) he did not hold extremist views which would split the party
4) he had been editor of Pravda (the party newspaper)
5) as a peasant he seemed to understand the ordinary people’s’ needs
What were Trotsky’s negative qualities?
1) policy of ‘permanent revolution’ was extreme and might split the party
2) older party members feared he would become a dictator as could count on the red army for support
3) only been a member of the Bolsheviks since 1917
4) refused to spend time building alliances within the Party
5) arrogant so underestimated Stalin
What did Trotsky refer to Stalin as?
“the grey blur”
“Most eminent mediocrity”
What were Stalin’s weaknesses?
Boring and not a good public speaker
What did Trotsky’s policy of ‘permanent revolution’ involve?
Sending exports and money to other countries in order to assist revolutionary movements
What did Stalin’s policy of ‘Socialism in one country’ involve?
Building up the industrial base and Soviet might of the USSR before exporting revolution abroad
Describe events leading up to Lenin’s funeral
1) Stalin told Trotsky the funeral was on the 26th of January when it was actually on the 27th
2) Trotsky was in south Russia and would have been impossible for him to make it for the 26th so didn’t even try to get there
3) At Lenin’s funeral Stalin appeared the chief mourner, making a big speech praising Lenin
4) people thought that Trotsky could not be bothered to turn up
How did Stalin use his position as General Secretary to gain power?
1) appointed his own supporters to positions of authority and expelled Trotsky’s supporters
2) packed the Congress with his own supporters at Party Congresses meaning all votes went in his favour
How did Stalin play off different factions of the party off against one another?
1) sided with Zinoviev and Kamenev in order to defeat Trotsky in 1924
2) joined forces with Bukharin against Zinoviev and Kamenev in 1926
3) turned on Bukharin in 1929
When did Stalin become the undisputed leader of the USSR?
1929
When were Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev expelled from the party?
1927
What were the dates of the Great purges?
1934-1938
What happened to Sergei Kirov?
1) said that industrialisation should slow down and relationship with the peasants should be improved at seventeenth party congress
2) got more applause than Stain
3) Kirov was shot outside his office in 1934 shortly after the congress
4) stalin ordered arrests for his murder but Stalin was suspected of assassinating him
Describe the show trial in 1936
1) Zinoviev and Kamenev along with fourteen others were accused of organising the murder of Kirov and planning to assassinate Stalin
2) the accused confessed to laughable charges including planning to murder Lenin
3) all executed
Describe the show trial in 1937
Senior party members were accused of industrial sabotage and spying
Describe the show trial in 1938
Involved old Bolsheviks such as Bukharin, Rhylov and Yagoda as it was dangerous to have men around who knew too much about the old revolutionary days
Other than the show trial show did Stalin purge the party?
Thousands of communist party members were denounced in meetings and got expelled from the party (denouncing others was a good way to get a better job in the party)
By the end of the purges how many party members had been expelled or shot?
Over one fifth of the party members (of the 139 central committee members over 90 were shot)
How were the purges used to control the ordinary Russian people?
A huge network of informers allowed the NKVD to root out people who were not loyal to stalin. So people lives in constant fear and did not dare to criticise Stalin’s governance
