Stalin's Rise to Power Flashcards
What happened to Lenin from 1922 to 1924?
Lenin had a stroke in May 1922 and a second stroke in December 1922. The second stroke meant he was unable to run the party or the country. He dictated his Political Testament to his wife - telling her it must be read at the Congress of Soviets after his death. He had a third stroke in March 1923 that left him completely paralysed and unable to speak. He died in 1924.
How did Stalin use Lenin’s funeral to his advantage?
Stalin presented himself as Lenin’s close follower. For example, he made himself chief mourner at the funeral. He also gave Trotsky the wrong date so that Trotsky would appear arrogant and disrespectful for not attending.
What did Lenin’s Political Testament say?
He saw two possible men for the leadership of the Communist Party after his death: Stalin and Trotsky.
However, he did not want any single person to be too powerful - so he asked that the whole Politburo (the committee that ran the party) would take over.
Who was in the Politburo?
Seven members:
Trotsky Stalin Rykov Kamenev Zinoviev Bukharin Tomsky
What were Stalin’s strengths as a contender for power?
He was an excellent planner and organiser and extremely ambitious and had been planning to take over from Lenin for some time.
By 1922, he was a member of the Politburo and General Secretary of the Communist Party.
He made sure his work kept him in Moscow, close to Lenin. He did all he could to seem Lenin’s favourite and his job as Secretary meant he chose who got jobs (in the Party and the government) so people wanted to please him.
Also, Stalin’s policies were more popular than Trotsky’s - such as ‘Socialism in One Country’ instead of Trotsky’s idea of spreading communist revolution worldwide.
What disadvantages did Trotsky have as a contender for power after Lenin’s death?
Trotsky did not work in Moscow, so the rest of the Politburo didn’t know him well. Some members of the Poliburo didn’t trust him because he seemed to be Lenin’s favourite.
What happened to Lenin’s Political Testament?
Kamenev and Zinoviev, who supported Stalin, managed to persuade the Politburo not to sack Stalin as Secretary and not to read the Testament to the Congress of Soviets.
Which contender was strongly in favour of the NEP?
Bukharin.
How did Stalin remove Bukharin as a competitor in the struggle for power?
Stalin persuaded Bukharin to encourage everyone to use the New Economic Policy within the Politburo. Next, he declared that it was Lenin’s last wish that the NEP be stopped because it was anti-communist! This made Bukharin look disloyal to Lenin and a traitor to the Communist Party.
How was Trotsky removed as a contender for power?
Apart from missing Lenin’s funeral, Trotsky wrote a book criticising Lenin and the NEP in a book published in 1924. Combined with this, Stalin and his supporters spread rumours that Trotsky never had Lenin’s support and that he disrupted the work of the Politburo. Trotsky also scared people by insisting on trying to spread communism across the world - people were afraid he would drag Russia into more conflicts.
How did Stalin establish the most effective and ruthless dictatorship of the twentieth century?
He combined a systematic programme of propaganda, culminating in the ‘Cult of Stalin’ with a systematic use of terror to remove any potential threats to his position. This led to the deaths of millions of people in the Soviet Union.
What were the Purges?
In the 1930s, Stalin embarked on series of purges, which led to the death and imprisonment of millions of Soviet people. No one was immune.Stalin purged anyone who delayed, criticised or opposed his plans for collectivisation and industrialisation. Most of the accused were deported or imprisoned. Some were shot. The Purges can be interpreted as including the Show Trials of senior Communist Party members.
How did the Purges start in 1928?
The first purge was of 55 engineers from the Shakhty mines in Donbas. They were put on trial accused of sabotaging the first 5-Year plan. Five were shot and the rest imprisoned.
What happened to Ryutin in 1932 as part of the Purges?
Ryutin, a senior Communist Party member, criticised Stalin’s economic policy. Stalin was furious and had Ryutin and his supporters arrested and put on trial. Ryutin was expelled from the party and sent into exile.
When was Kirov murdered?
In 1934, after giving a speech that criticised Stalin’s policy of industrialisation. The speech was warmly applauded and there was even talk of Kirov replacing Stalin as leader. It is quite likely that Stalin had him shot.
