The leadership struggle 1924-29 / Five year plans

Question 1

Lenin’s Death

Answer 1

January 21st 1924

Question 2

Lenin’s 5 potential successors

Answer 2

Trotsky,Stalin,Kamenev,Zinoviev,Bukharin

Question 3

Trotsky’s strengths

Answer 3

Very Intelligent, Leader of the Red Army, War Hero

Question 4

Trotsky’s weaknesses

Answer 4

Argumentative, Supported permanent revolution ,Favoured harsh treatment of peasants, Arrogant

Question 5

Stalin’s Strengths

Answer 5

Humble Presented himself as Lenin’s natural successor Presented himself as moderate.

Question 5

Stalin’s weaknesses

Answer 5

Cunning ,Manipulative

Question 6

Left Opposition

Answer 6

Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev ‘Permanent revolution’

Question 6

Right Opposition

Answer 6

Bukharin, ‘Socialism in one country’

Question 6

Stalin’s steps to power

Answer 6

Put supporters on the central commission of the party. Trotsky tricked into missing Lenin’s funeral Played his allies against each other.

Question 7

Trotsky’s mistakes

Answer 7

Too much arrogance underestimated Stalin

Question 7

First Five Year Plan

Answer 7

1928-32 Focused on ‘Heavy Industries’

Question 8

How many peasants had moved to the cities before 1937

Answer 8

17 million

Question 9

Second Five Year Plan

Answer 9

1933-1937 Focused on the quality and efficiency of what was being produced. Began to focus on secondary industries. Conditions for Russians began improving.

Question 10

Third Five Year Plan

Answer 10

1938-41 (Cut short by Barbarossa) Originally meant to focus on improvement of consumer goods. Changed to focus on weapons and military hardware.

Question 11

GOSPLAN

Answer 11

An organisation that set the overall targets for industry.

Question 12

Stakhanovite

Answer 12

a Soviet industrial worker awarded recognition and special privileges for output beyond production norms.

Question 13

STEP 1 DEFEAT TROTSKY

Answer 13

Trotsky was most likely to win the power struggle

Stalin,Zinoviev and Kamenev all created an anti-Trotsky alliance

Kamenev and zinoviev had similar views to Trotsky but supported the NEP to gain power in the party

As the congress was full of Stalin’s supporters Trotsky speeches were rejected

In 1925 Trotsky left position as head of red army and left active politics

Question 14

STEP 2 DEFEAT OF UNITED OPPOSITION

Answer 14

Stalin allied with Bukharin because they shared similar ideas

Zinoviev , Kamenev and Trotsky formed united opposition they wanted to end NEP

In the 1927 15th party congress the opposition had lost a lot of respect for working with former enemies

Stalin’s congress were full of supporters who were yelling and insulting the opposition

Stalin accused them of factionalism which was outlawed by Lenin in 1921

All 3 were expelled from party

Trotsky was banned from Soviet Union

Question 15

STEP 3 DEFEAT OF BUKHARIN

Answer 15

1928 Stalin adopted left wing policies he travelled to Siberia and seized grain from peasants ending the NEP
The mood in the party was now shifting against the NEP
Adopting the left policies gained Stalin the title (grey blur)
bukharin was outvoted when defending the NEP
Stalin was now the last man standing

Question 16

What is collectivisation

Answer 16

The organisation of agricultural land into one great area which was farmed communally by the peasants

Question 17

What does it mean the agriculture was mechanised

Answer 17

Using machines instead of humans and animals

Question 18

Successes of industrialisation

Answer 18

Heavy industries were the biggest success for example oil output had doubled and coal , iron , electricity and steel production multiplied

Transport advances were made

The five year plans created modern armament industries which produced weapons that were key for war

Increased size of the working class

Unemployment vanished

Question 19

Failures of industrialisation

Answer 19

Five year plans had a negative impact on peasants and workers lives

The quality of goods produced in factories was very low

High levels of waste

Targets set up by GOSPLAN were extremely unrealistic

Question 20

Economics reasons for collectivisation

Answer 20

Was necessary to modernise soviet unions farming industries

Farm output in the 1920s was incredibly low compared to other first world countries

Stalin believed that with collectivisation would lead to workers being well paid and fed , being able to trade abroad ,less people needing to work

Question 21

Political reasons for collectivisation

Answer 21

Opposing NEP and supporting collectivisation gained and upper hand over Bukharin
Gained authority over the countryside

Question 22

Who were the main opposition to collectivisation and what happened to them

Answer 22

KULAKS

1929 Stalin said “ liquidate the kulaks”

They were forbidden to join collective farms

Question 23

What is a Kolkhozes

Answer 23

Collective farm made up of around 50-100 families.
State decided how many hours and the job each individual did

Question 24

Failures of collectivisation
Short term
Medium/long term

Answer 24

Short term= there was a collapse in food production between 1928 and 1933 there was dramatic decrease in livestock and grain

Medium/long term= Stalin’s hopes of creating modern farming system never happened because

MTS did not have enough machinery
KULAKS were the most skilled farmers and they were not allowed to work
Productivity was poor

Question 25

When was the great famine

Answer 25

1932-1933

Question 26

How many people died due to the great famine

Answer 26

4-5 million

Question 27

What region was hit the hardest by the great famine

Answer 27

Ukraine

Question 28

Successes of collectivisation

Answer 28

A guaranteed grain supply
Peasants became workers
Communists gain control over countryside
Stalin increased his political power
Class divions were removed