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The Power Vacuum Flashcards

1
Q

Who died in January 1924

A

Lenin

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2
Q

In Marxist-Leninist ideology, what was meant to succeed Lenin

A

collective leadership

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3
Q

Why did collective leadership seem unlikely

A

Lenin was a very forceful leader and it was difficult to imagine a future without a single figure of authority directing policy

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4
Q

What had been passed in 1921 that cemented the idea of obedience to the party line

A

the ban on factions

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5
Q

what was the ban on factions

A

it allowed senior party figures to discuss policy, ut once the Central Committee had agreed on a policy every party member ad to obey the decision. If someone disagreed, they would be forming a faction and would be expelled from the party

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6
Q

what was the debate within the party after Lenin’s death

A

the extent to which party democracy should replace the centralised control and large, state bureaucracy

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7
Q

When did the power vacuum start to take shape

A

1922, when Lenin was incapacitated following his first stroke

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8
Q

what formed in 1922-23 to block the ambitions of Trotsky

A

the triumvirate

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9
Q

who were the members of the triumvirate

A

Stalin, Kamenev and Zinoviev

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10
Q

who was general secretary at the time

A

Stalin

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11
Q

how can Stalin be described at the time

A

unpopular and underrated by his colleagues

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12
Q

who was also influential in countering the left

A

Bukharin

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13
Q

Who were some other individuals circled around the edges of the power struggle

A

Rykov, Tomsky and Radek

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14
Q

When was Lenin’s first stroke

A

May 1922

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15
Q

When was Lenin’s second stroke

A

December 1922

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16
Q

what did Lenin’s second stroke do

A

left him unable to speak and partially paralysed

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17
Q

what did Lenin’s third stroke do

A

left him bedridden and unable to speak

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18
Q

What did Lenin hope to do through his testament

A

guide the transition to new leadership

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19
Q

what was meant to happen to the testament

A

it was meant to be read out at the Party congress after his death

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20
Q

What did Lenin do in his testament

A

he cast shadows of doubt over Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin, but was particularly harsh of Stalin, because of his brutal actions in crushing opposition in Georgia

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21
Q

What did Lenin say about Stalin in his testament

A

‘he is too coarse’

‘that is why I suggest that the comrades think about a way of removing Stalin’

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22
Q

what would have been the consequence if the testament had been read it

A

it would have had a dramatic impact on the power struggle that followed

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23
Q

Why was the testament not readout

A

Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev managed to persuade their colleagues not to publish the testament

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24
Q

What happened to the testament

A

it remained in the political undergrowth as a dangerous secret that could be used as ammunition when the power struggle developed

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25
What reputation had Stalin gained by 1924
a man of violence and an immensely hard worker who was an expert in dealing with the details of bureaucratic organisation
26
How did the experienced members of the Bolsheviks view Stalin
as intellectually inferior
27
What did Stalin possess
he had a vast knowledge of the expanding party machinery and had placed loyal supporters in key positions.
28
How did Bukharin regard Stalin
reasonable and reliable
29
What personality traits did Stalin possess
although jealous of others, he was patient and able to keep his long term aims hidden, meaning he could wait a long time for revenge against people he perceived as enemies
30
What crucial position did Stalin possess
he was General Secretary when the party bureaucracy was expanding rapidly and he was good at gaining the loyalty of trusted subordinates.
31
What had Stalin worked hard to ideologically learn
to master the theories of Marxism-Leninism
32
What did Stalin's opponents stupidly do
underrate him, due to him being good at concealing his intentions
33
what did Stalin purposefully do
he placed himself close to Lenin during the period of illness in 1922-23, thus enabling Stalin to claim that he knew and understood what Lenin wanted
34
How did Stalin also benefit from fear within the party
fear of Trotsky aided him, meaning he could form the triumvirate
35
What was the general view of Stalin
he was seen as crude and violent; this image was accentuated by Lenin's criticism of Stalin's actions as People's commissar for nationalities
36
What was Stalin's role in the 1917 revolution
he only played a minor role and was overshadowed by others of greater prominence, like Trotsky or greater popularity, like Bukharin.
37
What did Stalin's colleagues know about his relationship with Lenin
despite the testament never being revealed to the wider party in 1924, Stalin's colleagues knew Lenin had turned against Stalin.
38
Who was enlisted in 1926 to defend comrade Stalin against criticism
Lenin's sister mariya
39
Who was seen as the most important man in the party besides Lenin
Trotsky
40
Why were Trotsky's rivals already moving against him before Lenin died
because of his immense capabilities and power
41
Who were the admirers of Trotsky
Viktor Serge and Karl Radek
42
When did Trotsky's position start to weaken
1924
43
Who were Trotsky's new allies
Zinoviev and Kamenev (left opposition)
44
why did Trotsky hold immense power
due to his past achievements in the revolution and the civil war, as well as his abilities as a theorist and speechmaker
45
Who was the biggest admirer of Trotsky
himself
46
what negative personality traits did Trotsky possess
he was arrogant and dismissive of people he saw as having fewer abilities
47
What did Trotsky possess
formidable political skills, ruthlessness, authority and organisational ability
48
Why did many in the party fear Trotsky
they thought he might use his hold over the Red Army to seize power after Lenin's death
49
Why were the old bolsheviks suspicious of Trotsky
he had been a Menshevik and was a late convert to Bolshevism
50
Why did many of Trotsky's colleagues dislike him
his arrogance and disdain for those he thought less clever than himself
51
what was Trotsky's view of Stalin
he badly underrated him
52
Why did Trotsky not bother to do
he made no serious attempt to build a base of support within the Party
53
How can Trotsky be seen as an opportunist
he opposed the triumvirate of Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev but later allied with Zinoviev and Kamenev against Stalin
54
What bad traits did Trotsky possess
he could be indecisive and tended to fall ill at critical moments
55
what errors did Trotsky make
he made serious errors of judgement, such as attacking the Party bureaucracy in 1924 when he needed its support
56
How can Kamenev be described
he was capable and intelligent, as well as being a skilful politician good at managing people and situations.
57
who was Kamenev closely associated with
Zinoviev
58
How did Kamenev view himself
an important player in a collective leadership but perhaps lacked the ambition or ruthlessness to seek power for himself
59
What did Kamenev gain a reputation for
flip-flopping
60
why did Kamenev have a great influence
he was an old bolshevik and was a man who had helped for party policy, being close to Lenin
61
what did Lenin entrust Kamenev with after his stroke
many of his personal papers
62
where did Kamanev have a strong party base
Moscow, where he ran the local party
63
how was Kamenev regarded as
thoughtful and intelligent, good at smoothing out difficulties amongst colleagues, with the ability to get things done.
64
why did Kamenev gain the image of opportunism
due to him opposing Lenin in 1917 as well switching alliances between Stalin and Trotsky
65
What was the negative to Kamenev being too closely linked to Zinoviev
Zinoviev was more popular than he was
66
what was the negative view of Kamenev
he was too soft and lacked the drive to be a sole leader
67
What did Kamenev stupidly do
he underestimated his rivals, especially Stalin
68
What did Zinoviev have a wide knowledge of
European culture
69
what was Zinoviev well known for
he was one of the party's best speechmakers, with a commanding presence, for example as Chairman of the Comintern Congresses
70
what did Zinoviev have the reputation for
for being vain as well as inconsistent, prone to unpredictable mood swings.
71
Why was Zinoviev able to command respect
he was an old bolshevik who had contributed well to the revolution
72
What was Lenin's view of Zinoviev
he was his 'closest and most trusted assistant'
73
Where was Zinoviev's party boss
Leningrad (Petrograd)
74
how did Zonviev benefit from his role as Leningrad party boss
he had a strong political power base, second in importance only to Moscow.
75
what was held against Zinoviev
his opposition to Lenin over the timing of the Bolshevik cop (and his joint resignation with Kamenev and Rykov in November 1917)
76
what was the issue with the formation of the left opposition
it was too late
77
Who was associated with the right of the party
Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky
78
What was the Duumvirate
Stalin and Bukharin
79
why did Stalin start to dislike Bukharin
due to his popularity
80
How did the rank and file regard Bukharin
as both impressive and likeable
81
why was Bukharin a good potential leader
he was a brilliant intellectual and theoretician, as well as being highly popular with his politburo colleagues and with party members
82
how did Lenin describe Bukharin
'the darling of the party'
83
why was Bukharin seen as a likeable figure
he was open and cooperative and had friendly relations with people on the LEft as well as the Right.
84
what was wrong with Bukharin
he could be naive and lacked the capacity for intrigue, which made him unsuited to Party infighting
85
How was Bukharin regarded as
the best theoretician in the party
86
what was Bukharin an expert in
economics and agriculture, at a time when debates about the peasantry were of major concern to the Bolshevik government
87
Why did Bukharin have no power base
he tried to remain on good terms with everyone and to avoid factional in-fighting, he had no power base
88
Why was Bukharin a target for Stalin's enmity
his popularity
89
what tactical mistakes did Bukharin make
he left it too late to make an alliance with Zinoviev and Kamenev
90
Who was a member of the moderate wing of the party
Rykov
91
What had Rykov frequently done
disagreed with Lenin and the radicals
92
Who was Rykov aligned with in terms of the policy
the views of Bukharin and Tomsky
93
what role did Rykov possess
he was chairman of the government
94
Why was Rykov widely respected
he was an old bolshevik who was active since the early days of the revolution
95
Where had Rykov shown the administrative ability
in the implementation of war communism during the Civil War; and in managing the switch of policy to NEP
96
Who did Rykov have extensive support from
Sovnarkom, who chose him as Deputy Chairman in 1923 and CHairman in 1924
97
What was the issue with Rykov's personality
he was a conciliator more than a plotter; and among the moderates, he was overshadowed by Bukharin's ability and popularity
98
What was Rykov's role actually like
it was largely ceremonial and he also lacked a power base
99
What policy of Bukharin's was politically unwise
his policy of putting heavy taxes on vodka was socially correct but politically unwise and aroused intense opposition from sections of the Party
100
What was held against Rykov
the fact he had argued over revolutionary tactics
101
what did Rykov stupidly do
he underrated Stalin until it was too late
102
who was Tomsky the son of
a factory worker
103
who did Tomsky have a long association with
the trade unions
104
Why was Tomsky respected
his long record as an old Bolshevik and his working-class origins made him popular in the party
105
why did Tomsky have a strong position in the party
due to his role as chief spokesman for the trade unions
106
what roles did Tomsky possess
he was General Secretary of Red International of the Trade Unions from 1920 and was elected to the central committee and the politburo in 1922
107
who was Tomsky a natural ally of
moderate leaders, such as Rykov and Bukharin
108
Who was Tomsky immensely hostile to
Trotsky
109
what did Tomsky's hostility to Trotsky mean
he was blinded to the danger of Stalin
110
how did tomsky hand immense power to Stalin
his alliance with Stalin, Rykov and Bukharin in purging left-wingers from the party in 1926
111
Why was Tomsky a target for Stalin's jealousy
his power base in the trade unions
112
What was going to be used against Tomsky
his support of NEP was bad when the grain crisis of 1927 hit the economy.

Russian History (15 decks)

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