The power vacuum and power struggle

Question 1

What Tributes were paid to Lenin after his death in 1924?

Answer 1

His coffin was displayed in the Red Square and crowds of people queued to pay their final respects.

The Politburo decided to preserve his body and place it in a mausoleum on Red Square.

A cult of personality developed - Petrograd was renamed Leningrad.

Lenin’s statue was built in every Russian city and children were named after the Communist leader

Question 2

When did the power struggle begin and why?

Answer 2

Even before Lenin’s death - due to his declining health (May 1922 he had the first of a series of strokes that left him unable to work and by mid 1923 it was obvious he wouldn’t return to government

Question 3

What happened because there was no one obvious successor?

Answer 3

A collective leadership was established to govern Russia so from 1922-1929 a relentless struggle for supremacy was waged by Politburo leaders

Question 4

What was Lenin’s leadership based on?

Answer 4

His personality and his authority - he had respect of his colleagues because he was Lenin not because of official positions

Question 5

Why was the Politburo significant in the power struggle?

Answer 5

It had emerged as the most powerful part of Government so it was key to power in the SU
Winning a majority on Politburo meant that winning votes at the Party Congress as this elected the Central Committee which then elected the Politburo

Question 6

What difference did the fact the SU wasn’t a democracy make?

Answer 6

The battle for leadership was a battle for support within the party not a battle for support within the SU

Question 7

Who were the notes in the testament addressed to and what did they say?

Answer 7

Addressed to the Central Committee and were highly critical of the main contenders for power

Question 8

What did the testament say about Trotsky, Stalin, Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin.

Answer 8

Accused Trotsky of arrogance and of being too willing to use violence.
Accused Stain and impatience and rudeness and suggests he should not be allowed big positions of power
Reminded the CC that Z and K had been disloyal to party before October revolution
Argued Bukharin didn’t fully understand Lenin’s ideology

Question 9

What happened to Lenin’s testament?

Answer 9

When he died his widow (Krupskaya) handed it to the politburo with the intention it would be made public in the Party Congress in May 1924 however key members of the CC declined to read it out as those criticised had persuaded their colleagues not to publish it

Question 10

What did Lenin’s death in January create?

Answer 10

A power vacuum - opened the way for the power struggle

Question 11

In Marxist ideology what is power meant to be?

Answer 11

Supposed to be shared by a collective leadership not held by any single dominating leader so there was no mechanism for such a leader to be chosen - Lenin had been forceful leader = hard to imagine different

Question 12

Why had the previous single leader position held by Lenin been justified and what did people want now ?

Answer 12

In order to safeguard the Bolshevik rule during the civil war but was no longer required after 1924 - wanted collective leadership of a committee of equals (mainly advocated by those fearing Trotsky)

Question 13

What was the Triumvirate?

Answer 13

Consisted of Zinoviev, Kamenev and Stalin. formed in 1922-23 - formed to block the ambitions of Trotsky and prevent the ascendance of Trotsky

Question 14

What was Stalin’s role in government when he was in the Triumvirate?
How did people view him?

Answer 14

He was general secretary and was unpopular and underrated by his colleagues but was central in these alliances.

Question 15

Who was influential in countering the left?

Answer 15

Bukharin

Other personalities such as Rykov, Tomsky and Radek were involved in this unacknowledged power struggle

Question 16

Why was Lenin’s testament written?

Answer 16

Written because the ambitions and rivalries of those around him alarmed Lenin

Question 17

What were two events lead to Lenin criticising Stalin in his testament?

Answer 17

During civil war Lenin appointed Stalin as Commissar of nationalities - Stalin told the party Georgia had been won back from the Mensheviks by a mass uprising for the Bolsheviks supported by the Georgian people - he was criticised when it was discovered he crushed Georgian independence by force.

Stalin also insulted Lenin’s wife after finding out Trotsky was in contact with Lenin, Stalin wanted to see him but Krupskaya refused

Question 18

Why didn’t Lenin name anyone as his successor in his testament?

Answer 18

If it had been made public at the 1924 party congress as he intended it would have had a dramatic impact on the power struggle.

Question 19

What had Lenin’s dictatorial style done and who did this cause opposition between?

Answer 19

1921 ban on factions cemented - this clashed with elements in the party who believed in ‘party democracy’.

Trotsky + his supporters believed in party democracy whereas Stalin and his supporters stressed the importance of avoiding factionalism and party unity.

Question 20

Despite Lenin’s actions having made him a seemingly irreplaceable leader by 1924 what major issues concerning the future of Russia unresolved?

Answer 20

The extent to which party democracy should replace centralised control and large, state bureaucracy that had developed under Lenin.

The organisation of the economy.

The future relations of soviet Russia with the outside world

Question 21

In 1924 what was Trotsky regarded as and how did that affect him?

Answer 21

The most important man in the party apart from Lenin himself.

This meant that rivals wanted to restrict his influence even before Lenin died.

Many feared and disagreed with him Trotsky on revolutionary ideology and party democracy.