The Struggle For Power

Question 0

What was the ban on factions?

-when was it announced?

Answer 0

A ban on separate parties within the communist party

1921

Question 1

What was the declaration of the fourth six?

-when was it?

Answer 1

A document signed by by 46 leading left-wing communists expressing their concern about the lack of democracy in the party
-October 1923

Question 2

What was the triumvirate?

• when was it formed?
• why was it formed?

Answer 2

The union between zioviev, kamenev and Stalin

• 1923
• wanted to keep Trotsky out of power

Question 3

What group did Trotsky lead in opposition to the triumvirate?

Answer 3

The Left Opposition

Question 4

Why was Lenin’s secret testament damaging to Stalins position in the party?
-why was it not made public?

Answer 4

It called for Stalin to be removed from the party

-zioviev and kamenev argued it undermined the authority of the government, the testament was also critical of them

Question 5

What did the triumvirate use to criticise Trotsky?

Answer 5

Lenin’s funeral-Stalin tricked Trotsky into not attending

Z and K criticised T’s book “the lessons of October” for its apparent disrespect for Lenin

Z and K tried to show ‘Trotskyism’ was was incompatible with Leninism

Question 6

When was Trotsky and the left opposition defeated?

Answer 6

In 1924 at he 13th party congress

Question 7

When did the triumvirate split?

• why?
• how did they split?

Answer 7

1925

• Stalins policy of socialism in one country could not be accepted by Z and K
• S vs. Z and K

Question 8

What did Z and K form after the triumvirate split?

• why did hey think it would work?
• why was this not so?

Answer 8

The New opposition

• Z and K believed they had enough power to form a new politburo majority
• their undignified debates with Trotsky had lost them he respect of many of the party

Question 9

Who formed the new duumvirate?

Answer 9

Stalin and Bukharin

Question 10

What happened at the 14th party congress between the duumvirate and the new opposition?
-what was the outcome?

Answer 10

Z and K demanded immediate industrialisation and criticised the doctrine of socialism in one country
-the duumvirate won 559 to 65 votes

Question 11

Why was the new opposition defeated at the 14th party congress disastrous for Z and K?

Answer 11

It showed how unpopular they were

• K removed form sovnarkom
• 1926 Z and K weren’t reelected to the politburo
• B replaced Z as chairman of commuters
• B replaced K as head of Moscow party

Question 12

What was Trotsky forced to do in 1925?

-why?

Answer 12

Forced to resign as head of the red army

-he feared he would be called a bonapartist military dictator otherwise

Question 13

What was the impact of the kulak grain strike?

Answer 13

Food shortages and rising grain prices

Question 14

What was the kulak grain strike?

Answer 14

Peasants had no incentive to sell their grain as there was nothing they could spend the profits on due to rising industrial prices

Question 15

What did Z, K and T do in 1927?

-Why were they hopeful?

Answer 15

They formed the united opposition

• the NEP was failing
• believed they had enough support to go ahead

Question 16

What happened to the united opposition in 1927?

Answer 16

At the 15th party congress, they were expelled from the party
Z and K later apologised and were allowed back in but lost their authority
T tried to apologise but was exiled to Siberia

Question 17

What did Stalin do in 1928?

Answer 17

He rejected the NEP

Question 18

Which two senior party members supported bukharin?

-what positions did they have in the party?

Answer 18

Tomsky and rykov

• T=general secretary of the red international of labour unions
• R=head of state

Question 19

What nicknames were Stalin given?

Answer 19

Comrade card-index

The grey blur

Question 20

In 1928, what policy did Stalin start to advocate?

Answer 20

Rapid industrialisation and agricultural collectivisation

Question 21

In what ways did Stalin try to undermine bukharins position from February 1928 onwards?

Answer 21

Bringing up Bs frequent disagreements with Lenin
Failure of the NEP
Accused B of factionalism
Prevented B from attending an important meeting

Question 22

How did Stalin sabotage the NEP?

Answer 22

He restarted the policy of grain requisitioning less than a month after it had been condemned by the central committee

Question 23

What did bukharin do at the meeting of the central committee in April 1929?

Answer 23

Admit his ‘political errors’, under Stalins recommendation

Question 24

What did Stalin do April-November 1929?

Answer 24

Conducted a vigorous campaign against bukharin which eventually led to his expulsion from the politburo

Question 25

What role did bukharin have in the communist party?

Answer 25

Party theorist- ‘The abc of communism’
1917- he was editor of Pravda and communist
He was responsible for all city newspapers

Question 26

What role did Trotsky have in the communist party?

Answer 26

Head of the red army

• earned respect of younger members
• senior communists jealous of attention he got

Was offered deputy of sovnarkom but refused to focus on writing

Question 27

What roles did kamenev have in the communist party?

Answer 27

Chairman of the central committee-elected members of the politburo

Head of Moscow branch of local party groups
-but he was a poor local administrator, failed to earn respect of Moscow party

Question 28

What role did zinoviev have in the communist party?

Answer 28

Head of the commuters from 1919-encouraged and coordinated Marxist uprisings in other countries

Head of Petrograd branch of local party group

1923-24 recognised as unofficial head of triumvirate

Question 29

What roles did Stalin have in the communist party?

Answer 29

General secretary-head of secretariat
-responsible for recruitment and promotion

Head of central control commission-investigated and disciplined potentially corrupt members of party

Commissar for Nationalities-oversaw affairs of all non-Russians in USSR (50% of pop)

Rabkrin for commissar of the workers and peasants inspectorate-could investigate and expel those working for the government who were ‘corrupt’