USSR Flashcards
October Revolution
1917
Lenin’s death
January 1924
New Economic Policy
1921 peasants allowed to return to farming for private profit
Cheka
Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution. Later OGPU, KGB
Comintern
1919 Communist International. To organise worldwide revolution.
Stalin’s four positions in the Party 1917-22
1917 People’s Commissar for Nationalities
1919 Liaison officer between Politburo and Orgburo (could monitor both policy and personnel)
1919 Head of workers’ and peasants’ inspectorate (oversaw all government departments)
1922 General secretary of the Communist Party (recorded and conveyed policy, knew everything about all party members)
Orgburo
Organisational Bureau. Turned decisions and policy into practice
Lenin’s Funeral
1924 Stalin’s speech put him in the lead of the power struggle. Lead mourner- image of dedication to Lenin. Trotsky not even present.
Lenin’s Testament
Suppressed in May 1924. Criticised party members and Stalin’s hunger for ‘boundless power’ and urged his removal of being secretary. In interests of all members to not publish.
Opposition in Stalin’s rise
Trotksy. Jewish and embarrased of this viewed as an intellectual outsider CPSU saw him as dangerously ambitious and too flamboyant and brilliant Became a Bolshevik in 1917, uncommitted?
Stalin’s Unofficial Triumvirate
1924 Zinoviev and Kamenev. Aimed to isolate Trotsky
Left- Right modernisation division
Leftists- NEP abandoned
Rightists- slower, less violent development of revolution and continuation of NEP
Nepmen
those who supposedly exploited commercial freedoms under NEP to enrich themselves
Trotksy’s ideology
- International Marxist (USSR required support)
- Permanent revolution (continuous risings from country to country)
Stalin’s ideology (Rise to power)
- Overcome agricultural and industrial problems unaided, utilise peasant power
- Build a modern state
- Survival of USSR a priority
- Rightist (continue NEP)
The New Opposition
1926 Zinoviev and Kamenev defected to the leftists with Trotsky as they were frightened by slow growth.
Not influential, outvoted by right bloc, lost positions to Vyacheslav and Molotov Stalin’s allies
Bureaucratisation
1926 Trotsky attempted to fight back at Stalin claiming party was too bureaucratised. Left Stalin unscathed.
Trotsky’s expulsion
November 1927 at Stalin’s proposal, Congress accepted. Deported two years later. Not executed, Stalin not in full control.
Attack on the Rightists
1929 Rykov, Tomsky, Bukharin. Stood in the way of Stalin’s economic reforms to agriculture and industry.
Stalin exploited Party’s fears of revolutionary collapse, scorned Bukharin’s concessions to peasants, pushed a tough policy. Undermined right as a weak and irresponsible clique.