Why did Stalin become leader in 1929?

Question 1

Character and abilities of Stalin:

Answer 1

• Obsessive in pursuit of power.
• Paranoia- believed nobody was to be trusted.
• Experienced:
  1905 represented branches of Bolshevik party.
  Elected to central committee of Bolshevik party.
  Made a manager after showing ability as member of central committee.
• Commander during Civil War.
• 1924, position of power that could not have been gained by luck.

Question 2

Rivals in the party:

Answer 2

• After overthrowal of PG in 1917, prominent Bolsheviks like Kamenev, Zinoviev and Rykov called for coalition to be formed with other socialist groups. Lenin bullied Bolsheviks into rejecting.
• Signing of TBL.
• NEP heightened tensions, right-wing liked, left-wing hated.

Question 3

Ideological battle:

Answer 3

• ‘Socialism in one country’ vs ‘permanent revolution’.
• Trotsky wanted permanent revolution, right wanted socialism in one country. Wanted to ‘export revolution’.
• Stalin countered with ‘permanent revolution’.
  -Wanted to turn CPSU as a state that could defend itself against international rivalries.
• Used to portray Trotsky as an enemy of SU.
• Trotsky position weakened due to a fear of invasion.

Question 4

Split with Zinoviev and Kamenev:

Answer 4

• Troika (Stalin, Kamenev, Zinoviev) discredited Trotsky, replaced as Commissar for War, Jan 1925.
• Zinoviev and Kamenev concerned by Stalin’s dealing with peasants and FP.
• Turned on Stalin, so he removed them as secretaries.
• Replaced Politburo members with Stalinist members.

Question 5

Response to the split:

Answer 5

• Trotsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev.
• Formed United Opposition group.
• Opposed NEP, demanded ‘free speech’.
• All excluded from Politburo.
• 1927, Trotsky expelled and exiled to Kazakhstan.
• Jan 1929, expelled from USSR.

Question 6

Removal of Bukharin:

Answer 6

• Vocal in expressing concerns and joined forces with Kamenev, branded a factionalist.
• 1929 ousted.
• Stalin gained agreement of completely removing all opposition, free to dominate.

Question 7

Relationship between Stalin and Lenin:

Answer 7

• 1912, had risen to being one of six members of central committee.
• Helped found pravda.

Question 8

Lenin’s testament:

Answer 8

• Stalin had been rude to Georgians, when Lenin wanted national minorities support. Lenin had to intervene to stop them leaving.
• Lenin learned from Krupskaya, Stalin called her a ‘whore’.
• Lenin said Stalin doesn’t know how to exercise power with ‘sufficient caution’.
• Death 1924, testament not made public.
• Testament suppressed, had scathing remarks about nearly all members of Politburo.

Question 9

Stalin’s position 1924:

Answer 9

• 1922, general secretary of communist party.
• Gained power of patronage, could appoint individuals. Appointed his supporters.

Question 10

Lenin enrolment:

Answer 10

• 1923-25, Lenin enrolment, membership of CPSU rose from 340,000 1922 to 600,000 in 1925.
• In hands of Stalin, gained patronage.

Question 11

Lenin’s legacy:

Answer 11

• Soviet communism became ideology of Leninism.
• 1924, if a party member could liken themselves to Leninism, would have claim to power.
• Exactly what Stalin did.

Question 12

Lenin’s funeral:

Answer 12

• Politburo, Stalin, Trotsky, Tomsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev publicly proclaimed intention to continue as collective leadership.
• Stalin gained advantage by delivering oration at Lenin’s funeral.
• Trotsky not present at the funeral, not image of dedicated Leninist.

Question 13

Trotsky’s behaviour:

Answer 13

• Complex personality.
• Speech at Lenin’s funeral, turned it down and didn’t attend.
• Example of misjudgement, Georgian question, Lenin’s anger was opportunity for him to suck up to Lenin, didn’t.
• Antisemitism, 1917 offered post of Deputy Chairman of Soviet Gov, declined it on basis he was an embarrassment to Lenin.

Question 14

Troika:

Answer 14

• Kamenev, Zinoviev, Stalin aimed to isolate Trotsky.
• ‘Lenin enrolment’ helped, new proletariat men not impressed by Trotsky.
• Failed to build power base in party. Outsider.
• Doubts about commitment to Bolshevism, until 1917 belonged to Mensheviks.

Question 15

Trotsky fights back against Troika:

Answer 15

• Tried to warn of bureaucratisation. Where democracy was gone.
• Put this into the ‘lessons of October’.
• But brought up Trotsky’s Menshevik past.
• Bolshevik rule had always been Bureaucratic. Provided privileges for party members.
• Also used Trotsky’s opposition to the NEP, opposes Leninism.

Question 16

Defeat of the right:

Answer 16

• Marked end of serious attempts at his power.
• Stalin thought only way for industrialisation and to solve grain shortage was through collectivisation (abolition of private property).
• Bukharin in 1928 argued to Party Congress that this was counter-productive and there were other, better methods.
• Stalin said this was underestimating crisis of SU.
• Rights only support was trade unionists, so Stalin purged them. Molotov was ordered to do the same else where.
• 1929, no longer any opposition. Tomsky no longer a trade union leader.