R3 Stalin's rise to power

• Ideology and the nature of leadership


  Power in Marxism is supposed to be shared so there was no mechanism for a new leader to be appointed after Lenin died because of his dictatorial style and refusal to admit errors
• The start of the Power Vacuum

  Began to take shape in May 1922 after Lenin was immobilised by his first stroke

  1922-1923 - the Triumvirate forms to stop Trotsky

  Lenin's next stroke in December 1922 made him unable to speak temporarily, one more a year later made it permanent

  Stalin placed himself close to Lenin in his final years and apparently Lenin begged Stalin to kill him
• Lenin's Testament


  Written in December 1922, postscript added January 1923, absolutely roasts the entire party and especially Stalin

  Could have been intended to promote collective leadership, if so, this was not clear

  Was supposed to be read ay the 1924 Party Congress but was suppressed by the Triumvirate
• Left and Right opposition

  The Left (Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev) wanted to end the NEP

  The Right (Rykov, Tomsky and Bukharin) wanted it to continue

  Stalin fluctuated, left until 1925, right until 1928, then left again
• Permanent Revolution vs Socialism in One Country

  Stalin created Socialism in One Country, failures in Germany and Hungary as well as the loss in the Russo Polish War in 1920
• How and Why Stalin became Party Leader - Stalin Himself

  Made Lenin's funeral a propaganda event, embalmed his body Trotsky failed to attend

  Stalin was underestimated by his enemies

  Quoted Lenin all the time
• How and Why Stalin became Party Leader - Defeat of the Left

  Occupied the Golden Middle with Molotov, Kirov, Vorshilov and Kaganovich

  Trotsky forced out of post as Commissar for War in 1925

  triumvirate split without fear of Trotsky

  Kamenev and Zinoviev left Stalin at 14th Party Congress 1925, joined Trotsky

  Stalin and Bukharin formed Duumvirate

  1926 - Literary Discussion, pamphlets and essays flooded Party, Stalin won

  Criticised for China stuff in 1927

  1927 - Trotsky and Zinoviev expelled from Party
• How and Why Stalin became Party Leader - Defeat of the Right

  Stalin never planned to share power

  Bukharin seen as soft on peasants in NEP discussion, Stalin became harsher in countryside

  Party supported FYPs over Bukharin's slower industrialisation

  Stalin became more revolutionary, supported class war, industrialisation and Comintern

  Bukharin tried to ally with Trotsky got expelled from Party 1929
• Reasons for the Great Turn


  WWI and civil war were bad for industrial economy

  Production weakened after 1921 by strikes and inefficiency, officials blamed NEPmen

  Early collectivisation inefficient

  1927-28 Grain Procurement crisis, kulaks blamed

  More communist than the NEP

  Stalin ready to be more radical
• Launch of 1FYP


  Main aims: heavy industry, electrification and feeding the workforce by increasing agriculture

  Loads of propaganda created enthusiasm in the proletariat

  Many were worried eliminating kulaks would harm agriculture

  Unattainable targets were never met
• How was Collectivisation enforced?

  Started in the Urals and Siberia, Stalin had OGPU close free markets, stop hoarding and

  seize grain by force

  Used this Urals-Siberia Method everywhere else

  Central Committee sent industrial workers to the country

  Stalin announced to "smash kulaks as class" in December 1929
• Stalin's Style of Government

  Bureaucratic Centralism - The Party is always right, Stalin has all power

  Divide and Rule - His followers were loyal because they owed him their political positions, he used this to turn people against each other when it benefitted him

  Fear - used to impose collectivisation, and to intimidate officials. Believed he was continuing Lenin's Legacy
• Beginning of the Stalin Cult

  Propaganda placed Stalin next to Marx, Engels and Lenin, used slogans like "Stalin is the Lenin of Today" and used tsarist imagery to appeal to peasants

  By 1929, the Stalin cult was already beginning

  Stalin was the "Great Helmsman" of Lenin's Legacy
• Relations with China


  President Sun Yat Sen dies in 1925, CCP and Guomindang feud for power but Stalin chooses to back Guomindang to secure Russia's borders better

  Guomindang won by 1927

  Trotsky criticised Stalin for this in 1927 but it had little effect and he was expelled from the party
• Relations with Germany


  Treaty of Rapallo signed 1922 maintained good post war relations

  Treaty of Berlin 1926 - they would stay neutral if the other was attacked, would not boycott each other and the treaty would stay for 5 years, USSR got money from Germany
• Changes in the Comintern

  6th Comintern Congress 1928 - Stalin became more aggressive towards foregin capitalism and placed tighter controls over foreign communist parties