Leadership struggle 3b

• what were the main issues in the leadership struggle?

  • the nature of leadership
  • the NEP and industrialisation debate
  • permanent revolution vs socialism in one country
• the nature of leadership

  • many party members favoured collective leadership/ rule by committee, the idea that not just one person would lead. during the civil war a single leader with a centralised state was necessary but now that russia had settled it was felt a collective leadership would be more socialist
• the nature of leadership

  • partygoers feared a dictator could emerge, many worried it would be trotsky as commander of the red army he was in a position where he could crush the opposition.
• the nature of leadership

  • party members were also worried about the unity of the party post lenins death, they knew they had to stick together to transform russia into lenins socialist utopia so didnt want a leader who could cause divisions
• the NEP and the industrialisation debate

  • from 1921 the party split over economic policy, how to manage it and the ideological debates about marxism and leninism in relation to it.
  • lenin introduced the NEP in 1921, a radical divergence from Marxist theory, allowing private trade to continue. but he had said it was a necessary compromise.
  • but there were debates on whether the NEP was meant to be temporary and discarded with as soon as it wasnt necessary or was it permissible to keep it until the economy was properly built up to support a move to socialism?
• the NEP and the industrialisation debate

  • the NEP continued to grow increasingly unattractive with its disturbing effects: the growth of a rich superclass, property dealing, land speculation, gambling and prostitution
  • after 1925 a serious problem began to emerge: industry had recovered to pre-1913 level, but more resources would be needed to take it further; high unemployment amongst workers and imbalance between wages and the price of consumer goods which kept workers poor; food shortages reemerging as peasants began to horde product; the threat of war added spur to industrialise
• the NEP and the industrialisation debate- the left

  • those led by trotsky, zinoviev and kamenev wanted to abandon the NEP
  • they wanted rapid industrialisation, the militarisation of labour, to break the power peasants had over the economy and get more grain out of them
• the NEP and the industriaisation debate- the right

  • led by rykov, tomsky and bukharin, believed the NEP should continue
  • wanted to encourage peasants to grow richer so theyd spend more on consumer goods to grow the manufacturing industry. believed conflict with the peasants might lead to economic collapse
• the NEP and the industrialisation debate- Stalin


  • his attitude was inconsistent, initially wanting to abandon it (alligned w triumvirate), then supporting its continuation (alligned with bukharin) then replacing it with rapid industrialisation and collectivisation of agriculture (idea stolen from trotsky).
• permanent revolution vs socialism in one country

  • an ideological issue that overshadowed all other debates, world revolution was an unquestionable end in marxist-leninism, they had assumed it was impossible for revolution to survive in one country without the other capitalist countries ganging up on it. so it was essential for the bolshevik revolution to trigger other ones
  • however, revolutions in countries like germany and hungary had been crushed and russias defeat in the russo-polish war prevented it's spread to the west, the USSR was the only communist state in the world in the 1920s
• permanent revolution 


  • trotsky and the left believed that support should be given to the comintern in helping other countries achieve revolution until a socialist state was acheived everywhere. for the revolution to succeed in the USSR it needed support from the working class in more industrialised countries.
  • T also wanted to subject the USSR to a continuing revolutionary process that would move it towards socialism through measures like compulsory militarised labour units and forcing peasants into collective farms to create the economic base on which socialism could be built.
• socialism in one country

  • stalin as a more pragmatic view that world revolution was unlikely to take place in the immediate future so russia should aim to build a workers paradise in the ussr and create an example to the world, which appealed to russian nationalism
  • the NEP had been a compromise with the realities of the economic situation and socialism in one country would be a similar compromise with the reality of international affairs. this appealed to some in the party who wanted stability and feared that the continuous revolution put forward by trotsky would bring turmoil
• how and why stalin became leader

  • by 1924 stalin had established a central position in the partyy leadership, lenins funeral enabled stalin to entrench his position further, trotskys non attendance and the eulogy he delivered turned leninism into a religion and set stalin up as a disciple
• how and why stalin became leader- stopping trotsky


  • trotsky was viewed by many party members as dangrously ambition, whereas stalin was modest, unnoticed.
  • trotsky attracted distaste and some admiration but not loyalty, no powerbase.
  • furthermore his later joining, converting from a menchevik after the july days was viewed suspiciously
  • and his status as jewish was used to disregard his ideas about permanent revolution as a threat to the security of the USSR
• how and why stalin became leader- stopping trotsky


  • trotsky attempted to hold his ground by fighting bureaucratisation.
  • he, like lenin, argued was part of the abandonment of genuine discussion within the party. argued for a return to party democracy (right of all party members to express their opinion)
  • he wrote a series of essays, most notably "lessons of october" where he criticised zinoviev and kamenev for disagreeing with lenin, but was met with retaliation, kamenev's "lenin or totsky" which criticised trotskys past menshevikism
  • a misstep since it left stalin untouched.
• how and why stalin became leader- stopping trotsky

  • stalin used rumors about trotsky being reluctant to support the NEP in 1921 and appealed to party members already existing suspicions about his loyalty
  • stalins own view on the NEP was questionable, he had loyally supported its introduction but had given little indication about it since, he preferred to keep his own views to himself and vote with the majority on issues
• how and why stalin became leader- stopping trotsky


  • trotsky failed to make a decisive move against stalin during the 13th party congress in may 1924, despite stalin's control over the bureaucracy becoming more evident, perhaps for fear of being blamed for causing a split in the party or because he thought there'#d be a better opportunity later.
  • zinoviev and kamenevs support proved to be able to protect stalin from any criticism arising from lenins testament, the triumvirate was to solid for trotsky to crack
• defeating the left 1924-27

  • trotsky wasn't a natural conspirator like stalin, he lacked the instinct for bureaucratic infighting or the patience to win allies. stalin showed a laser focus on building up loyal followers
  • after the 13th party congress tensions grew in the triumvirate as k and z became frustrated over their failure to control stalin so bukharin became an ally of stalin
  • debate over permanent revolution was intense, the mood was moving towards SIO, the NEP was being debated, many disagreed with bukharin
  • stalin positioned himself in the golden middle, avoiding extremes
• defeating the left 1924-27

  • by 1925 the party moved further from trotsky, he was forced out of his position, the people's commissar for war (mostly by z + k). zinoviev suggested he be kicked from the party, stalin disagreed to show himself as a moderate and trotsky became isolated
  • without fear of trotsky the triumvirate broke down, k and z opposing stalin in the central committee in september
  • they tried to attack stalin but were accused as factionaliss and were forced to join trotsky as the left opposition. stalin and bukarin formed the duumvirate which began to essentially run the country
• defeating the left 1924-27

  • an attack on stalin came when zinoviev called for the NEP to be abandoned and for restrictions on peasants to be reimposed and for enforced industrialisation (z + k likely thought this as they were the party bosses in moscow and leningrad so only had an understanding of industrial areas)
  • this viewpoint became known as the United Opposition but appeared indistinguishable from trotsky's
  • stalin and bukharin feared the left opposition
• defeating the left 1924-27


  • infighting began in 1926, trotsky tried to use pamphlets, the "literary discussion" to argue his view, but stalin's view appealed to the majority of party members
  • stalins control of the party machine proved critical, he had support from bukharin, rykov and tomsky who's supporters outvoted the united opposition
  • in october 1927 kamenev and zinoviev were expelled from the central committee and trotsky was expelled from both the politburo and central committee then exiled in 1929
• defeating the right


  • outwardly, the duumvirate was secure and harmonious, their private relations and families friendly but political tension emerged in 1928
  • they were about stalin's unwillingness to share power and policy about peasants and the NEP
• defeating the right


  • the right had loyally served stalin in outflanking the left. but when stalins growing influence allowed him to begin implementing his industrial programme, he didn't want opposition
  • at the beginning of 1928 the USSR faced a food shortage, due to not being able to get enough grain from the peasants, increasing anger at the NEP and lack of industrialisation
  • stalin was in favour of harsh action against peasants, but bukharin suggested the peasants should b incentivised to produce more grain, not oppressed, he was labeled as being soft
• defeating the right


  • stalin took action in siberia without consulting bukharin, the "urals-siberian method" was developed whereby poor and middle income kulaks were encouraged to denounce those hoarding grain, which would then be seized and the kulak arrested.
  • simultaneously, stalin prepared the five year plans leading to further friction w bukharin
  • in april 1928, bukharin protested against against the speed of industrialisation but wasn't supported by others
• defeating the right


  • the right's only substantial support lay with the trade unions and tomsky, so stalin had them purged
  • the right was undermined and stripped of power, T, R and bukharin refferred to as the "right opportunists" and were only allowed to remain in the party after publicly admitting the error of their ways
• the opposition' deaths


  • trotsky- exiled in '29, moved around but was killed by an assasin with an ice pick in his own study in mexico, 1940
  • kamenev- put on a show trial in 1936, admitted to the charges to try and save his wife and was shot. his wife was sent to the gulag.
  • zinoviev- same as kam
  • bukharin- was accused of treason and executed in 1938
  • tomsky- accused in a show trial but killed himself to avoid arrest
  • rykov- arrested with bukharin