Ideological debates and issues in the leadership struggle

what was the nep and industrilsaiton debate?

The left, led by Trotsky and Kamenev, aimed to abandon the NEP

-The right, led by Bukharin, aimed to keep the NEP to encourage richer peasants to spend more on goods, which would lead to a growth of the manufactoring industry

what was the ideology of permanent revolution?

Trotsky put forward the theory of ‘permanent revolution’

-argued that the revolution could not succeed in Russia as the working class was small, and the economy underdeveloped.

-Argued that all energy and resources should be put into helping the working class in Europe stage their own revolutions, thereby consolidating the revoution in Russia.

what was the ideology of socialism in one country?

By 1924, Stalin put forward ‘socialism in one country’

-argued that world revolution was not likely in the immediate future
-Russia should consolidate its socialist state without help from the outside.

how did stalins posistion as party secretary help him?

Stalin posistion as party secretary gave him control over the Business of the politburo

-he could draw up agendas and papers for politburo meetings

-he could therefore control what information other members received.

how did stalins posisitons in the orgburo and the secretariat help him?

-Stalin’s positions in the Orgburo and Secretarat gave him control over appointments to key posts in the party strucuture.

-he could place his supporters in these posistions

-Local party secretaries were increasingly Stalin’s men. In regions such as Ukraine, they were powerful and could effectively decide how party members voted.

how did stalins control of party organisatoin help him?
-how did it harm trotsky?

Stalin could influence the selection of delegates who were sent to the Annual Party congress in which policy was decided ,and the central committee chosen.

-Congress was packed with his supporters

-Trotsky received hostile reception at confrences from 1924 onwards. Stalin’s ability to deliver votes made him an indispensible ally to Zinoviev and Kamenev.

how did stalins control over party membership help him?

-what was the lenin enrolment? when was it?

-Stalin’s control over party membership allowed him to remove Radical Student’s and soldiers who were likely to support Trotsky

-Stalin supervised the Lenin enrolment of 1924-25 in which the party doubled its membership to 1 million:

-New members were young urban workers or poorly educated ex peasants who were not interested in debate, and were likely to listen to what their local party organiser tells them to do.

Stalins nationlistic policy also appealed to them

-how did trotsky absence from lenins funeral affect the power struggle?

-trotskys absence to lenins funeral damaged trotskys reputation.

-stalin could also set hiumslef up as lenins diciple during the funeral.

when and how did stalin exploit trotskys statements in his 1913 correspondence?

In October 1924, Stalin publically referred to Trotsky’s correspondence of 1913 n which he called Lenin “a professional exploiter of everything that is backwards in the Russian workers movement”

as a result of illness, which political posisition did trotsky abaonden?

-what was his new post? what is more/less influential than the previoius?

-when was this?

in 1925 Trotsky resigned as commissar of war and took a less important post in the council of the national economy.

when and what was trotskys hesitation?

the 13th party congress in May 1924 was the perfect opportunity for Trotsky to attack stalin
-he however hesitated over fears of being blamed for causing a split in the party.

why was lenins secret tesstament not revelaed to the public? how did this help stalin?

in 1924, Zinvoiev and Kamenev agreed that the testament should not be made public as:

-it attacked them
-they thought stalin posed no real threat
-they believed it could aid trotsky

how was trotsky harmed by the 13th party congress in 1924?

At the 13th party congress in may 1924, trotsky attacked the party for being too bureaocratic and non democratic.
-he was easily defeated in votes in congress.

how did the left wing of the party tear itself apart?

in 1924, Zinoviev and Kamenev campaigned against Trotsky, highligting his opposistion to Lenin before 1917

-trotsky responded by publishing Lessons in October, in which he highlighted their dissent in the October revolutionary vote.

how did stalin destroy the left?

By 1925, Stalin’s ‘socialism in one country’ gained popularity, attracting the right wing of the party as it seemed to fit with the NEP.

-A new alliance formed between Stalin and Bukharin

-in 1926, Zinoviev and Kamenev joined Trotsky, forming a ‘united opposition’ - and made direct appeals to the workers in Moscow. They were accused of factionalism under the 1921 ban on factions, and in 1927 expelled from the party.

how did stalin destroy the right?

in 1928 Stalin turned against the NEP and attacked the right wing.

-he advocated rapid industrialisation and use of brutal agricultural policy

-bukharin by 1929 was outvoted by Stalin’s supporters, and he along with other right wing leaders were removed from the Politburo and party bodies.