the ideological debate

lenins decling health

Multiple strokes from 1922 onwards incapacitated him; he died on 21 January 1924.

Permanent revolution

trotsky zinoviev and kamenev

continue NEP

Bukharin tomsky and Rykov

Early Power Struggle & “Triumvirate” (1924–1925)

• A power bloc formed by Stalin, Zinoviev, and Kamenev to counter Trotsky.

• 13th Party Congress (May–June 1924): Stalin pushed his policy of “Socialism in One Country,” denouncing Trotsky’s Permanent Revolution as “petty-bourgeois deviation.” Lenin’s Testament remained unpublished, helping Stalin consolidate his position as General Secretary.

Defeating Trotsky

• Trotsky outmaneuvered: His criticism of bureaucracy and absenteeism didn’t gain support. He lost his position as Commissar for War in January 1925,

• United Opposition: In mid-1926, Trotsky, Zinoviev, and Kamenev formed the United Opposition. They were branded as factionalists. Stalin removed them from key posts; Trotsky was expelled from the Party in 1927, later exiled to Kazakhstan (1928) and deported (1929).

NEP and the great turn

• NEP introduced by Lenin (1921–28):

  • Left Opposition (Trotsky, Zinoviev): NEP betrayed socialism; demanded rapid industrialisation.

  • Right (Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky): Supported NEP continuation.

  • Stalin’s shift: Initially backed the Right, then pivoted to the Left’s ideas of forced industrialisation and collectivisation by late 1927–28

defeating the right

• grain procurement crisis (1927–1929): Poor harvests led to food shortages, giving Stalin a pretext for grain requisitioning and collectivisation.

• “Great Turn”: By 1928, Stalin reversed his stance and called for forced collectivisation and rapid industrialisation. He positioned Bukharin and the Right as “Right Communist” traitors.

1929 party congress

• At the 1929 Party Congress, Bukharin lost key roles—Pravda editorship, Politburo, Comintern presidency; removed from office. By December 1929, Stalin was undisputed leader.

stalin as supreme leader

• As General Secretary, Stalin placed loyalists in key positions and demoted opponents

• Cult of personality: Propaganda portrayed Stalin as Lenin’s true heir, “Father of Nations,” erasing rivals from history.

ideological

Permanent Revolution (Trotsky)	Socialism in One Country (Stalin)

Global socialist revolution needed for survival

USSR could build socialism alone

Heavily revolutionary, internationalist

Pragmatic, nationalist, state‑led socialist development

Aligned with Left Opposition

Adopted by Stalin, Zinoviev, Kamenev early; later Stalin as monopoly ideology

large timeline

Lenin dies

21 January 1924

13th Party Congress (Socialism in One Country vs Trotskyism)

May–June 1924

Trotsky loses Commissar for War post

January 1925

14th Party Congress (victory over New Opposition)

December 1925

United Opposition formed

Mid‑1926

Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev expelled

1927

Grain crisis & “Great Turn”

1927–1928

First Five Year Plan begins

1928

Trotsky exiled; Bukharin purged

1928–⁠1929

Stalin supreme leader

December 1929

why did stalin triumph

• Control of party machinery: As General Secretary, he orchestrated promotions and purges, creating a loyal base.

• Flexible ideology: Adopted whichever position best weakened opponents—first NEP to ally with the Right, then rapid industrialisation to discredit the Right.

• Manipulating Lenin’s legacy: Suppressed his Testament; controlled funeral imagery and narratives.

• Exploited crises: Food shortages, peasant resistance, and NEP failure provided pretexts for coercive measures.

The NEP in the 1920s

as the decade progressed the NEP became increasingly unattractive. the growth of a rich superclass,property dealing,gambling and land speculation - no place in socialism

1925-26 industry recovered to pre-1913 levels

high unemployment and food shortages started to reappear. peasants held onto produce

The funeral

-stalin tricked trotsky into not turning up at lenin’s funeral. severely damaging trotsky’s reputation and political prestige.

-he made the most of the funeral,setting himself up as Lenin’s disciple, the person who could carry on Lenin’s work

The united opposition

in 1926 zinoviev and kamenev joined trotsky to form a united opposition against stalin and made a direct appeal to party masses. however they could now be accused of “Factionalism” and all three of them lost their positions of power. in 1927 they were expelled from the party

timeline

• 1926 – Publication of On Questions of Leninism, where Stalin articulates “Socialism in One Country,” challenging Trotsky’s Permanent Revolution

• October 1927 – Trotsky is removed from the Central Committee; he is exiled to Kazakhstan in 1928 and deported from the USSR in 1929

• January 1928 – The grain procurement crisis begins, with Stalin blaming kulak “sabotage” — this crisis marks the shift from NEP to forced industrialisation

• 1928 – Launch of the First Five-Year Plan; Stalin begins collectivisation and pushes for rapid industrialisation

• 1928–1929 – Bukharin,is gradually removed from power — stripped of posts at Pravda, Comintern, and within the party. By 1929, he's fully purged from leadership

• By December 1929 – Stalin stands as the undisputed leader of both party and state

• Propaganda – From 1928–29, collectivisation and industrialisation are celebrated via state media; state control over press intensifies, the cult of personality intensifies, rewriting history and suppressing dissent begins

divide&conquer

Stalin first allied with Bukharin to isolate Trotsky, then reversed against Bukharin by exploiting the grain crisis—switching ideology as needed to outflank opponents

Stalins benefits

crsis exploitation

The 1927–28 grain procurement crisis became a tool to discredit Bukharin’s NEP approach and justify forced industrial and agricultural control

control & ideological shift

• As General‑Secretary, Stalin staffed loyalists in key roles, manipulated party committees and publications (e.g. Pravda) to sway opinion

• Ideological shift: His adoption and promotion of “Socialism in One Country” aligned him with nationalist sentiments and weakened Trotsky’s internationalist credibility

The winner

in december 1929 stalin celebrated his 50th birthday. He was now the undisputed leader of the ussr