E3: Power Vacuum

What were Stalin's strengths in the power struggle?

-Stalin held a crucial position as General Secretary when the Party bureaucracy was expanding rapidly; he was good at gaining loyalty of trusted subordinates

-Stalin had worked hard to master the theories of Marxism-Leninism

-He was under-rated by his opponents and was very good at concealing his intentions

-Deliberately placed himself close to Lenin during his period of illness in 1922-1923, thus enabling Stalin to claim that he knew and understood what Lenin wanted

-Fear of Trotsky aided Stalin to make an alliance with Zinoviev and Kamenev in the Triumvirate.

What were Stalin's weaknesses in the power struggle?

-Most of his colleagues saw him as crude and violent; this image was accentuated by Lenin's criticism of Stalin's actions as People's Commissar for Nationalities

-He had played only a minor role in the 1917 Revolution and was overshadowed by others of greater prominence like Trotsky or greater popularity like Bukharin

-Although Lenin's testament as not revealed to the wider Party in 1924. Stalin's colleagues knew Lenin had turned against him.

How did Stalin already hold a strong position in the Party by Lenin's death?

He was part of the "Triumvirate" that dominated the Central Committee.

How was Stalin viewed by his colleagues?

-He had gained the reputation of being a man of violence and an immensely hard worker who was expert in dealing with the details of bureaucratic organisation

-His more experienced colleagues who had been more prominent in the seizure of power in 1917, regarded Stalin (the son of a cobbler with only a basic education) as intellectually inferior

-Though often rude, he could be amiable and friendly; many of his allies, including Bukharin, used his pet nickname,

"Koba", and regarded him as reasonable and reliable (which Kaganovich says he was until the culmination of his experiences during the power struggle).

What were the aspects of Stalin's character that his colleagues underestimated or were unaware of?

-He had a vast knowledge of the expanding party machinery and had placed loyal supporters in key positions

-Stalin was jealous of others but also patient, able to keep his long-term aims hidden and to wait a long time for revenge against people he perceived as enemies.

How did Stalin have to continuously react to the Testament even after 1924? Give an example of this.

Stalin remained on the defensive about Lenin's Testament for a long time afterwards. In 1926, Lenin's sister, Mariya, was enlisted to defend him against criticisms from his opponents in the Politburo.

Give two examples of Trotsky's followers who backed him on revolutionary ideology and Party democracy.

Karl Radek and Viktor Serge.

Who was widely regarded as the most important man in the Party apart from Lenin by 1924?

Trotsky.

Why were rivals already moving to restrict Trosky's influence before Lenin died?

Trotsky was very able and powerful as the most important man other than Lenin.

What were the positive aspects of Trotsky's character?

-He was an extraordinary organiser and man of action

-He was an exceptional ideologist and theoretician

-He held power and prestige from his past achievements in the revolution and Civil War and as a theorist and speech maker.

What were the negative aspects of Trotsky's character?

-He was arrogant and dismissive of people he saw as having lesser abilities

-He was often unwilling to get involved in the boring detail of party administration

-He was prone to sudden bouts of illness and inaction, seemingly "freezing" at times of crisis.

What were Trotsky's strengths in the power struggle?

-He was a brilliant intellectual and theorist

-Inspiring speechmaker

-Energetic man of action during the revolution and the Civil War, second in power and influence only to Lenin

-He had formidable political skills, ruthlessness, authority and organisational ability

What were Trotsky's weaknesses in the power struggle?

-Many Bolsheviks feared Trotsky; they thought he might use his hold over the Red Army to seize power after Lenin's death

-Because Trotsky had been a Menshevik and was a late convert to Bolshevism, some Old Bolsheviks were suspicious of him

-Colleagues disliked his arrogance and disdain for those he thought less clever than himself; he badly under-rated Stalin

-Trotsky made no serious attempt to build a base of support within the Party

-Trotsky was seen as inconsistent and an opportunist. He opposed the Triumvirate but later allied with Zinoviev and Kamenev against Stalin

-He could be indecisive and tended to fall ill at critical moments

-He made serious errors of judgement, such as attacking the Party bureaucracy in 1924 when he needed its support.

What were Kamenev's positions in the Party?

-He played an important tole in the events of 1917 leading to Bolshevik seizure of power (although he clashed with Lenin in November 1917 and briefly resigned from the Party)

-In 1918, he became chairman of the Moscow Soviet

-He was one of the first members of the Politburo from 1919 and was Lenin's Deputy Chairman of the Sovnarkom.

What was Kamenev's relationship with Zinoviev?

He was closely associated with Zinoviev and the two often acted together as a partnership.

What were the positive aspects of Kamenev's character?

-He was capable and intelligent

-He was a skilful politician good at managing people and situations.

What were the negative aspects of Kamenev's character?

-Like Zinoviev, he saw himself as an important player in a collective leadership but perhaps lacked the ambition or ruthlessness to seek power for himself

-He gained a reputation for "flip-flopping"- being too ready to change sides.

What were Kamenev's strengths in the power struggle?

-As one of the Old Bolsheviks, a man who had helped form Party policy and was close to Lenin, he had great influence. In 1922, after his stroke, Lenin entrusted many of his personal papers to Kamenev

-He had a strong power base in Moscow, where he ran the local party

-He was regarded as thoughtful and intelligent, good at smoothing out difficulties amongst colleagues, with the ability to get things done.

What were Kamenev's weaknesses in the power struggle?

-Like Zinoviev, he gained a reputation for inconsistency and opportunism by opposing Lenin in 1917 and later switching alliances between Stalin and Trotsky

-He was too closely linked to Zinoviev, who was more popular than he was

-Many regarded him as being too "soft" and lacking the drive to be a sole leader

-Kamenev seriously underestimated his rivals, especially Stalin.

What were the positive aspects of Zinoviev's character?

-Intelligent and educated with a wide knowledge of European culture

-One of the Party's best speechmakers, with a commanding presence; for example as Chairman of the Comintern.

What were the negative aspects of Zinoviev's character?

-He had a reputation for being vain

-He was inconsistent and prone to unpredictable mood swings

-Like Kamenev, he was seen as a compromiser without any consistent philosophy, who tended to buckle under pressure.

What were Zinovev's positions in the Party?

-Member of the Politburo

-Spokesman for the Central Committee at annual Party Congresses

-Head of the Comintern and chairman of the Comintern Congresses.

What were Zinoviev's strengths in the power struggle?

-As an Old Bolshevik, he commanded respect from some colleagues for his contribution to the revolution

-He had been high in Lenin's favour before 1924; Lenin called Zinoviev his "closest and most trusted assistant"

-His role as party boss in Leningrad gave him a strong political power base, second in importance only to Moscow.

What were the weaknesses of Zinoviev in the power struggle?

-His opposition to Lenin over the timing of the Bolshevik coup (and his joint resignation with Kamenev and Rykov in November 1917) was held aginst him

-He seriously underestimated his rivals, especially Stalin

-He and Kamenev left it too late before switching their support to Trotsky.

What was the Duumvirate?

Bukharin supported Stalin against the Left Opposition and, for a time, the two developed a close working partnership, often known as the "Duumvirate".

Which asset of Bukharin aroused Stalin's jealousy and hostility to him?

His popularity.

What were the positive aspects of Bukharin's character?

-Rank-and-file Bolsheviks saw him as impressive and likeable

-He was a brilliant intellectual and theoretician, highly popular with his Politburo colleagues and Party members

-Lenin called him the "darling of the Party"

-He was open and co-operative and had friendly relations with people on the Left as well as the Right.

What were the negative aspects of Bukharin's character?

He could be naive and lacked the capacity for intrigue, which made him unsuited to Party infighting.

What were Bukharin's strengths in the power struggle?

-He was popular within the Party, close to Lenin and for a long time friendly with Trotsky; in the 1920s, he was a close associate of Stalin and much respected by him

-He was widely regarded as the best theoretician in the Party

-He was a particular expert on economics and agriculture at a time when debates about the peasantry were of major concern to the Bolshevik government.

What were Bukharin's weaknesses in the power struggle?

-Because he tried to remain on good terms with everyone and to avoid factional in-fighting, he had no power base

-He seriously underestimated Stalin; he was also much more popular in the Party than Stalin, which made him a target for Stalin's enmity

-He made tactical mistakes such as leaving it much too late to make an alliance with Zinoviev and Kamenev.

Which wing of the Party did Rykov identify with and how did this show in his character?

He was on the moderate wing of the Party. Although always loyal to Lenin, he had frequently disagreed with Lenin and the radicals. In his moderate and conciliatory temperament and in questions of policy, he was more aligned to the views of Bukharin and Tomsky. As Chairman of the government he wanted to play a unifying role.

What were Rykov's strengths in the power struggle?

-He was widely respected in the Party for his experience as an Old Bolshevik, active since the early days of the revolution

-He had shown administrative ability in the implementation of war communism during the Civil War and in managing the switch of policy to the N.E.P.

-He had extensive support from Sovnarkom, who chose him as Deputy Chairman in 1923 and then Chairman in 1924.

What were Rykov's weaknesses in the power struggle?

-He was a conciliator more than a plotter; among the moderates, he was overshadowed by Bukharin's ability and popularity

-He held a largely ceremonial position in the collective leadership and lacked a power basea

-His policy of putting heavy taxes on vodka was socially correct but politically unwise and aroused intense opposition from sections of the Party

-As with Kamenev and Zinoviev, the fact that he had argued against Lenin over revolutionary tactics in 1917 was held against him

-Like many others, he under-rated Stalin till it was too late.

What was the character of Tomsky?

Tomsky was the son of a factory worker and had a long association with the trade unions. He was one of the few Old Bolsheviks from a genuinely working class background with a reputation for plain speaking. Despite his class origins, his political views were moderate.

What were Tomsky's strengths in the power struggle?

-He was respected for his long record as an Old Bolshevik and his working class origins made him popular in the Party

-His role as chief spokesman for the trade unions gave him a strong position within the Party; he was General Secretary of Red International of the Trade Unions from 1920 and was elected to the Central Committee and the Politburo in 1922

-He was a natural ally of moderate leaders such as Rykov and Bukharin.

What were Tomsky's weaknesses in the power struggle?

-His intense hostility to Trotsky blinded him to the danger of Stalin; his alliance with Stalin, Rykov and Bukharin in purging left-wingers from the Party in 1926 handed massive potential power to Stalin

-His power base in the trade unions made him an obvious target for Stalin's jealousy

-His support for the N.E.P. was going to be used against him when the grain crisis of 1927 hit the economy.