Lecture notes
Class notes on ELizabeth I rebellions: Depth Study Oxford AQA History for A Level: The Tudors: England Revision Guide, ISBN: 9780198421405
Condensed notes on the rebellions under Elizabeth I.
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
Seller
Follow
Content preview
‘Economic motives were the most important factor in the decision to abandon the NewEconomic policy.’ Assess the validity of this view.
The New Economic Policy, created by Lenin in 1921, was a ‘temporary’ retreat to Capitalism in an
attempt to resolve the economic issues in Russia with some early success until 1928. The abandoning
of the policy lead to the ‘Great Turn’. As R.W. Davies claimed, the NEP saved the economy from
disaster in the beginning but had to be changed by the late 1920s because it could not provide the
framework for large-scale industrialisation. Although the declining economy was a serious factor,
Stalin had other significant motives including the consolidation of power, achieving stability for
Russia and gaining support from Marxists.
The poor economic state of the USSR was, to a moderate extent, an important factor in the
abandonment of Lenin’s ‘temporary measure’. This was because Stalin wanted to modernise Russia
by ending the reliance on the backward agriculture system in hope to increase grain supplies and
industrial output. Moreover, the downfall of the NEP can be seen by the smaller level of grain output
in 1927 than 1913 and in the late 1920s, exports dropped by a third of pre-1914 levels which hindered
the economy. Despite these obvious signs, Stalin did not introduce his Five-Year Plans as an
immediate response to the crisis, and this suggests that economic motives were a secondary factor in
his decision to abandon the New Economic Policy. Nevertheless, it is clear by Stalin’s slogan in his
1931 speech, ‘we are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries, we must make good this
distance in ten years’, that he believed the survival of Soviet Russia depended on the nation’s ability
to turn itself into a modern industrial country in the shortest time possible. This evidently implies that
Stalin had a desire to; catch up with the West’ especially after the NEP inhibited industrialisation.
However, this may be accentuated with Stalin’s fear of a foreseeable war and he knew that in order to
win a modern war, he would require a well-developed industrial base to manufacture weaponry and
ammunitions. Moreover, there were a number of factors that led to the Stalin’s fear of war in the late
1920s including the fractious relations with Britain after the Zinoviev letter culminated in the end of
diplomatic relations following a 1927 British police raid on a Soviet trade delegation and relations
with France and Poland deteriorated, and Russia feared Japanese intentions. This fear of invasion
evidently forms the main basis of Stalin’s motivation to abandon the malfunctioning economic policy,
because by improving the economy Russia would be more prepared for war and this would also
strengthen Stalin’s political authority.
Another significant factor in Stalin’s decision to abandon the New Economic Policy was his
underlying political motives. This is exemplified by Stalin’s role in the leadership battle in 1918 when
he coincidentally also decided to abandon the NEP and as this was the best way of confirming his
authority over the party and the government. Although, it was more likely that the policy was a result
of forced circumstances due to the grain procurement crisis in the winter of 1927 to 1928, where the
amount of grain purchased by the government was 25% less than the previous year. Therefore,
Stalin’s motives were more accurately accentuated with economical motives because of the decline in
output. Moreover, Stalin’s move towards more radical policies were the result of his power security
which clearly implies that Stalin’s motives were economical, and he saw this as more alarming than
fighting in a monopolised leadership battle. Furthermore, by 1928, the triumvirate and duumvirate had
disintegrated, giving Stalin full control and he had minimised Trotsky’s threat rather effortlessly as
Trotsky made no real opposition. This indicates that gaining further political power was not a
significantly important motive for Stalin’s decision to abandon the New Economic Policy. Regardless,
when Stalin introduced his radical economic changes, he claimed that they marked a significant stage
in Soviet communism as had Lenin’s fatal decision to sanction the October uprising in 1917. This
comparison was obviously intended to enhance his own status as a revolutionary leader following in
the footsteps of Lenin, however, it may not have been entirely political and may have been used to
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller shradharayarel4. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £7.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
50843 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now