Revision notes on The Soviet Union After Lenin for History A Level. The revision notes covers: Did Stalin preserveof destroy Lenin's legacy? What issues divided leading Bolsheviks? The economy, the key people involved, The Power Struggle, the defeat of Trotsky, The New Opposition, The Right Opposi...
1. Did Stalin preserveor destroyLenin's legacy?
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A. Stalin and his strugglefor porver: the 'lefll And fright' opposition,
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Lenin was virtually incapacitatedfrom 1922onwards.In 1922he had dictated his
/
'Political Testament'in which he discussed
the other Bolshevikleadersand their
strengthsand weaknesses.
. Trotskywasguilty of an'excessof self-confidence'.
. Stalincould not be trustedto wield powerwith'suffrcient caution'.
I Kamenevand Zinovievhadopposedrevolutionin October1917becausethey lacked
revolutionaryzeal.
. Bukharinwasregardedastheoreticallysuspectandthuslikely to deviatefrom the Party
line.
r In 1923Lenin addedmore about Stalin.Stalinwasdescribed as'disloyal,intolerant,
discourteous
andrude'andcalledfor his dismissalasPartyGeneralSecretary.
The Bolshevikswere keen not to repeatwhat they saw asthe mistakesof the French
Revolution.
. TheFrenchRevolutionhadendedup asa military governmentled by Napoleon.
. Trotsky,asleaderof the RedArmy; wasthus regardedwith suspicionby mostof the
otherleadingBolsheviks,in casehe led a military coup.
r An informalgroup- Stalin,KamemevandZinovievcombinedto limit the influenceof
Trotsky.
r Trotskyhadonly joined the Bolsheviksin l9l7 , havingpreviouslybeena Menshevik,
andwasthusviewedwith suspicionby many'Old Bolsheviks'
At Lenin's funeral Stalin gavethe funeral speech.
. hewas in prime positionto succeedLenin asPartyleader.It senta
This suggested
powerfulimageto the restof the country.
. Trotskywas missing- convalescingat a Black Searesort.He later claimedStalin
deliberatelygavehim the wrong day andstoppedhim returningto Moscow
. wishes,a'Cult of Lenin'began.Thebodywas
After thefuneral,andagainsthis express
preservedandput on displayin Red Square.TheParty setup anImmortalization
Commissionto preserveLenin'smemory.
. Eachcity soonhada statueof Lenin. Workerswere exhortedto join the Partyin the so-
calledT-eninEnrolment.'Membership of the Parfynearlydoubled.Petrogradwas
renamedLeningrad.
. Lenin would needto be seenasa closefollower of his ideasand
Whoeverwasto succeed
policies
, 2
What issuesdividedleadingBolsheviks?
Relationswith the rest of the world
Th€vu+;-S;i li was
. SomeCommunists,like Trotskybelievedin'PermanentRevolutiort''
oi ote:
impossiblefor thei;SSn to survivein a hostileworld without the zupport
Socialiststates.
CommunistHerce
. The emphasisthereforeshouldbe on helpingothercountriesbecome
Cominftrn (TheCommunistInternational)was setup in 1918.
that it was
. Others,like Stalirl believed\n'socialismin OneCountry''Theyargued
communist counqr
necessary to consolidatesovietrule in Russiafirst, makea successful
by their own efiicrts,andthuscreatea Superpow er thatcouldresistthe effortsof a hostile
world to defeatit.
The economy
communists'
. The two issuesof Industrialisationandthe NEP bitterly dividedmany and
in to thepeasants
. The NewEconomicPolicywas seenby manyasa defeat,asgiving
capitalists.
war-torneconomy
, Lenin haddescribedit asa temporarymeasureto rebuildthe shattered
but how longwastemPorarY?
by capitalistmeans'By
. Many questionedthe validity of buildingthe first communiststate
production'
1g23-24theeconomyhad largelyreachidpre-warlevelsof food
Marxists believedin the
. All agreedon the needfor large-scaleindustrialisation, afterall
industrialisethe
supfemacyof the workers.The argumentwas aboutHOW to best
country.
long slow roadto growth'
. Thoseon the Right of the Party,likeBukharin,believedin a
The Partyshouldencourage the peasantsto grow morecropsfor food for the citiesbut
alsoto exPortthe surPlus.
new factories'etc'
. Theseexportswould createthe capitalneededto investin the
slow,that peasantsshould
. Thoseon the Left, like Trotsky,believedthis would be far too industrialisation
be squeezeO to foice themto pt*iA" tn" capitalmuchmorequickly, that
shouldbe at the expenseofthe peasants'
' Thiswascalledthe'Theoryof PrimitiveSocialistAccumulation''
gfowttt' andeventuallyto
r fu 1921Gosplanwas setup to collectstatisticsof economic
producetargetsfor the economy'
The PartY,or Bureaucratisation
This meanttight
. The BolshevikPartyhadbegunasanundergroundparty in exile'
disciplineand doingasyou weretold'
too for survival'In
. During the RevolutionandCivil War disciplinehadbeenessential
in practicemostwere
theorypostswithin the Partywereelectedfrom below but
appointedfromabove.WhoevercontrolledthePartythushadgreatpowerandinfluence.
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