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Summary IGCSE Russia Paper full revision notes
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The Leadership StruggleMain factor that allowed Stalin to Rise to Power
Stalin’s background
Stalin was one of the few leaders with proletarian roots and he was a long-time
Bolsheviks.
Stalin’s position in all key party organizations gave him huge amount of power and
built up his power base
o Head of Orgburo from 1919, this allowed him to put his supporters in key
positions
o He was the General Secretary of the Communists’ party from 1922, this
position gave him control of the business of Politburo, for example, drawing
up agendas and papers for the politburo meetings gave him control over
what was being discussed and what other members received. This position
also made him in charge of membership admission, he used his power to
demote his rivals and their supporters and promote his supporter, this was
the main reason why he had all the party congress in his favour
o Control of party membership, this allowed Stalin to get rid of the more
radical elements such as soldiers and students who may support Trotsky
Stalin was also neither left wing or right wing, he was in the middle, he changed sides
often to the side with more supporters
Stalin’s actions
Stalin stayed in the background pretending to be a peacemaker, so no one realized
he was a serious power player
Lenin died on January 21st 1924, Stalin made full use of Lenin’s funeral to advance his
position. Stalin tricked Trotsky into not turning up on Lenin’s funeral by telling him
the wrong date.
In 1924, Stalin joined forces with Zinoviev and Kamenev and defeated Trotsky. Stalin
made sure his supporters packed the Congress when it came to voting; therefore,
Trotsky lost his position as the leader of the red army.
In 1926, Stalin turned on Zinoviev and Kamenev and joined forces with Bukharin to
put forward his ideas on “Socialism in One Country.” Again, Stalin made sure his
supporters packed the Congress, therefore, Zinoviev and Kamenev lost their jobs.
In 1927, Trotsky, Zinoviev, and Kamenev were all expelled from the party as they
tried to voice their criticism of Stalin. Later on, Stalin turned on Bukharin and
attacked the NEP which the right wing supported.
Trotsky was exiled to central Asia, Kamenev and Zinoviev apologized and were allowed back
in.
Weaknesses of Opponents
Other contenders such as Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev and Bukharin all made a
mistake of underestimating Stalin
Trotsky:
o had only joined the Bolsheviks in August 1917, many Bolsheviks did not trust
him and thought he might become a dictator.
, o Trotsky from 1923 was often absent at crucial moments such as Lenin’s
funeral, this severely damaged Trotsky’s reputation as it seemed like he did
not care about the great leader of the Communists.
o He was an extreme left wing which means right wing did not like him.
o His personalities were unfit to be the leader, he doesn’t engender personal
loyalty and he was dismissive of his colleagues.
o He didn’t build his support base
Bukharin:
o was a right wing
o In the Congress of 1929, Bukharin underestimated Stalin, he found himself
devoted by Stalin’s supporters as he wanted to preserve the New Economic
Policy
Krupskaya gave Lenin’s secret testament to the Central Committee in May 1924
before the Thirteenth Party Congress. If the testament was read out, it would have
ended Stalin’s career. However, Zinoviev and Kamenev urged that it should not
become general knowledge, because they thought Stalin had no real threat to them
or the party. On the other hand, other comrades did not present the testament to
the public which could have ruined Stalin’s career.
Reasons for Stalin’s economic policies
1. To increase grain supplies
2. To increase military strength
3. To move towards a socialist society
4. To achieve self-sufficiency
5. To improve standards of living
6. To establish his credentials
The change from the NEP to the Five-Year Plans is called the Great Turn. From soviet
economy to central planning, the “command economy”.
Collectivization
Collectivization was the Communists’ long-term aim for agriculture. Mass collectivization
began in December 1929 with Stalin’s instruction to “liquidate the kulaks as a class”. The
negative effect of collectivization was the human cost. The human cost was horrendous, the
suffering cannot be qualified. Roy Medvedev estimates that ten million peasants were
dispossessed and more than two million died. Furthermore, “The Harvest of Sorrow”
published in 1987 by Robert Conquest estimates that seven million died in the famine of
1932 to 1934. The cause of the famine was because the state continued to requisition the
grains.
The positive effects of collectivization were the political and economic successes for the
government. Politically, it was a great success as by 1939 99% of peasants in the Soviet
Union were living and working on over 250,000 kolkhoz and ninety per cent of the
households of peasants were collectivized by 1936. They also established a system using
local soviets and Machine tractor stations which controlled the countryside and making
agriculture serve the towns and workers. Economically, the state collected the grain it
needed to feed the rapidly growing workforce and sold the grain abroad to fund
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