How far did Stalin, to 1939, continue the policies of Lenin?
Stalin claimed to be an allegiant follower of Lenin’s Marxist legacy. But practically, his heavy revision of Lenin’s policies made this claim doubtful. This essay will discuss both sides, on what Stalin had enshrined or extended, and what he had discarded from Lenin’s legacy.
Politically, the core of Lenin’s party ethos, namely Socialism was preserved. Stalin continued to pursue policies aiming at eliminating the bourgeois class, notably the kulaks, and disclosing class gap. Stalin continued to believe in the Leninist doctrine of ‘deliberate revolution’, that employing the moral authority of one party and military force as means to enhance the establishment of the socialist state. The red army as a counterforce of CHEKA was effectively combated. However, there is a noted difference of the extents to which the role of ideology dominated politics at Lenin’s and Stalin’s rule. Stalin established ‘cult of personality’ that worshipped images of both Lenin and Stalin himself. Terror was widely exercised not only on anti-Bolsheviks but innocent civilians. Many of Lenin’s former colleagues and comrades were murdered in the ruthless purges and show trials. It could be seen that Lenin’s policy of ‘all power to the Bolshevik party’ had been altered to ‘all power to one person (Stalin)’. The presence of personality of the leader alone was much stronger in Stalin’s reign than in that of Lenin’s. Though the use of terrorism to combat opposition can be rooted to Lenin’s policy but the aim for this was altered for the advantage of Stalin’s individual dominance than for the party’s security. Inter-party conflicts at Lenin’s time were translated into internal conflicts within the party and diversity of opinions was not tolerated. Universal suffrage was nonexistent. Though both regimes were authoritarian, the liberal and humanist element in Lenin’s vision was discarded.