Revision notes - All about Stalin

committee → Stalin, Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev… → declared they would rule as a collectivity Stalin spoke at L’s funeral showing his loyalty → continuity between him and L → all for individual powerThis speech was his first crucial move Trotsky wasn’t even present → betrayed the image of a Leninist TROTSKY: Intellectually brilliant → also had extreme weaknesses → undermined his chances of successFelt inhibited by the fact he was Jewish → anti Semitism (hatred of the Jew race) made him an outsider → refused to be Deputy Chairman → enemies would attack this, the rule of a Jew Stalin wanted to isolate Trotsky by exploiting his lack of popularity New proletariat → more drawn to the “down to earth” Stalin Trotsky → brilliant → attracted admiration or distaste → lacked a followingDoubt of his commitment to Bolshevism → led to suspicion DISPUTES OVER THE NEPAfter the civil war → Russia was in a terrible stateWar communism was put in place to supposedly restore stability:Agriculture/industry → under central government Food was seized from the peasants by squadsMoney was abolished Farming and profit was forbidden … Lenin hope this would ease the economic issues the country was facing → it made it worse → hunger intensified He therefore put the NEP in place:Central economic control was to be relaxedTaxes would be paid in kindPeasants could keep their surplus food → the more they produced the more they could keep Public markets were to be restoredMoney would be introduced againThe NEP gave way to deep disagreements but Russia’s situation could not afford to go against Lenin’s NEP → said to be only temporary concession to capitalism in order to restore a more efficient socialism Lenin was being realistic → thought political theory should stand back for a bit → this worried T who were pro war communism Trotsky declared the NEP as “the degeneration of Bolshevism”Division between left and right communists Stalin used T’s opposition to the NEP as a tool against him Stalin backed Lenin up Basically now, RUSSSIA NEEDED TO INDUSTRIALIZEBut how and in how much time? TROTSKY: wanted the peasants to cooperate → however he was more focused on Russia’s international revolution He wanted a permanent revolution Rising would take place form country to country Wanted a world wide revolution of the proletariatThought that the socialist could only take place in Russia if it spread to the rest of the world Wanted to EXPORT the revolution Stalin used this to make T seem like a danger and a threat to the eventual well being of the USSRStalin wanted socialism in ONE countryNeeded to turn Russia into a modern state It therefore had to work to:Overcome present agricultural and industrial problems by unaided effortsTo go on and build a modern state → like other nationsPriority → survival of the Soviet Union Stalin used this contrast between him and T to denounce him as the enemy T was portrayed as affronting Lenin and the BolsheviksStalin was to know better → we was closer to Lenin MORE OVER → Russia feared the invasion of foreign countries throughout the 1920’s → T wanted an international revolution → appeared like a threat and a danger SUMMARY:Stalin’s advantages: Held key posts in the party and the government Took initiatives after Lenin’s deathT’s disadvantages: Strange diffidence allows Stalin to make the runningLacks power baseMAJOR CLASH: visions of the revolution, permanent and in one country ONLYDEFEAT OF T AND THE LEFT: Kamenev and Zinoviev → helped insure that Stalin was gaining popularity and would gain in votesT was weakened → Now Stalin wanted to get rid of the “triumvirate”, he saw them as a potential threatThey were calling for the abandon of the NEP and for measures to be re imposed upon the peasants → called the United opposition, T joined inStalin’s increased power and control meant that the Party Congress refused to be influenced by the United Opposition Kamenev and Zinoviev were dismissed from heir posts SUMMARY: Local Party Bosses (K and Z)→ use their influence to create a pro Stalin anti T → Congress votes against T Stalin then turns to K and Z who form the United Opposition Policies of United opposition on NEP and modernization match T’s → They block a formStalin uses the Right Communists to deliver the votes in 1926 → United opposition is defeated, K and Z are dismissed T is expelled from the Central committee T fights on, but in 1927, Congress expels him the Party→ 1929, exiled from the Soviet Union The right were not as big of a threat then the united opposition BUT they were standing in the way of Stalin’s industrial and agricultural schemes Stalin was becoming more and more dictatorial COLLECTIVATION 1928 AND INDUSTRALIZATION Collectivization: the taking over by the Soviet state of the land and property previously owned by the peasants, accompanied by the requirements that the peasants now live and work communally. He imposed grain procurements: enforced collections of fixed quotas of the grain from the peasants → 1928Stalin adopted the policy that T had advocated earlier onWEAKNESSES OF THE RIGHT that Stalin was able to exploit Their ideas seemed unrealistic Stalin stated that the right were underestimated the Russian crisis Stalin remained at the top of power, was basically impossible to advance ideas He belittled the right as weakSUMMARY:Issues raised by the right → When would the NEP end? ; How were the peasants to be treated? ; What was to be the pace of industrialization?Weaknesses of the right → lacked appealing ideas, leaders unable to rally support = easily removed by Stalin AIM: A second revolution to modernize Russia MOTIVES: to confirm his authority as a leader, to enable Russia to catch up with the western world MEANS: Collectivization, industrialization Destruction of the wealthy peasant class In order to obtain a rapid industrialization agriculture was crucial → provide food, export goods at cheap prices Farms were yet too small, the kulaks had more influence and could therefore regulate prices → the government wanted to take control, the wanted the end of private ownershipCollective farms→ produce more and more surplus Agriculture was to be reformed → provide enough seeds… Collective farms – conglomeration of smaller farms; peasants given a share of the surplus production after state had taken its shareThe condition of the agricultural situation had to be considered → 80% of the populationThe peasants were the masses → had to keep them happy The peasant labor forced had to be reinforced In a very short time all peasants were in collective farms → modern machinery could be used Supplies of food were insures “in theory”The people inside the collective farms could not leave → internal passportsKulaks were farmers that got wealthy with the NEPThe kulaks could produce surplus food → they had more power, they were more richThey were enriched by private enterprise → against the communist ideologies The government thought they were a threat because they could set their own pricesAfter the NEP→ or they gave up their grain or they went to jailEverything was taken from themPeasants in their million were resisting to collectivism → all their productions were going to the government → December 1929 to march 1930FAMINES broke out → especially from 1932 to 1933Peasants were in desperation They stopped producing in despair SUMMARY:AIM: end of private ownershipMEANS: Anti kulak campaigns CONSEQUENCES:Disruption on the landPeasant bewilderment Catastrophic fall in food productionHunger and famines Government failure to deal with famines FIRST FRIVE YEAR PLAN: October 1928 to December 1932A set of goals to be reached, not how to reach them (most of them being very unrealistic) A plan of massive propaganda → make the Soviet people that they were engaged in a vast industrial enterprise → touched the younger more enthusiastic population → MASTERS OF THEIR OWN FATE SUCCESSES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:The 1st FYP was of a great achievement Output of coal and iron increased in huge proportions BUT no effort was made to reward the workers by providing them with consumer goods → no concern of improving their living conditions → they deteriorated in this period Its purpose was collective not individual RESISTENCE AND SABOTAGE:He branded resistance to the plan as sabotage Stalin claimed to have discovered secret anti soviet conspiracy → trial → meant to scare other workers The peasants were not skilled → he focused on quantity and not quality When factories did not produce enough he blamed it on managers and claimed they were not willing to pay they partThese managers could find themselves in public trials or declared as government enemies Atmosphere of fear and recrimination