Industrialisation:
- NEP was not popular with Communist Party – promoted capitalism
- Scissors crisis – 1923 (and other issues with NEP)
- Eventually grain prices recovered and NEP could continue
- 1926 – government reduced grain procurement prices, grain sales reduced, caused procurement crisis
- Debate emerged on what to do next
L – Preobrazhensky – primitive socialist accumulation
- Tax peasants heavily, keep prices of goods
- Reduce consumption of scarce resources
- Industrialisation = priority
- Take grain cheaply, sell abroad to provide capital for investment
- Declared contrary to party line after Left defeat in power struggle
R – Bukharin – socialism at the speed of a peasant nag – Stalin starts here first
- Encourage Smychka (relations between town and country)
- Gradual adjustment of prices
- Slowly accumulate surplus to finance industrialisation
- Communists should educate peasants
- Immediate task = reduce prices of goods, peasants will sell more grain
- Supreme Economic Council – Vesenkha
- Responsible for making decision making about and overseeing the economy
- Dzerzhinsky – supervised rebuilding of Russian industry
- 1926 – Kuibyshev demanded more rapid investment
- Needed to squeeze more resources from peasants
- GOSPLAN
- Not Bolshevik
- 1921 – provide projections on economy, collect data
- 1926 – put forward general plan for growth – gradual
- Vesenkha’s plans = extravagant
Permanent revolution’ or ‘Socialism in One Country’:
Ideological issue – overshadowed all other debates – question of world revolution. All theories – Marxism-Leninism – assumed it was impossible for revolution to survive in a single country – capitalist countries – gang together & strangle revolution at birth. It was not just desirable – but essential for Bolshevik Revolution – Russia – trigger chain reaction of other revolutions – but Marxist theory – contradicted by events – revolution in Germany – Hungary – crushed & defeat in Russo-Polish War – 1920 blocked revolutionary way to the West – 1920s – USSR – existed at early communist state. Trotsky & the left still held the line – Soviet Union – commit to ‘permanent revolution’ –maximum support – given to Comintern – fermenting revolution across the world. NEP – compromise – economic reality: ‘Socialism in One Country’. This approach – appealed to many in the Party who wanted stability, and who feared the continuous revolutionary turmoil that Trotsky was advocating.
How & why Stalin became Party Leader:
1924 – established central position in Party Leadership. Lenin’s funeral – enabled Stalin to entrench – position further Stalin – placed in charge of arrangements for funeral & seize opportunity to promote cult of Leninism – by making – funeral – state occasion, marked by adoration of the Great Leader. Stalin – insisted Lenin’s body – embalmed & place of public view – been said that Stalin – making Leninism into religion – with loyal comrade Stalin p High Priest. Trotsky – absent – far away in Sukhum – Black Sea, convalescing from a serious bout of influenzas.
During 1924 & 1925 – power struggle shifted – new phase. Until this time – Stalin’s political skills – underrated by other leaders – just as they had underrated importance of Stalin’s bureaucratic power as General Secretary – with their more obvious & pressing concern to stop Trotsky – Stalin’s ambitions had gone – unnoticed. But – as Trotsky’s position became weaker – perceptions of Stalin changed & Triumvirate began to fall apart.
Defeat of left opposition:
Perhaps surprising that Trotsky – didn’t make a decisive move against Stalin – early in 1924. At a time when Stalin’s control of bureaucracy – gradually being perceived – threat to his rivals – 13th party – congress May – 1924 – seemed offer perfect occasion to move against Stalin – Trotsky hesitated – possibly – he was nervous of being blamed for causing a split in the Party – because he thought there could be a better opportunity later. Stalin – had valuable support from Kamenev & Zinoviev at Congress – who protected Stalin from criticisms arising from Lenin’s Testament. The Triumvirate seemed strong. Trotsky – never found – better opportunity to challenge Stalin – positions were powerful at the time of Lenin’s death – slid slowly backwards. Trotsky – not a natural conspirator like Stalin – lacked an instinct for bureaucratic infighting or the patience needed to mobilise his supporter or to win over potential allies. Stalin showed single minded focus on building up a personal following of loyal supporters and placing them in key positions. After the 13th party congress – 1924 – tensions grew within Triumvirate as Kamenev & Zinoviev – became frustrated by their failure to control Stalin. Bukharin – became ally of Stalin again the others. This was the time when the debate over ‘permanent revolution’ or ‘Socialism in one country’ – was particularly intense, and the mood of the arty was moving towards Stalin’s view that stability with the USSR – more important than ‘reckless adventures’ – fermenting revolution abroad. Similarly – future of the NEP was fiercely debated – many in the Party disagreed with Bukharin’s enthusiastic support for peasants ‘enriching themselves’. In these shifting alliances, Stalin almost invariable placed himself in the ‘guided middle’ avoiding extreme positions. By beginning of 1925 – balance within the Party – was swinging further away from Trotsky – at Central Committee – January – Trotsky was forced out of his post as People’s Commissar for War. Zinoviev proposed Trotsky should be expelled from Party- but Stalin – determined to keep his image as moderate rejected this.
Trotsky – isolated but not yet defeated – without fears of Trotsky to keep it together, the Triumvirate – even more fractious – Kamenev & Zinoviev opposed Stalin in the Central Committee – September – 1925 & the battle lines of the power struggle were redrawn at the 14th party congress in December – 1925. Kamenev & Zinoviev – launched direct attack on Stalin. Found it hard to do this effectively – had all be allied to him – for previous year & had frequently backed Stalin’s view of dangers of factionalism. From 1925b- easily planned as factionists – endangering security of the USSR – at a precarious time. Result – Kamenev & Zinoviev were gradually pushed onwards joining the format enemy – Trotsky – Left Opposition. Stalin & Bukharin formed a partnership 0 sometimes called Duumvirate – virtually running the country in 1926 & 1927. Power struggle – far from over – 1926 & Party leadership – still unstable. Stalin & Bukharin – feared Trotsky. Left opposition became the United opposition. Bitter – fighting in the first half of 1926 – theoretical as well as political – war of words fought out by the main contenders – a food of books – sometimes known as ‘Literary discussion’ –important episode in power struggle. Stalin line appealed to a majority of power members. The clash between Trotsky & his allies one side – against Stalin & Bukharin on the other continued through 1926 – but Stain generally had the upper hand – he faced continuous criticism & in December – his frustrations led him to offer to resign as General Secretary. Trotsky & United Opposition increased pressure in spring & summer – 1927 – at a time when Stalin was blamed for the crushing of the Chinese Communists in Canton & Shanghai. Stalin & Bukharin – fought back strongly – backed by their indulge majorities in Party Committees. October – 1927 – Central Committee voted to expel Trotsky, Zinoviev & Kamenev from the CC in November – Trotsky & Zinoviev – expelled from the Party altogether. At 15th party – Congress – December – 1927 – expulsions – confirmed & dozens of other oppositionists – expelled. Stalin & Bukharin – seemingly triumphant.
Defeat of the Bukharin & the Right:
Outwardly – Duumvirate of Stalin & Bukharin – secure & harmonious – two families lived near each other & private relations between them were friendly. But – political tensions – began to emerge in 1928 – these tensions began to emerge – 1928/ Partly – these tensions – about power – Stalin’s long term aims – did not extend to sharing power. Partly – about policy –especially in relation to NEP & Peasants. At the beginning – 1928 – Russia – facing serious food shortage – regime – difficulty buying enough grain from peasant products. Crisis intensified – dissatisfaction with NEP among party members keen o Russia industrialiser quicker. There was undercurrent of criticisms – Russia of Bukharin – always like t be seen as adopt on the peasant question. Stalin’s instinct – in favour of tough action to compel the peasantry to increase grain supplies – also possible Stalin always favoured polices but held back while fighting political battles with the Left. As Stalin mapped to harsh measures in the countryside – divisions between him and Bukharin widened. Stalin – permanently supervised stern measures against peasants in western Siberia – Jan & Feb – 1928. April – 1928 – Bukharin pressed against ‘excesses’ by officials. Bukharin expected other party leaders to support him, but they did not – he and Stalin clashed repeatedly in Politburo. Bukharin’s speeches & articles in favour of ‘sensible’ policies made by little impact. Bukharin – now idoliser & vulnerable to Stalin’s attack. Stalin – formerly – moderate in the golden middle was reverting to radical revolutionary policies – war in the countryside against kulaks suffering and rapid industrialisation, even a new emphasis on interventionist foreign policies were followed through with increasing severity through 1928 into 1929 – Bukharin ceased to be a partner & became an enemy along with other rightists – Rykov & Tomsky. Feb – 1929 – Bukharin – desperate enough to consort making an alliance with Trotsky. April – 1929- Bukharin – deprived of several of his government posts including editorship of Pravda – November – 1929 – expelled from Politburo. Decree – 1929 – Stalin made a speech that revealed the harsh nature of the policies he had now intended to follow. Era or Stalin the revolutionary – over – era of stallion the report – just beginning.
Few of Old Bolsheviks – died peacefully in their beds – of those who contended for power – Stalin – 1940 – rest died through violence on Stalin’s orders. Elimination – gradual after 1929 – some like Trotsky went into exile – criticising Stalin’s dictatorship from afar. Most attempted to reconcile themselves to Stalin’s rule – humiliating conversions of pas errors & accepting subordinate positions in the Party. Zinoviev & Kamenev – gave I to Stalin – 1928 – loss his posts & place in Politburo. Rykov – sacked & replaced by Molotov – 1930. Tomsky – removed from his role with trade unions. Bukharin – most committed opponent to Stalin admitted his mistake November 1930 – in a desperate effort to preserve influence in the party – he hated Stalin but still stained fifth in the revolution & could not make a complete break with it.
But – did not have themselves – Stalin – never forgave formal revivals. So, his regime tightened its grip on aspects of politics and society – 1930s – Stalin became more paranoid about threats – set about purging any remanent of opposition. In a series of arrests & show trials – 1930s – those who had once opposed Stalin –targeted, denounced & executed. Stalin – not stylised wit just defeats his rivals – most – forced into humiliating concession of past crimes of conspiring against USSR – families often victimised.