The Power Vacuum and Power Struggle:

Collective leadership (1924-1928):

  • Politburo acted as a group and led USSR
    • No named successor, in Communism everyone is equal (no one leader)
  • Leaders on a political spectrum

Communist left

–          Permanent world rev

–          Rapid industrialisation

–          Anti-NEP

Communist right

–          Smycha – peasants + workers

–          Socialism in one country

–          Gradual industrialisation

–          NEP

Stalin

  • Peasant background, admired Lenin’s works – became revolutionary
  • Arrested frequently – had a reputation for toughness
  • 1912 – to Bolshevik Central Committee, 1917 – Editor of Pravda, seat in PS
  • Agreed with Lenin most of the time
  • Oct Rev – Commissar for nationalities, office = close to Lenin
  • Civil War – organise food supplies and defend Tsaritsyn
    • Didn’t like following orders from Trotsky– disobedience led to removal from post
    • Dismissed by Lenin as mistakes
  • Appointed Head of Workers and Peasants Inspectorate
    • After Sverdlov’s death – Lenin needed more top people
    • May 1919 – Head of Orgburo- can organise what Politburo discuss, schedules etc.
    • Given Politburo position, 1922 – General Secretary of Politburo
    • Lenin trusted him a lot – put in key positions
    • Sukhanov – described him as ‘grey blur’, ‘flickered obscurely’, ‘left no trace’
      • Stalin puts him in prison camp and he dies – 1940

Trotsky

  • Good orator, intellectual
  • Planned Oct Rev and led Red Army to victory in Civil War, Commissar for War
  • Arrogant – dismissive of other leading Bols, disrespectful
  • Seen as an outsider – Menshevik until 1917
    • Referred to in Lenin’s testament, but Trotsky was loyal
  • He failed in the power struggle

Zinoviev

  • Old Bolshevik, close to Lenin before revolution
  • Opposed Oct Rev and preferred socialist coalition
    • Loses Lenin’s trust, BUT becomes Leningrad’s Party Secretary
    • 1919 – Chairman of Comintern
  • 1921 – Politburo
  • Good orator – not an intellectual though
  • Not liked – vain and cowardly

Kamenev

  • Bolshevik since 1905
  • Links with Zinoviev – opposed Oct Rev and preferred socialist coalition
  • 1917 – opposed April Thesis
  • Moscow Secretary, Commissar for Foreign Trade – Politburo
  • Moderate – liked but too soft

Bukharin

  • Young theorist, 1917 – led Pravda
  • Led opposition to Treaty of B-L
  • 1920-1921 – opposed Trotsky and Lenin in trade union controversy
  • 1922 – Politburo
  • Popular, hard to dislike – Lenin called him ‘favourite’ of whole party CC
  • Did not have political cunning of Stalin
  • Lenin had doubts about him being fully Marxist – ‘enrich’ controversy

Rykov

  • Peasant family
  • 1918 – Chairman of Vesenkha (Supreme Economic Council)
    • Succeeded Lenin as Chairman of Sovnarkom
  • Outspoken, frank and direct
  • Supports NEP, opposed War Communism
  • Notorious drinker

Tomsky

  • Worker – important member of trade union movement
  • 1918 – Chairman of Central Council of Trade Unions
  • 1920 – opposed Lenin in trade union debate

Fate of other contenders:

Trotsky

  • 1925 – stripped of Commissar for Military Affairs
  • 1927 – expelled from party
  • 1928 – internal exile (Alma-ata)
  • 1929 – external exile (Turkey, France, Norway, Mexico – dies 1940)

Zinoviev and Kamenev

  • Z – Jan 1926 – loses Head of Leningrad title
  • K – Oct 1926 – loses Head of Comintern title
  • K+Z – Jul 1926 – out of Politburo
  • Dec 1927 – out of party
  • 1928 – back in party – must write letter of apology
  • 1932 – re-expelled
  • 1933 – back in party again
  • 1936 – executed

Tomsky

  • Killed Aug 1936

Bukharin, Rykov

  • Killed 1938

Stalin’s rise to power – groups:

Start:

  • Left Opposition = Trotsky and supporters
    • 1923-1927
  • Triumvirate = Kamenev, Zinoviev and Stalin
    • 1923-1925
  • Right Opposition = Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky
  • Stalin breaks away from Triumvirate – Zinoviev and Kamenev now = New Opposition
    • 1925 – Stalin joins Right Opposition
  • 1926 – New Opposition and Left Opposition form United Opposition
    • Realise Stalin’s danger and manipulation
    • 1927 – start to organise demonstrations
      • But this formalised the faction – against Lenin’s ban on factions
      • Stalin jumped on this opportunity
    • Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky all expelled from party
  • Once left are destroyed, Stalin himself moves left and undermines Right Opposition
    • Disagrees with NEP and gradual industrialisation
    • Keeps concept of socialism in one country – to defend gains of October

Reasons Stalin could rise to power:

  • Stalin’s personality – shrewd, quick to outmanoeuvre his rivals
    • Not expected, always in the background – ‘grey blur’
  • Party Secretary, Orgburo, Commissar for Nationalities positions = big power base
  • Socialism in one country = better
  • Lenin’s funeral – Leninism – pallbearer, speeches, tricked Trotsky into not coming
  • Lenin enrolment – appointed own supporters
    • Yes men – politically naive people
  • State of USSR – failing economy, war torn people – need strong leader
  • Luck – deaths of other leading men, Lenin’s testament not read out, Trotsky’s illness
  • Trotsky – seen as disloyal, no power base, too high minded
  • Manipulated debate of NEP to his own advantage
  • Changes political ideology – to outmanoeuvre rivals/to fit with majority
  • Influence of global politics
  • A tough leader (Stalin) needed – war scare from GB/USA
  • Would industrialise (provide armaments), focus on Communism in USSR, tough

Trotsky’s failings:

  • Didn’t attend Lenin’s funeral
  • Arrogant personality
  • Background – Menshevik, Jewish
  • Fear – Red Army leader, called Red Napoleon – military dictator, takes over failing revolution
    • Ruthlessness highlighted – if army failed, every 10th man killed
  • Too left wing – he would split the party, permanent rev = military need, unsafe
  • Opposed NEP – distances himself from Lenin
  • Outmanoeuvred by Stalin – no supporters, opposed by Triumvirate
  • Ill health – malaria, Stalin uses this against him, calls it an STD (shame, shock)
  • Lenin’s testament was not published – mainly good about Trotsky, did not publish it though

HISTORIANS:

– Internationalists – see personality as key reason e.g., Stalin was manipulative

– Structuralists – see structure as key reason e.g., Lenin enrolment, centralised party

– Western – see cause as either links with Lenin (continuity) or luck/circumstances

– Soviet – EARLY (28-56) – Stalin was good all-round, LATER (56-91) – Stalin is not mentioned

Lenin’s Testament:

Ambitions & rivalries of those around him – alarmed Lenin who attempted to guide transition to new leadership ‘from beyond the grave’. He put together a political will.

Lenin’s testament – letter – meant to be read out at the Party Congress after his death 0 Lenin dictated it over several Days – 1922. Much of Testament – assessment of his colleagues in inner circle of Party leadership. Lenin – cast shadows of doubt over al of the men who might hope to succeed him, Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev & Bukharin. Lenin – harsh in criticisms od Stalin – Party’s general secretary since April 1922 – because Stalin’s brutal actions in crushing opposition & dissent in Georgia and Stalin insulted Lenin’s wife.

Lenin didn’t only attack Stalin – Perhaps Lenin believed in collective leadership – combining best features of each individuals – but this wasn’t clear.

Lenin’s verdict on leading Bolsheviks – potentially explosive. If Lenin’s testament had been made public at 1924 Party Congress – as Lenin intended – dramatic impact on power struggle that followed but this didn’t happen. Stalin, Zinoviev & Kamenev – managed to persuade their colleagues not to publish the testament.