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.