How far did the fundamental features of Lenin’s government of the USSR remain in place under
Stalin? (20 marks)
When Lenin came to power in the USSR in 1917 his main priority was establishing communism and
creating a prospering state, however for Stalin the priority was to increase his own personal power.
A lot of the fundamental features of Lenin’s government remained in place under Stalin however he
increased the severity of laws and punishments to establish his own personal dictatorship. Lenin’s
desire for power stemmed from his wish for Communism in the USSR, whereas Stalin’s motives were
almost always for his own gains. While both were ruthless, Stalin built upon Lenin’s policies to
ensure absolute fear and paranoia from peasants to the members of the Politburo.
Terror was a key policy used by the leader of the Soviet Union to ensure loyalty and support. Under
Lenin the Cheka, led by Felix Dzerhinsky, carried out executions, torture and imprisonments in order
to establish power and control. Approximately 200,000 counter revolutionaries were killed and 1/3
of the party was purged (expelled from the party). This ensured that all political opponents or rivals
were removed and those who remained lived in fear and didn’t dare criticise Lenin or the Bolsheviks,
allowing them to remain in complete control. During the civil war, Lenin used terror to ensure the
Bolshevik party’s survival and maintain Communist control in the USSR as he was brutal in his
treatment of the white army. However, Lenin claimed these actions were necessary in the
establishment of a Communist utopia. Similarly, Stalin maintained the terror but increased it to an
unprecedented level. When Yezhov was appointed as the new head of the NKVD, quotas for arrests
skyrocketed and people could be arrested for trivial crimes such as stealing bread. This differed to
Lenin as his purges were always against counter revolutionaries and he maintained an image that
the purges were reasonable. Whilst he was ruthless, Lenin’s terror was calculated and logical,
whereas Stalin killed without remorse. Additionally, under Stalin, multiple party purges took place as
well as purges of the army, something Lenin never went as far as, instead relying on his on charms to
maintain the support of the army. Lenin introduced terror to control the Bolshevik party and state
and it was a policy kept in place by Stalin. However, Stalin’s use of terror differed from Lenin’s as he
was focused on establishing a personal dictatorship whereas Lenin’s main goal was to secure power
to the Bolshevik party.
Another prominent policy of the soviet government that remained in place under Stalin was
democratic centralism or in reality one party control. Lenin used democratic centralism to claim that
the Bolshevik party and the Politburo were governing with input from the Soviets. However, the
Soviets merely carried out orders from higher representatives. This allowed Lenin and the Bolshevik
party to remain in control as only the Bolsheviks were involved in decision making. Another way
Lenin used democratic centralism was to ban factions within the party which he feared weakened
the party and criticised his leadership. After the Kronstadt Mutiny (a group of sailors previously loyal
to Lenin who rebelled) Lenin was convinced factions needed to go in order to prevent dissent within
the Party. Members accused of factionalism were expelled from the party. This ban on factions was
cleverly used by Stalin in his rise to power. After accusing Trotsky of factionalism when he formed
the United Opposition and expelling him from the party, he turned on his allies Kamenev and
Zinoviev and had them expelled as well. This meant that Stalin could effectively remove political
opponents for a legitimate reason thanks to Lenin’s ban. However, where Lenin had truly disliked
factions, Stalin only used the ban for his own means and if Trotsky had thought of accusing Stalin
himself, he might have been in a worrying position after forming the Triumvirate.
Stalin? (20 marks)
When Lenin came to power in the USSR in 1917 his main priority was establishing communism and
creating a prospering state, however for Stalin the priority was to increase his own personal power.
A lot of the fundamental features of Lenin’s government remained in place under Stalin however he
increased the severity of laws and punishments to establish his own personal dictatorship. Lenin’s
desire for power stemmed from his wish for Communism in the USSR, whereas Stalin’s motives were
almost always for his own gains. While both were ruthless, Stalin built upon Lenin’s policies to
ensure absolute fear and paranoia from peasants to the members of the Politburo.
Terror was a key policy used by the leader of the Soviet Union to ensure loyalty and support. Under
Lenin the Cheka, led by Felix Dzerhinsky, carried out executions, torture and imprisonments in order
to establish power and control. Approximately 200,000 counter revolutionaries were killed and 1/3
of the party was purged (expelled from the party). This ensured that all political opponents or rivals
were removed and those who remained lived in fear and didn’t dare criticise Lenin or the Bolsheviks,
allowing them to remain in complete control. During the civil war, Lenin used terror to ensure the
Bolshevik party’s survival and maintain Communist control in the USSR as he was brutal in his
treatment of the white army. However, Lenin claimed these actions were necessary in the
establishment of a Communist utopia. Similarly, Stalin maintained the terror but increased it to an
unprecedented level. When Yezhov was appointed as the new head of the NKVD, quotas for arrests
skyrocketed and people could be arrested for trivial crimes such as stealing bread. This differed to
Lenin as his purges were always against counter revolutionaries and he maintained an image that
the purges were reasonable. Whilst he was ruthless, Lenin’s terror was calculated and logical,
whereas Stalin killed without remorse. Additionally, under Stalin, multiple party purges took place as
well as purges of the army, something Lenin never went as far as, instead relying on his on charms to
maintain the support of the army. Lenin introduced terror to control the Bolshevik party and state
and it was a policy kept in place by Stalin. However, Stalin’s use of terror differed from Lenin’s as he
was focused on establishing a personal dictatorship whereas Lenin’s main goal was to secure power
to the Bolshevik party.
Another prominent policy of the soviet government that remained in place under Stalin was
democratic centralism or in reality one party control. Lenin used democratic centralism to claim that
the Bolshevik party and the Politburo were governing with input from the Soviets. However, the
Soviets merely carried out orders from higher representatives. This allowed Lenin and the Bolshevik
party to remain in control as only the Bolsheviks were involved in decision making. Another way
Lenin used democratic centralism was to ban factions within the party which he feared weakened
the party and criticised his leadership. After the Kronstadt Mutiny (a group of sailors previously loyal
to Lenin who rebelled) Lenin was convinced factions needed to go in order to prevent dissent within
the Party. Members accused of factionalism were expelled from the party. This ban on factions was
cleverly used by Stalin in his rise to power. After accusing Trotsky of factionalism when he formed
the United Opposition and expelling him from the party, he turned on his allies Kamenev and
Zinoviev and had them expelled as well. This meant that Stalin could effectively remove political
opponents for a legitimate reason thanks to Lenin’s ban. However, where Lenin had truly disliked
factions, Stalin only used the ban for his own means and if Trotsky had thought of accusing Stalin
himself, he might have been in a worrying position after forming the Triumvirate.
