Russian History
Joseph Stalin (1878 - 1953)
- Born to poor parents in Georgia in December 1878.
- Won a scholarship to a local seminary, discovered the writings of Karl Marx.
- Joined the Social Democrats in 1899
- Joined the Bolshevik faction when the SD’s split
- Imprisoned for his involvement with Social Democrats
- While in prison he adopted the name Stalin (man of steel)
- Played a minor role in the 1917 October Revolution
- Gained skills and learned how to manipulate events and people
- During the civil war (1918 - 1921), served as the People’s Commissar of Nationalities
- By 1922, was appointed as Secretary General of Party’s Central Committee
- Responsible for appointing posts in the Party
- Many underestimated Stalin’s intelligence and strive for power
- After Lenin’s stroke in 1923, he began to have concerns about Stalin
- Stalin formed advantageous alliances and claimed dominance over the USSR
- Consolidated his rise to power by destroying Trotsky
- Stalin introduced the concept of Socialism in one country in 1924
- His thesis was to begin to strengthen the Soviet Union internally first
- Socialism in One Country formed the basis of a great deal of Stalin's policy making
- Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin stood between Stalin and his goals
1. He created a troika (3 man alliance) with Zinoviev and Kamenev
2. Split with troika to ally himself with Bukharin
3. Trotsky exiled
4. Show trials
- Stalin led the USSR from 1928 until his death in 1953
- During this period the USSR went through a period of great expansion
- Stalin was responsible directly/indirectly for the deaths of 20 million people
, Transfer of power (Lenin to Stalin)
- Lenin dies of a stroke in 1924
- Stalin was made General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1922
- Trotsky was unpopular and wanted to try cause a world revolution which would
ruin Russia
- Politburo (central government of the Communist Party) was divided into two
- The Leftists (Zinoviev and Kamenev) wanted world revolution, and to abolish the
NEP (New Economic Policy) , but they hated Trotsky because he was too ambitious
- The Rightists (Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky) wanted to continue the NEP until the
USSR was stronger
(Expedient - something that is politically convenient but is immoral)
- He allies with Zinoviev and Kamenev (leftists) to cover up Lenin’s will and to get
Trotsky dismissed (1925).
- Trotsky went into exile (1928)
- He advocated ‘Socialism in one country’ and allied with the Rightists to get
Zinoviev and Kamenev dismissed (1927)
- Stalin put his supporters into the politburo
- Finally he argued that the NEP was communist and got Bukharin, Rykov and
Tomsky dismissed (1929)
- He introduces Stalinism (investment in heavy industry, collectivisation of
agriculture and a Cult of Personality)
- His political beliefs saw the concept of Socialism in one country emerge and the
enforcement that all foreign communist countries were subservient to the Soviet
Union
Stalin’s interpretation of Marxism-Leninism
Stalin was determined to achieve massive agricultural and industrial advancement in
record time to ensure the survival of socialism
Collectivisation
Millions of small farms were collectivised into much larger farms under state control
The farms would share modern machinery provided by the state which resulted in an
enormous rise in agricultural production
Joseph Stalin (1878 - 1953)
- Born to poor parents in Georgia in December 1878.
- Won a scholarship to a local seminary, discovered the writings of Karl Marx.
- Joined the Social Democrats in 1899
- Joined the Bolshevik faction when the SD’s split
- Imprisoned for his involvement with Social Democrats
- While in prison he adopted the name Stalin (man of steel)
- Played a minor role in the 1917 October Revolution
- Gained skills and learned how to manipulate events and people
- During the civil war (1918 - 1921), served as the People’s Commissar of Nationalities
- By 1922, was appointed as Secretary General of Party’s Central Committee
- Responsible for appointing posts in the Party
- Many underestimated Stalin’s intelligence and strive for power
- After Lenin’s stroke in 1923, he began to have concerns about Stalin
- Stalin formed advantageous alliances and claimed dominance over the USSR
- Consolidated his rise to power by destroying Trotsky
- Stalin introduced the concept of Socialism in one country in 1924
- His thesis was to begin to strengthen the Soviet Union internally first
- Socialism in One Country formed the basis of a great deal of Stalin's policy making
- Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin stood between Stalin and his goals
1. He created a troika (3 man alliance) with Zinoviev and Kamenev
2. Split with troika to ally himself with Bukharin
3. Trotsky exiled
4. Show trials
- Stalin led the USSR from 1928 until his death in 1953
- During this period the USSR went through a period of great expansion
- Stalin was responsible directly/indirectly for the deaths of 20 million people
, Transfer of power (Lenin to Stalin)
- Lenin dies of a stroke in 1924
- Stalin was made General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1922
- Trotsky was unpopular and wanted to try cause a world revolution which would
ruin Russia
- Politburo (central government of the Communist Party) was divided into two
- The Leftists (Zinoviev and Kamenev) wanted world revolution, and to abolish the
NEP (New Economic Policy) , but they hated Trotsky because he was too ambitious
- The Rightists (Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky) wanted to continue the NEP until the
USSR was stronger
(Expedient - something that is politically convenient but is immoral)
- He allies with Zinoviev and Kamenev (leftists) to cover up Lenin’s will and to get
Trotsky dismissed (1925).
- Trotsky went into exile (1928)
- He advocated ‘Socialism in one country’ and allied with the Rightists to get
Zinoviev and Kamenev dismissed (1927)
- Stalin put his supporters into the politburo
- Finally he argued that the NEP was communist and got Bukharin, Rykov and
Tomsky dismissed (1929)
- He introduces Stalinism (investment in heavy industry, collectivisation of
agriculture and a Cult of Personality)
- His political beliefs saw the concept of Socialism in one country emerge and the
enforcement that all foreign communist countries were subservient to the Soviet
Union
Stalin’s interpretation of Marxism-Leninism
Stalin was determined to achieve massive agricultural and industrial advancement in
record time to ensure the survival of socialism
Collectivisation
Millions of small farms were collectivised into much larger farms under state control
The farms would share modern machinery provided by the state which resulted in an
enormous rise in agricultural production
