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chapter 9 - the power vaccuum and power struggle - Coggle Diagram
chapter 9 - the power vaccuum and power struggle
key contenders for power Stalin, Trotsky and the Left
Stalin
had reputation of being violent but an immensely hard worker
strengths
- held position of general secretary, worked hard to master the theories of marxism-leninism, was underrated by his opponents, deliberately placed himself close to Lenin during his period of illness.
weaknesses
- seen as crude and violent, only played a minor role in the 1917 revolution, Stalin's colleagues knew Lenin turned against him even though his testament was not read out.
Trotsky
an extraordinary organiser and a man of action, held power and prestige from his previous involvement in the revolutions.
strengths
- a brilliant intellectual, theorist and an inspiring speechmaker, had formidable political skills like ruthlessness and authority.
weaknesses
- was feared by many bolsheviks as they thought he might turn the red army against them after Lenin's death, he was late to convert to bolshevism so many old bolsheviks were suspicious of him, made no serious attempt to build a power base, seen as inconsistent and an opportunist, tended to fall ill at critical moments and made serious errors of judgement.
Kamenev
capable and intelligent, closely associated with Zinoviev, a skilful politician.
strengths - one of the old bolsheviks so he had great influence eg. Lenin entrusted many of his personal papers to Kamenev, had a strong power base in Moscow, regarded as thoughtful and intelligent who was good at sorting out problems.
weaknesses - gained a reputation for inconsistency and opportunism, too closely associated with Zinoviev who was more popular than he was, seriously underestimated rivals.
Zinoviev
intelligent and well educated (especially in European culture)
strengths - an old bolshevik, had been high in Lenin's favour, role as party boss in Leningrad gave him a strong political power base.
weaknesses - his opposition to Lenin over the timing of the bolshevik coup was used against him, seriously underestimated rivals, left it too late before switching support to Trotsky.
key contenders for power Bukharin and the Right
Rykov
on the moderate wing of the party, frequently disagreed with Lenin and the radicals
strengths - widely respected in the part as he was an old bolshevik, showed administrative responsibility in the implementation of war communism, extensive support from the sovnarkom.
weaknesses- was a conciliator rather than a plotter, largely overshadowed by Bukharin, held a largely ceremonial position and lacked a power base, his policy of putting tax on vodka made him unpopular , underrated Stalin.
Tomsky
son of a factory worker and had a long association with trade unions.
strengths - was respected for his long record as an old bolshevik, working class origins made him popular, role as chief spokesman of the trade unions gave him a strong position within the party, a natural ally of moderate leaders.
weaknesses- intense hostility to Trotsky blinded him to the danger of Stalin, his power base in the trade unions made him an obvious target for Stalins jealousy, support for the NEP was used against him when grain crisis of 1927 hit the economy.
Bukharin
both impressive and likeable, a brilliant intellect and theoretician, Lenin called him the 'darling of the party', open and co-operative.
strengths
- was popular in the party, a close associate of Stalin in the 1920s, widely regarded as the best theoretician in the party and was a particular expert on economics.
weaknesses
- had no power base as he tried to avoid factionalism, seriously underestimated Stalin, made tactical mistakes such as leaving it too late to make an alliance with zinoviev and kamenev.
Trotsky's weaknesses and Stalin's strengths
Trotsky made a number of errors leading up to and after Lenin's death, which gave Stalin a political advantage - Trotsky didn't attend Lenin's funeral and Stalin was able to show his dedication to the party as it made him able to be seen publicly supporting Lenin and it made Trotsky look bad.
at the 13th party congress, many expected Trotsky to speak out against Stalin but he didn't as he may have been wary of being blamed for the splitting of the party (factionalism). Also, at the congress the triumvirate was able to stop Lenin's testament that said Stalin should be removed from the party.
Trotsky could not play party members off each other like Stalin did and could. Members of the party disliked Trotsky as they feared he would become a dictator because he had the backing of a 5 million strong Red Army.
Stalin remained central with his views - flitted between the two sides which ultimately paid off as he could change his opinions depending on the opinion of the policies.
at the 14th party congress, Zinoviev and Kamenev spoke out against Stalin which pushed them towards Trotsky. Stalin and Bukharin formed an alliance and they essentially ran the country - sticking with the NEP like Lenin wanted.
Stalin removed Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev from their positions in the party and began to replace them with those who were loyal to him eg. Molotov became the Assistant General Secretary and Soviet Chairman in Moscow and Sergai Kirov became the Soviet Chairman in Leningrad.