Ideological debates in the leadership struggle Flashcards
What was the first major debate?
The NEP and industrialisation
What was the debate over the NEP?
NEP criticised for not being communist
Lenin - “temporary” for recovering after Russo-polish, civil and first world wars; party divided over how long it should be continued for
What was the debate over industrialisation?
The speed at which it should occur and by what means
Marxism had argued socialism would only be successful if a country was industrialized
What was the situation with the debate over the NEP and industrialisation?
1921 - party already deeply divided
1925 - NEP causing new industrial + agricultural concerns (e.g living standards, grain hoarding)
What was the Left’s position on the NEP and Industrialisation?
Abandon the NEP for state controlled, rapid industrialisation funded by exploitation of peasants.
What was the Right’s position on the NEP and Industrialisation?
Continue the NEP to make peasants richer. The state would use taxes to fund gradual industrialisation?
What was Stalin’s position on the NEP and Industrialisation?
Inconsistent - he turned on the NEP after the Left was eliminated in 1925 and then followed the Right’s position until 1928.
In 1929 he returned to a Leftist radical idea of collectivisation and rapid industrialization
What was the second debate?
Permanent revolution vs Socialism in one country
Why was this an issue?
All Marxist-Leninist theories assumed it was impossible for revolution to survive in one country, however this was contradicted by real events
Revolutions in Germany and Hungary - the USSR was the only communist country in the world.
Russia’s defeat in the Russo-Polish war prevented the expansion of communism west.
What did was the Left Opposition’s stance?
Believed in theory of permanent revolution - arguing russian communism would not survive alone
They also thought the Proletariat was too small and under-developed and the USSR didn’t have enough resources
Therefore, revolution should be spread so more developed countries become communist an support Russia
How did the Left Opposition want to spread Permanent revolution?
Maximum support possible given to the Comintern
What was the Right Opposition’s stance on the second debate?
Believed in the theory of socialism in one country.
Why did the Right believe in the theory of Socialism in One Country?
They thought world revolution was unlikely and the solution was to strengthen the USSR as a workers state to rival other capitalist powers
What did the Right believe SOC would be?
A compromise of the realities of the international situation, just as the NEP had been an economical compromise
What was Stalin’s position?
By 1924 he supported the Right and Socialism in One Country as it appealed to Russian patriotism and portrayed Trotsky as out of touch.
