Stalin’s rise to power, 1924–1929

Question 1

What was the power vacuum after Lenin’s death (1924)?

Answer 1

Lenin died without naming a clear successor. Bolsheviks traditionally opposed one-man rule, but someone had to lead the party and USSR.

Question 2

What was the ideological debate in the power struggle?

Answer 2

Trotsky: “Permanent Revolution” — support global revolution

Stalin: “Socialism in One Country” — build socialism in USSR first
💡 Stalin’s view was more popular post-Civil War

Question 3

What did Lenin’s Testament say?

Answer 3

Criticised all leaders

Trotsky: too arrogant

Stalin: “too rude,” should be removed
⚠️ Suppressed by Stalin, Zinoviev, Kamenev to avoid damaging the party

Question 4

strengths and weakness of Stalin – The Political Operator

Answer 4

✅ Strengths:

General Secretary = control of party jobs

Outmanoeuvred rivals through shifting alliances

Promoted patriotic “Socialism in One Country”
❌ Weaknesses:

Criticised by Lenin

Lacked revolutionary glamour

Question 5

strengths and weakeness of Trotsky – The Brilliant but Isolated Rival

Answer 5

✅ Strengths:

Civil War hero, Red Army leader

Great speaker and thinker

Most obvious successor to Lenin
❌ Weaknesses:

Arrogant, elitist

Poor political alliances

Missed Lenin’s funeral — symbolic mistake

Question 6

strengths and weakness of Zinoviev – The Overconfident Orator

Answer 6

Zinoviev – The Overconfident Orator

Question 7

strengths and weakness of Kamenev – The Loyal Moderate

Answer 7

✅ Strengths:

Trusted Old Bolshevik

Worked closely with Zinoviev
❌ Weaknesses:

Also opposed October uprising

No solid power base

Too soft for high-stakes power play

Question 8

strenths and weakness Bukharin – The Popular Theorist

Answer 8

✅ Strengths:

Charismatic, widely liked

Supported NEP — popular with peasants

Leading intellectual of the party
❌ Weaknesses:

Too trusting of Stalin

Seen as too soft by radicals

Out of step with growing push for rapid industrialisation

Question 9

strenths and weakness of Rykov – The Efficient Bureaucrat

Answer 9

Strengths:

Head of Sovnarkom

Supported NEP
❌ Weaknesses:

No strong following

Overshadowed by bigger personalities

Sided with Bukharin against Stalin = downfall

Question 10

Tomsky – The Trade Unionist

Answer 10

✅ Strengths:

Popular with workers

Defended trade union independence
❌ Weaknesses:

Power of unions declining

Sided with Bukharin’s NEP stance

Eventually removed by Stalin

Question 11

How did Stalin outmanoeuvre his rivals?

Answer 11

Used position as General Secretary to control promotions

Built alliances, then betrayed them:
➤ Left (Zinoviev, Kamenev, Trotsky)
➤ Right (Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky)

Controlled party narrative with propaganda

Made himself appear as Lenin’s natural heir

Question 12

What were the ideological divisions on foreign policy?

Answer 12

Trotsky: Permanent Revolution — USSR should support world revolution

Stalin: Socialism in One Country — build socialism in USSR first
✅ Stalin’s position appealed to nationalism + fear of war

Question 12

What was the key economic debate after Lenin’s death?

Answer 12

What was the key economic debate after Lenin’s death?

Question 13

Why was Stalin’s ‘Socialism in One Country’ popular?

Answer 13

Promised stability after years of war

Made USSR seem self-sufficient and patriotic

Less risky than global revolution
💬 Seen as more “realistic” than Trotsky’s internationalism

Question 14

Why did Trotsky’s ideology lose support?

Answer 14

“Permanent revolution” felt dangerous and unrealistic

Public feared war, chaos

Stalin painted him as disloyal and anti-Soviet
📉 Trotsky became isolated and lost influence

Question 15

How did Stalin become party leader?

Answer 15

✅ Political skill: Used job as General Secretary to control party structure
✅ Played factions: Allied with Zinoviev/Kamenev vs. Trotsky, then with Bukharin vs. Left
✅ Ideological flexibility: Shifted stance when useful (e.g. NEP → industrialisation)
✅ Exploited Lenin’s death: Presented himself as Lenin’s heir (organised funeral, gave speech)

Question 16

What happened to Trotsky?

Answer 16

Forced out of positions (1925–27), expelled from party (1927), exiled abroad (1929)

Assassinated in Mexico (1940) by Stalin’s agents

Question 17

What happened to Zinoviev & Kamenev?

Answer 17

Lost influence after opposing Stalin in 1925

Expelled, later readmitted

Arrested and executed during the 1936 Show Trials

Question 18

What happened to Bukharin, Rykov, and Tomsky?

Answer 18

Opposed Stalin’s abandonment of NEP

Removed from Politburo (1929)

Bukharin and Rykov later executed in 1938

Tomsky committed suicide before trial

Question 19

What was the outcome of the power struggle by 1929?

Answer 19

Stalin eliminated all rivals (Left and Right)

Had full control of party and policy

Began radical industrialisation and collectivisation in 1928–29
✅ USSR now a personal dictatorship under Stalin

Question 20

What was the ‘Great Turn’? (1928)

Answer 20

A dramatic shift in Soviet economic policy: ➡️ Away from NEP
➡️ Towards centralised planning, industrialisation, and collectivisation

Question 21

Why did Stalin launch the Great Turn?

Answer 21

✅ NEP was failing:

Grain procurement crisis (1927–28)

Slow industrial growth

Inequality (NEPmen & kulaks)

✅ Political reasons:

Prove himself as Lenin’s true heir

Defeat Right Opposition (Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky)

✅ Ideological:

Move toward full socialism

End private enterprise

Question 22

What were the goals of the First Five-Year Plan (1928–32)?

Answer 22

📊 Massive increase in heavy industry (coal, steel, iron, oil)
🏭 Rapid industrial growth to compete with Western powers
⚙️ Modernise USSR’s economy and military
🔨 Make USSR self-sufficient

Question 23

What methods were used to carry out the First Five-Year Plan?

Answer 23

Central state planning by Gosplan

Set unrealistic targets

Used shock brigades, e.g. Stakhanovites

Harsh discipline + propaganda
⚠️ Corruption and falsified statistics common

Question 24

What were the successes of the First Five-Year Plan?

Answer 24

✅ Industrial output rose rapidly in some areas ✅ Infrastructure improved (new cities, factories) ✅ USSR became less reliant on imports 💪 Built foundation for defence industry (important for WWII)

Question 25

What were the failures of the First Five-Year Plan?

Answer 25

❌ Consumer goods neglected ❌ Poor living conditions ❌ Harsh work discipline, low pay ❌ Many targets exaggerated or faked ❌ Workers lacked training

Question 26

What was collectivisation and why was it introduced?

Answer 26

🚜 Replacing private farms with large, collective farms (kolkhozy) Reasons: End NEP and private ownership Control grain supply + peasants Fund industrialisation with grain exports Eliminate kulaks (class war)

Question 27

How was collectivisation carried out?

Answer 27

Forced, often violent 1929: Stalin announces "liquidation of kulaks as a class" Red Army and OGPU used to enforce policy Millions deported or executed

Question 28

What were the impacts of collectivisation?

Answer 28

❌ Famine (esp. Ukraine — Holodomor, 1932–33) ❌ Millions of peasants dead ❌ Agricultural output fell short ✅ State control increased ✅ Grain exports resumed

Question 29

What were the political results of the Great Turn?

Answer 29

✅ Stalin defeated the Right Opposition ✅ Total control of economy and party ✅ Stalin presented as leader of Soviet progress ❌ Massive human cost

Question 30

What changes occurred in Soviet government under Stalin (late 1920s–1930s)?

Answer 30

Power shifted from party collective leadership → to Stalin personally Politburo dominated by Stalin’s loyalists Key institutions (e.g. Gosplan, OGPU) answered directly to Stalin One-party state fully entrenched ✅ Marked the start of personal dictatorship

Question 31

How did Stalin use propaganda to control the USSR?

Answer 31

Media, art, education used to glorify Stalin and the USSR Control of press: only state-approved newspapers and literature Films + posters showed Stalin as visionary, military genius, father of the people 🧠 Cultivated an image of infallibility and indispensability

Question 31

What was the Stalinist cult of personality?

Answer 31

Stalin portrayed as: Lenin’s true heir The architect of socialism A genius in science, war, and economics 📚 His image appeared in schools, textbooks, homes ✅ Created loyalty + fear, and masked repression

Question 32

What was Stalin’s attitude to China in the 1920s?

Answer 32

Initially supported both GMD (nationalists) and CCP (communists) Comintern instructed CCP to cooperate with GMD ⚠️ In 1927, GMD massacred communists in Shanghai — Comintern’s failure 📉 Damaged Soviet reputation in Asia 📈 Stalin became more cautious with foreign revolutionary movements

Question 33

What was the Treaty of Berlin (1926) with Germany?

Answer 33

Signed between USSR and Weimar Germany Renewed good relations from 1922 Rapallo Treaty 🤝 Terms: → neutrality if either is attacked → continued trade and economic cooperation ✅ Showed USSR could pursue peaceful diplomacy when useful

Question 34

How did Stalin’s foreign policy differ from Trotsky’s?

Answer 34

Trotsky: Favoured Permanent Revolution — support world revolution Stalin: Pushed "Socialism in One Country" Prioritised USSR’s security and development over international revolution ✅ Reflected in more pragmatic foreign deals (e.g. with Germany)

Question 35

How did Stalin change the role of the Comintern?

Answer 35

Originally: Spread global revolution (founded 1919) Under Stalin: Became a tool of Soviet foreign policy Less focus on uprising, more on protecting USSR 📉 Communist parties abroad had to follow Moscow’s line exactly 🧠 Comintern’s independence = gone

Question 36

What was the impact of Stalin’s early foreign policy?

Answer 36

✅ Strengthened USSR’s international standing through diplomacy ✅ Prioritised security over ideology ❌ Alienated some international communists (e.g. after China 1927) ⚠️ Set the tone for the USSR’s dual approach: cooperation + control