1. Presentation by Dr. Kevin Lasher
POL 328: Soviet and Russian Politics
Presentation by Dr. Kevin Lasher

2. The Leadership Struggle After Lenin

3. LENIN Undisputed leader of Bolshevik party
In power : late 1917-early 1923
1st stroke in May 1922; nd stroke in December 1922
Incapacitated by early 1923
Vague plans for leadership transition
“Lenin’s Testament” comments on key members of party

4. LENIN
Evidence that Lenin was preparing to move against Stalin before 3rd stroke (early 1923)
Stalin survives Lenin attack in Testament following Lenin’s death (1924)
Question: Did Leninism have to lead to Stalinism?

5. Who will succeed Lenin? ?
Josef Stalin

6. The Combatants

7. LEV KAMENEV “Political twin” of Zinoviev
Junior-partner despite his real strengths
Lenin admired his character and calm approach to issues
Editor and publisher of Lenin’s works
Head of Moscow party
Politburo in 1919
“Democratic” Bolshevik; had no involvement with Red Terror

8. LEV KAMENEV Voted against Bolshevik take-over in October 1917
Teams with Zinoviev and Stalin to isolate Trotsky
Warns of Stalinist dictatorship in late 1925; demoted soon after
Re-admitted to party after defeat
Show trial and execution in 1936

9. GRIGORY ZINOVIEV “Senior partner” with Kamenev
Head of Leningrad party; head of Comintern
Politburo in 1921
Long association with Lenin; in exile and on “sealed train”
“Friend” of Lenin?
Marxist theoretician
Good orator, behind Lenin and Trotsky

10. GRIGORY ZINOVIEV Voted against Bolshevik take-over in October 1917
Teams with Kamenev and Stalin to isolate Trotsky
Expelled from power with Kamenev
Re-admitted to party after defeat
Show trial and execution in 1936

11. NIKOLAI BUKHARIN Marxist theorist, true intellectual, economist
Editor of Pravda; replaced Zinoviev at Comintern
Politburo in 1924
“Democratic Bolshevik,” unhappy with dictatorship
“Gentle personality,” out-of-place among Bolsheviks

12. NIKOLAI BUKHARIN Sides with Stalin on attack on Zinoviev and Kamenev
Supporter of NEP; tells peasants to “get rich”
Stalin attacks in 1927; removed from power by 1929
Show trial and execution in 1938
Memory returns in Gorbachev-era

13. LEON TROTSKY Intellectual “equal” of Lenin
Great orator, inspires masses
Built Red Army, led Bolsheviks to victory in Civil War
“Most capable man in Central Committee”
Popular with “masses,” disliked by party elite
Joined party in 1917; many disputes with Lenin in past

14. LEON TROTSKY Politburo in 1919
“Big Issues” man; dislikes routine administrative duties; arrogant
Permanent revolution; anti-NEP
No “power base” within party
Stalin and others focus first attacks on Trotsky
Trotsky absent from Lenin’s funeral
Unwilling to use Red Army to “defeat” others

15. LEON TROTSKY Trotsky no match for Stalin in competition for leadership
“Annoys” Stalin with attacks from abroad
Assassinated in exile in 1940

16. JOSEF STALIN No quarrels with Lenin until Lenin’s illness
Viewed as “mediocrity” by other party leaders
Politburo, Orgburo, Secretariat
Used General Secretary position to build party support
Placed his supporters in key positions

17. JOSEF STALIN
Assumed Lenin’s mantle after death of Lenin, fosters “Lenin cult”
Shifting coalitions to eliminate opponents
Moved cautiously throughout leadership transition
Socialism in one country
Dominant leadership position by 1929
In power from

18. Socialism in one country
Leadership Struggle
Socialism in one country
Pro-NEP
Permanent revolution
Anti-NEP
Bukharin Stalin Zinoviev/Kamenev Trotsky

19. Leadership Struggle

20. Leadership Struggle

21. Leadership Struggle
1923
Lenin and Trotsky plan to attack Stalin at 12th Party Congress, but Lenin is incapacitated by then
Zinoviev, Kamenev and Stalin triumvirate to isolate Trotsky
Trotsky passive against attacks

22. 1924 Leadership Struggle Lenin dies in January
Lenin’s Testament attack on Stalin read at party meeting; Stalin survives with support from Zinoviev and Kamenev
Zinoviev and Kamenev will “use” Stalin to eliminate Trotksy
Socialism in one country vs. permanent revolution

23. Lenin’s “Last Testament”
“Comrade Stalin, having become Secretary-General, has unlimited authority concentrated in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be capable of using that authority with sufficient caution. Comrade Trotsky, on the other hand, as his struggle against the Central Committee on the question of the People's Commissariat of Communications has already proved, is distinguished not only by outstanding ability. He is personally perhaps the most capable man in the present Central Committee, but he has displayed excessive self-assurance and shown excessive preoccupation with the purely administrative side of the work.
These two qualities of the two outstanding leaders of the present Central Committee can inadvertently lead to a split, and if our Party does not take steps to avert this, the split may come unexpectedly.”

24. Lenin’s “Last Testament”
“Stalin is too coarse and this defect, although quite tolerable in our midst and in dealing among us Communists, becomes intolerable in a Secretary-General. That is why I suggest that the comrades think about a way of removing Stalin from that post and appointing another man in his stead who in all other respects differs from Comrade Stalin in having only one advantage, namely, that of being more tolerant, more loyal, more polite and more considerate to the comrades, less capricious, etc. This circumstance may appear to be a negligible detail. But I think that from the standpoint of safeguards against a split and from the standpoint of what I wrote above about the relationship between Stalin and Trotsky it is not a minor detail, but it is a detail which can assume decisive importance.”
Addendum

25. Leadership Struggle
1925
Trotsky out as War Commissar; isolated on Politburo
Bukharin tells peasants to “get rich”
Stalin moves to alliance with “Right”
Socialism in one country and NEP
Kamenev denounces Stalin in December; demoted on Politburo
Three pro-Stalin additions to Politburo

26. Leadership Struggle
1926
Zinoviev, Kamenev, and Trotsky in uneasy, desperate alliance
Zinoviev, Kamenev, and Trotsky removed from Politburo

27. 1927 Leadership Struggle Kamenev and Zinoviev out of party
Trotsky exiled to Central Asia
Stalin declares NEP a success; announces beginnings of new policy
Stalin “goes Left” and attacks Bukharin
Politburo: Six for Stalin, three Rightists

28. Leadership Struggle
1928
Beginning of collectivization and industrialization
Stalin struggles against “Right”

29. 1929 Leadership Struggle Bukharin removed from Politburo
Full-scale collectivization and de-kulakization
Stalin in dominant leadership position
Last “Rightists” removed from Politburo in 1930
Politburo in 1930: Stalin plus eight supporters
Opponents all alive at this stage

30. Stalin in Power Collectivization of agriculture Industrialization
Repression and Great Terror
Great Patriotic War
Early Cold War with US

31. The End