What role did ideology play in Stalin’s rise to power?L/O – To identify the significance of ideology in

Stalin’s rise to power

Key Questions for this Section

1. How did ideology help Stalin achieve power?

2. Was Stalin’s ideology a continuation of the ideology established by Marx and Lenin or a

complete change?

3. What was the nature of the Stalinist state? Was it totalitarian?

Stalin’s contribution before 1924• Since the October Revolution of 1917,

the Russian state had been based on Marxist ideology. Stalin contributed nothing to this at first.

• Stalin was never the ‘thinker’ of the party. He was a practical man who’s main roles were as editor of the party newspaper, Pravda, and organiser of bank raids and funding. He was appointed as General Secretary in 1922 for his administrative skills, not his philosophising.

• Stalin didn’t contribute to ‘Marxist’ ideology until the death of Lenin in 1924.

The Power Struggle as Catalyst• The power struggle after Lenin’s

death meant that Stalin had to form his own ideological positions and ideas to defeat others.

• All leading Bolsheviks accepted the Marxist principle of ‘internationalism’.

• However the nature of this was debated. ‘Socialism in one country’ versus ‘Permanent revolution’ became a key debate.

What was Internationalism?• Marx believed that socialism and communism

could be achieved only after moving through a ‘capitalist’ stage. Russia in 1917 was not industrially developed enough to be considered ‘fully capitalist’.

• After the November 1917 Revolution, the Bolsheviks hoped to hold on to power long enough to inspire workers across the capitalist world (Germany/Britain) to carry out their own revolutions.

• These new socialist governments could then give financial and technical aid to ‘backward’ Russia.

‘Workers of the world, unite!’

Marx & Engels, The Communist

Manifesto (1847)

Internationalism• With this assistance, Russia might also be able to put socialism

back on the agenda.

• Many Bolsheviks like Trotsky feared that the Bolshevik Revolution would fail without outside support from more industrialised countries.

• The signs of revolution were encouraging in 1918-1920, especially in Germany.

• By 1923, these hopes had faded – most Bolsheviks remained committed internationalists BUT what should the USSR do if no help came from other countries?

Socialism in One Country• This concept wasn’t revealed by Stalin until ten

months after Lenin’s death in November 1924.

• It stressed the need for peace and stability and stated that, despite its backwardness and isolation, the USSR could construct socialism on its own.

• Stalin also accused Trotsky of a lack of faith in the Russian people for opposing this idea.

• Socialism in One Country was a complete reversal of Marxist and Bolshevik ideology. Why then were Party members willing to support it?

Permanent Revolution• This concept was opposed to ‘Socialism in

One Country’. It argued that Russia was too economically and culturally backward to be able to achieve socialism without the assistance of more advanced states.

• Russia should try to incite socialist revolutions across Europe and the world.

• Trotsky had developed this theory from Marx in 1906 and was shared by most leading Bolsheviks including Lenin.

Why would a policy of

Permanent Revolution

be dangerous for the USSR?

How did ideology help Stalin?• Many argued against Trotsky, saying that a

policy based on ‘Permanent Revolution’ would anger surrounding capitalist states and risk further foreign intervention.

• Stalin and others claimed that ‘Socialism in One Country’ would avoid this and give the Russian people the peace they needed after years of revolution and civil war.

• Many new members of the Communist Party after 1924 were workers and peasants with little or no knowledge of Marxism – therefore they were easily persuaded by Stalin’s arguments.

What was ‘Marxist-Leninism’?• Stalin also created the idea of ‘Marxist-

Leninist’ orthodoxy and claimed Trotsky opposed this.

• This idea misrepresented what Lenin and Trotsky had said in the past, exaggerating the differences between Trotsky and Lenin, and hiding disagreements between Stalin and Lenin. (e.g. Jan 1923, Lenin’s Testament)

• It was essentially a way for Stalin to appear as the direct descendent of Marx and Lenin. He was the ‘true successor’ of Lenin, not Trotsky.

What did Marx believe?• Marxism IS an internationalist movement.

Capitalism had created a ‘global economy’. Therefore an international working-class movement was needed to defeat it and establish world socialism and then communism.

• Marx did NOT believe that societies would ‘inevitably’ progress to socialism and communism. Societies could stagnate and even revert to a less advanced system.

• In special circumstances, a backward society could ‘jump’ a stage – but only if aided by sympathetic advanced societies. Russia could not move on its own!

What did Lenin believe?• Lenin’s main adaption of Marxism was the

idea of ‘democratic centralism’ as stated in his book, ‘What is to be Done?’ (1902).

• All members of the party could form factions to argue their points of view (democratic) however once the party had made a decision, no more discussion was allowed (centralism).

• Trotsky argued that Democratic Centralism could allow someone to become a dictator over the party too easily.

What did Lenin believe?• When Lenin banned ‘Factionalism’ in 1921,

it seemed that this possibility was becoming real. Lenin argued that this ban was only temporary.

• Lenin also believed that progress to the next stage of human society could be ‘telescoped’ or advanced more quickly – just like Marx’s idea of ‘permanent rev.’

• But crucially, Lenin believed this could be done only with the support from other countries. Trotsky supported him on this.

What did Stalin believe?• Stalin’s main contributions to ideology were

the notions of ‘Marxism-Leninism’ and ‘Socialism in One Country.’ They were not used before 1924.

• Marxism-Leninism came to mean what Lenin (allegedly) believed and what Stalin himself believed about political issues.

• Marxism-Leninism became the ‘official’ ideology of the Communist Party under Stalin. However as long as ‘Old Guard’ Bolsheviks existed, there would be doubts over Stalin’s views.

What did Stalin believe?• Stalin used socialism in one country as a

weapon against Trotsky and ‘Trotskyism’. Stalin portrayed Trotskyism as ‘Petit-bourgeois’ ideology at odds with Marxism and Leninism.

• They said Trotsky had no faith in the ability of Russian workers and peasants to construct socialism in the USSR.

• Trotskyists came to see themselves as the only true defenders of the legacy of Marx, Engels and Lenin. They labelled Stalin’s ideas as ‘Stalinism’.

Task (p. 24-29)1. Why was ‘socialism in one country’ considered to be such a big

departure from Marxist theory?2. How important do you think the failure of revolutions in the rest

of Europe was for political developments in the Soviet Union?3. What is meant by the term ‘Marxism-Leninism’?4. What do Marxists understand by the term ‘dictatorship of the

proletariat’?5. Produce a chart, divided into two columns, to summarise the

different political and ideological positions put forward by Stalin and Trotsky during the 1920s. Then write a short summary stating whether you think views of Stalin or Trotsky were closest to the views of Marx and Lenin.

6. In your opinion, how important was ideology in Stalin’s rise to power? Explain your opinion…