Cox's Ib History Plan Stalin Rise

Front 1

Introduction

Back 1

Although Stalin played a key role as General Secretary of the Bolshevik Party, his was overlooked by his naïve rivals, allowing him to take power in 1927.

Front 2

Themes

Back 2

1- Weakness of Government
2- Weakness of Opposition: Left
3- Weakness of Opposition: Right
4- Party Strengths
5- Personal Characteristics
6- Position as General Secretary

Front 3

Weakness of Government- Recent Collapse

Back 3

Corrupt, Divided country & undecided successions; Collapse of the Tsar 1917 (Romanovs) the people are used to Autocratic rule

Front 4

Weakness of Government- No Leader

Back 4

Death of Lenin in 1924

Front 5

Weakness of Government- Divisions

Back 5

Divided between NEP v. Communism and way to rule

Front 6

Weakness of Government- Closing Sentence

Back 6

The power void in the USSR was an evident problem since the death of the Tsar follower by the death of Lenin, leaving plenty of opportunity for an unimposing character such as Stalin to manipulate his fellows and gain power.

Front 7

Weakness of Opposition: Left- Trotsky's Character

Back 7

perceived as the member most likely to become a dictator, especially due to his great intellectualism and his aloofness from colleagues, and as the most likely to loose loyalty to the party as he only joined the Bolshevik Party in 1917; Although favored collective rule

Front 8

Weakness of Opposition: Left- Naive Legislation

Back 8

ban on factions’ in 1921; robbing him of the chance to get support in the Thirteenth Congress in 1924 against the leading triumvirate of Kamenev, Stalin, and Zinoviev

Front 9

Weakness of Opposition: Left- Public Appeal

Back 9

most popular with members of the Red Army due to his position as commissar for war and younger and more radical party members, especially students

Front 10

Weakness of Oppisition: Left- Closing Sentence

Back 10

The opposition’s inability to perceive the necessity and power of Stalin’s position, left them unable to respond to his attempts at taking power.

Front 11

Weakness of Opposition: Right- Bukharin's Character

Back 11

a. Bukharin highly intellectual, cultured, and theoretical nature; Not cunning enough to perceive manipulation within own party

Front 12

Weakness of Opposition: Right- Policy

Back 12

1928, Stalin turned against the continuation of Bukharin’s brain child, the New Economic Policy

Front 13

Weakness of Opposition: Right- Rykov & Tomsky's Characters

Back 13

Rykov was a drunkard, Tomsky was inept- provided with leadership positions and failed to do anything significant with them

Front 14

Weakness of Opposition: Right- Historiography

Back 14

Bukharin called Stalin a Gangus Kang, an unscrupulous intriguer who changes his theories according to… to the next

Front 15

Weakness of Opposition: Right- Closing Sentence

Back 15

Bukharin’s naïve, intellectual nature, made him particularly vulnerable to Stalin’s manipulation.

Front 16

Party Strengths- Leadership

Back 16

October Revolution 1917

Front 17

Party Strengths- War Streangths

Back 17

Russian Civil War 1918-1921

Front 18

Party Strengths- Appealing Strategist

Back 18

"Socialism in one Country"

Front 19

Party Strengths- Background

Back 19

Son of a Lower Classman

Front 20

Party Strengths- Closing Sentence

Back 20

Stalin’s background gained him popular appeal and a position in the party.

Front 21

Stalin's Character- disobidient

Back 21

disobeying not only orders during his military post, but also orders from Lenin

Front 22

Stalin's Character- Strong

Back 22

tough demeanor in his childhood as a consequence of his abusive mother and a physical abnormality, as well as the devastation at the death of his first wife in 1907

Front 23

Stalin's Character- Meticulous

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organizing, leading to his position as general secretary which he utilized to harness power.

Front 24

Stalin's Character- Closing Sentence

Back 24

Although Stalin was not trusted, he was believed to be unable to have any major impact on the party, thus going unnoticed by his rivals.

Front 25

General Secretary- Controlled Membership

Back 25

Purged Trotsky’s supporters, gave membership to less-educated

Front 26

General Secretary- Control of Party Members

Back 26

Selected Delegates for Congress

Front 27

General Secretary- Meetings

Back 27

Controlled Agenda of Party Minutes

Front 28

General Secretary- Closing Sentence

Back 28

Stalin’s position as General Secretary gave him a key position to quietly manipulate the party.

Front 29

Clever Twist

Back 29

Stalin was jokingly referred to as Comrade card index. Little did his comrades know the power that his index cards would hold