...Trotsky was born Jewish, he believed he would be persecuted as Jews traditionally were in Russia. This lead to him not pushing himself far enough and not working enough to become Soviet leader. He felt he should be more in the background due to his, despite the fact that many Bolsheviks were Jewish themselves, such as Grigori Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev. He was also late to converter to Bolshevism, so many fellow Bolsheviks thought he wasn't that committed and distrusted him. Many old Bolsheviks considered Trotsky to be too much of an intellectual for their liking and was seen as arrogant, unpredictable, indecisive and inconsistent. During the Civil war it was a great victory for Trotsky as he lead the Red Army and won the war however he also fell out with Stalin. Therefore Stalin objected to Trotsky's employment of ex-tsarists officers and he disobeyed his orders. This made Stalin able to control Trotsky and get an advantage on his to become Soviet leader. Also he made no attempt to build a base of support within the party which was a big mistake when the party were fighting after Lenin’s death and it made it very difficult for Trotsky when confronting the Party Congress which was was filled with Stalin’s supporters. Another reason was that other Bolsheviks feared Trotsky, as he has links in the Red Army and may use them to form a military. They also feared him because he was foreseen as a dictator and was worried that he wanted a revolution thought the world and everyone...
Words: 709 - Pages: 3
...the Communist Party this was an improbable development as it was thought Trotsky would succeed Lenin. Trotsky had originally affirmed allegiance to the Mensheviks after the spilt of the social democrats in 1903, nevertheless the outbreak of revolution in 1917 witnessed Trotsky joining the Bolshevik party and playing a crucial part in the communist takeover that followed. He began his time in government as the foreign commissar and was principle negotiator in the peace terms with Germany; he then became war commissar and played a vital role in the preservation of the Bolshevik regime by leading the red army to victory against the whites in the civil war. It was down to these factors that Trotsky was seen as the evident heir of Lenin. As well as this Stalin had never posed any threat, Kamenev had described Stalin as ‘a small town politician… a man with no ideas or ambitions’ . However, Trotsky and other leading politicians such as Kamenev and Zinoviev underestimated Stalin’s abilities. Trotsky especially, felt secure as the next successor to Lenin and so when opportunities arose to eradicate Stalin from the party he made the mistake of not taking hold of them. For example, Lenin’s last testament called for the removal of Stalin however Trotsky failed to publish it as he felt it would damage party unity . It could therefore be said that it was the failures and mistakes of Stalin’s opponents notably Trotsky that led to his rise to power. However this is a limited analysis and an examination...
Words: 2646 - Pages: 11
...Why did Stalin rather than Trotsky emerge as leader of the USSR in 1929? When Lenin died in 1924 there was no clear leader of the communist party. By 1929 Stalin had successfully managed to take power and begin his regime as leader. Here are the reasons to why Stalin beat Trotsky. Firstly many members of the communist distrusted Trotsky due to his Menshevik past and didn’t see him as a true and Loyal Bolshevik. He didn’t join to Bolshevism until 1917 and this made the ‘old’ Bolsheviks suspect him. The distrust continued with his role as the commander of the Red Army and his opportunism is switching alliances against and with other colleagues like Zinoviev and Kamenev. Due to this many suspected him of becoming a dictator and they wanted to avoid this at all costs. Furthermore Trotsky had no strong Party base and even Lenin had criticised his personal qualities in his Testament. Trotsky made no attempt to build up a power base and this was a crucial mistake as Stalin had a strong party base which enabled him to completely outmanoeuvre him. During the 1920’s when Trotsky had to confront party congress it was packed full on supporters of Stalin’s. This made it impossible for Trotsky to become popular due to Stalin using his position of General Secretary to his advantage. The position in the party administration which Stalin held was manipulated by Stalin to his advantage. It gave him enormous power over the policy and personnel of the party. He was able to place people who supported...
Words: 610 - Pages: 3
...To What Extent Was the Red Victory in the Civil War Due to the Skill and Leadership of Trotsky? The red victory in the civil war in 1919 may have been due to the skill and leadership of Trotsky who was the founder and first leader of the Red Army. As well as this there were other factors which contributed such as geographical factors, the unity and organisation of the reds and the support that they had. The reds were victorious in the civil war due to the skill and leadership of Trotsky who had been made commissar for war in 1918. He restored harsh military discipline and professionalism to the ‘worker’s and peasants red army’ by reintroducing the death penalty for those who did wrong which meant that men were made to fight as more of an effective fighting force. He also reorganised the army and so it had a strict hierarchy and he brought back thousands of former Tsarist officers to train and command the units. To do this he held their families hostage which meant that their loyalty was ensured. In addition to this he attached a political commissar to each army of the unit and ended soldiers committee’s and officer’s elections which meant that the loyalty of the officers was ensured so he would retain power, For those men who were unable to fight, due to age or physical inability, formed labour battalions. This meant that the Front received more help and nobody had an excuse to not fight in the army and so it would prevent people from thinking they could use injuries to get...
Words: 1166 - Pages: 5
...Do you agree that Trotsky was the strongest candidate to run the communist party after the death of Lenin? When Lenin died, there was 5 main contenders to take over the reins. These five contenders were Trotsky, Stalin, Bukharin, Kamenev and Zinoviev. In this essay, I will be seeing if Trotsky was the strongest candidate to run the party, and If any of the other four candidates were better for the party. Trotsky was the strongest candidate for a number of reasons. One reason why he was the strongest candidate was that he rivalled Lenin in intellect and charisma. This means that he was similar or even smarter than Lenin, meaning he could easily take over the power as he had the same capabilities as Lenin. Another benefit about Trotsky was that he was a great orator, also he was very popular with youth and committed communists meaning he was already allies with the party, and he could easily take it over it. Also with Trotsky he controlled and restructured the red army to lead them to victory. Comparing Trotsky with Zinoviev, there are a quite a few differences between the two to see which one was the strongest candidate to run the communist party. Zinoviev compared to Trotsky was seen to be a coward. Zinoviev remained in his hotel far away from the fighting when the revolution was happening. This shows that Zinoviev did not have the mental capability to go out and fight and lead the men which are fighting for you. Whereas Trotsky was a warrior who wasn't afraid to go out...
Words: 822 - Pages: 4
...Snowball and Leon Trotsky “Animal Farm was meant to help destroy the Soviet myth.” – George Orwell. Orwell was a democratic socialist and this led him to denounce that what was going on in the Soviet Union had anything to do with socialism. As people equated the Soviet Union with socialism, he thought no one could appreciate what democratic socialism is. Orwell doesn’t criticize the act of revolution itself but the misery it could cause if the leaders go corrupt, shortsighted, and greedy. George Orwell’s Animal Farm demonstrates a symbolism of the Russian Revolution through features of Snowball and the historical figure of Trotsky. Animal Farm is an allegorical novel written by George Orwell in 1945 that reflects the social issues of the Soviet Union in the time period of 1917 to 1943. This essay will explain about who Snowball is, who Leon Trotsky was, similarities and differences between these two characters, and the author’s purpose of using Snowball to represent Trotsky in his novel. Snowball is a Napoleon’s rival who contends for control of the Animal Farm after the rebellion. In Animal Farm, chapter two on page 16, it describes Snowball as an eloquent, inventive, and vivid leader. He is most clearly attuned to Old Major’s thinking and devotes himself to actualize it. Snowball insists that in order to defend Animal Farm and strengthen the reality of Old Major’s dream without human beings, the animals should stir up rebellions in other farms throughout England. He brings...
Words: 1617 - Pages: 7
...factor in terms of why Stalin’s opponents were unable to prevent him becoming leader. However, the other three factors are still very important and also played a role in helping Stalin. Therefore, I will be discussing all four of the factors and what effects they had. Errors made by Leon Trotsky were some of the main reasons why Stalin was able to become leader of the USSR by 1929. After Lenin’s death in 1924 there was wide speculation that Trotsky, head of the red army would succeed Lenin. Lenin wrote a testament outlining his opinions on the head Bolsheviks, and Stalin was described as being very dangerous and should be dismissed from the party immediately. However despite this, Stalin eventually became the leader of the USSR. The reason why Trotsky was the most likely candidate to succeed Lenin was because he was very popular among young communists, this was due to his revolutionary heroism in 1905, 1917 and during the civil war, coupled with his stirring speeches. However, despite the fact that Trotsky was clearly more suitable, Stalin still managed to outmanouver him into becoming leader of the USSR. This was because of a multitude of reasons, starting with the fact that from 1917 onwards Trotsky openly and rather viciously criticised many leading Bolsheviks, this lead too many people within the party to hate him. Furthermore, his arrogant nature and aloofness earned him even more enemies within the party.in...
Words: 1884 - Pages: 8
...Why were Stalin’s opponents unable to prevent him from becoming the leader of the USSR by 1929? The communist party was split in half during the 20’s with Trotsky and Zinoviev on the left and Bukharin on the right. Stalin however separated himself from both groups and was in the middle. Stalin knew that if he was going to succeed Lenin as supreme leader of the communist party he would have to defeat Trotsky, as he posed the largest threat to him. Trotsky was seen as the most likely successor to Lenin by members of the communist party in 1924. Trotsky was the leader of the red army during both the October revolution and the civil war; he was seen to be Lenin’s right hand man. Stalin however was seen to be in the administrative role and was described as having a dull personality. Trotsky also was an intellect and was a brilliant speaker; both qualities Stalin did not possess. Trotsky however was unpopular, he was from a wealthy Jewish family and was very arrogant resulting from his intellectual background. Trotsky did not convert from the Menshevik’s to the communists until the summer of 1917 which was seen by some as evidence of his lack of commitment to the party. ...
Words: 895 - Pages: 4
...Why were Stalin's opponents unable to prevent him from becoming the leader of the USSR by 1929? Stalin and 4 other men ; Bukharin, Trotsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev were competing to become leader of Russia after Lenin’s death in 1924. Since you couldn’t vote because it was democratic it was harder to choose become the leader of Russia. One of the reasons that his opponents were unable to prevent him from becoming leader of the USSR was Stalin used the job of General Secretary to promote peoples loyalty to him, to remove from the party people who were disloyal and to collect information on every party member. After Lenin's death he waited, allowing other Politburo members to state their preferred policies - he then ganged up on groups of them, using his alliances and his party contacts to destroy the opposition. His did this twice in the 1920s, destroying Trotsky and his supporters and Zinoviev and Kamenev and their supporters. This left him as the ruler of Russia by about 1929. Another reason is Lenin’s testament. The communist didn’t reveal what the testament said. In the testament Lenin said this about Stalin. "Stalin is too rude 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...
Words: 715 - Pages: 3
...campaign to crush opposition began almost instantaneously. Initially, this came in the form of political opponents such as Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamanev and the left. Beginning with Trotsky, Stalin seized opportunity and dominated the 12th Party Conference in 1923, after Trotsky failed to capitalise on the chance to make the principal speech, which would arguably have enabled him to emerge as the next leader of Russia. Fraught with half truths and lies was Stalin’s speech, which diminished the position of Trotsky and subsequently enhanced his own profile. A fathom of mistakes from Trotsky would follow, including accusations of factionalism, absence in various Central Committee meetings and missing Lenin’s funeral, all provided Stalin to emerge as the loyal discipline of Lenin. Subsequently, a vicious campaign from Zinoviev and Kamanev was launched against Trotsky, questioning his loyalty and raising the issue of his opposition towards Lenin prior to 1917. In response, Trotsky published ‘The Lessons of October’ in which he attacked Zinoviev and Kamanev, branding them as the instigators, belittling any responsibility from Stalin, which in hindsight was a huge mistake. Stalin merely sat back and watched the political left tear themselves apart, whilst subtly consolidation power by bringing more of his supporters to key positions in party organisation. Trotsky was further condemned by the Central Committee in January 1925, which was arguably the tipping point and led to his resignation...
Words: 1137 - Pages: 5
...Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution The years of leading up to the Russian revolution were bleak for the Russian population. Russians were poor, starving, and fed up with the Tsar. The revolution began with the ideas of Lenin, which carried on to Trotsky and ultimately Stalin, who completely changed Russia. The resemblance between these three leaders of the Russian revolution and the three leaders of Animal Farm, Old Major, Snowball, and Napoleon, shows that the movie Animal Farm is an allegory to the Russian Revolution. Old Major, the original leader of Animal Farm, closely resembles Lenin. The most notable similarity is that both Old Major and Lenin are both the original leaders and they both place the idea of revolution into the minds of their followers. Besides the fact that they are the original leaders of their revolutions, Lenin and Old Major share the common ideas of freedom and equality as well. They are also avid believers in the ideas of Karl Marx, who had written about the bourgeois rebelling against the proletariat. Lenin uses the ideas of Karl Marx to encourage the poor and famished workers in Russia to revolt. He promised them peace, land, and bread which are three things the Russians did not have. As a result, Lenin is able to overthrow the tsar and make a socialist government where everyone is equal and everything is owned by the state. Old Major does something similar by convincing the farm animals that removing the humans, who are essentially the proletariat...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
...conditions that enabled one left-wing leader to become the ruler of a single-party state. Joseph Stalin was one of the most important leaders that was at the head of the USSR. He established the political and economic structure that remained in place until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. As Bruce Pawley states, “The Politburo, the Party’s leading organ, had become his rubber stamp. Now, at last, he no longer had to play the role of a moderate”[1], Stalin was very sly and gained his position by “stabbing in the back” his rivals, of any type. Historians all agree that the conditions that enabled Stalin’s rise to power were mainly three; Stalin and Lenin’s relationship combined to Lenin’s death (1924), the unpopularity of Trotsky and ultimately his ability as persuader. Stalin success in rising to power could be mostly attributed to Lenin’s decision and to his death in 1924. In 1917, Stalin – not yet a full member of the Communist party leadership – was appointed Commissar for Nationalities. Stalin had supported the idea of gaining control in October and had been an old member of the Bolshevik Party. However, Stalin started to disagree with Lenin when he gained the title of National Commissar. Lenin alleged that republics of Russian Empire were able to clasp a communist revolution and could be trusted in joining the Soviet Union. However, Stalin had a more pragmatic view. He wanted to be sure that all republics would bind tightly to the Bolshevik Party. Lenin...
Words: 1816 - Pages: 8
... it was crucial to the Bolshevik consolidation of power in the years between 1918 and 1921. Trotsky’s first contribution was in his role as Commisar of Foreign Affairs in the newly created Council of People's Commissars. Lenin gave him the task of negotiating a peace treaty with Germany. Initially, Trotsky had hoped to end the war without the loss of territory. However, when the Germans rejected his demands and resumed the offensive, he was forced to agree to their terms. Despite the treaty’s onerous clauses – the loss of 25 percent of Russia’s land, 30 percent of its population, and 6 billion gold marks in reparations – it gave the Bolsheviks the breathing space they needed to remain in power. With the war over, they could honour the promises they had made before coming to power – to provide land, bread and peace to the peasants, workers and soldiers. This allowed them to consolidate their support with these groups. Even so, the Bolsheviks still faced considerable opposition in 1918, and soon found themselves at war with an alliance of monarchists, liberals and disaffected leftists. While Lenin confined his attention to political and economic matters, he gave Trotsky the task of defeating the White Armies, appointing him Commissar for War in March 1918. Lenin’s confidence in Trotsky’s abilities was not misplaced. Although the new War Commissar had no military training and no experience of...
Words: 851 - Pages: 4
...empire is gone, executed and left to deteriorate. Significant territories including Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, parts of Ukraine, Belarus and more lands have either broken away or been taken away, while the population has diminished by at least twenty five million people. Production has fallen to the levels of the times of Peter the Great, hunger and devastation are the general picture all around. In fact, things are going so bad, even the revolutionary leadership, backed fearlessly by millions of people just a few years before, is itself becoming a target of mass anger. Fresh uprisings grip Siberia, the southern and western regions and even spread to the Red Army. The new communist regime headed by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky realizes something needs to be done quickly to prevent the country from falling into complete chaos and anarchy. The tax cut One of the first measures taken by the Communists was the reduction of the farmer’s tax. During the First World War and throughout the Revolution all farmers were obliged to give most of their production to the state to provide food for the entire nation. Following the destruction of the Empire, the inexperienced new regime faced a...
Words: 1093 - Pages: 5
...Running Head: STALIN’S TERROR MACHINE Stalin’s Terror Machine There are a handful of names in modern history that are associated with the word “terror.” One of those names is Joseph Stalin. He served as the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for a period of 30 years from 1922 until 1952. During his reign, millions perished as the result of his totalitarian terror machine. He eliminated all those who he saw as a threat, whether they were actually a threat or not. Stalin’s uses of propaganda were crucial in maintaining power. The totalitarian state controlled education; making sure that the subjects were in line with what Stalin wanted. History books were rewritten to overplay Stalin’s part in the Revolution of 1917 and his relationship with Lenin, who was a father of the revolution. Many previously printed books were banned and the new ones were censored. Stalin, just like Hitler, developed a cult of personality. Many people blindly believed everything that Stalin and the Communist Party put out. This blind belief coupled with fear gave Stalin the ability to use state terror against his own people. Many were executed and many more sent to perish in the vast emptiness of Siberia. In order to better understand state terrorism in The Soviet Union, it is important to understand what lead up to it, how and why the state used terrorism, how the international community viewed the situation, as well as what was the final outcome...
Words: 1645 - Pages: 7
