The Soviet Union was ruled by a one-party rule of the Bolsheviks, which was dominated by liberal politicians. The government had less control over the streets than workers’ and soldiers’ councils, which were the soviets dominated by the socialist parties (Phillips 89). The one-party rule was apprehended because it eradicated capitalist exploitation in the Soviet Union and ensured peoples would be represented by the democratic centralism principles. It was dominated by liberal politicians.
Vladimir Ilych Lenin and Trotsky were the best known influential figures in the Bolsheviks rule (Communist Party). Being the trusted aides of Lenin, Joseph Stalin had earned himself an authority in the communist party. He influenced the hiring of every top government official and hiring the new government lower-level workers. He out-maneuvered his rivals by hiring communists who were loyal to him in the government posts. A new post of the General Secretary was proposed by Kamenev to oversee and co-ordinate the different arms in the Communist Party.
On April 3, 1922, Stalin became the General Secretary of the communist party of the Soviet Union. This made Stalin accumulate great power in the party. In March 1922, Lenin suffered a severe stroke leaving him mentally weakened and physically impaired, paralyzing his right side. Stalin was made in charge of Lenin’s medical staff and ensured that Lenin took a break in political work as well as taking rest. Lenin’s failing health could not have allowed him to get back to his full duties as a leader since he suffered another stroke.
He expressed Stalin and Trotsky as the most competent leaders in the Central Committee in a letter meant to be read after his death. On January 4, 1923, Lenin wrote that Stalin is rude and holds enormous power, which he knows not how to use it. He, therefore, urges Communists to remove Stalin in the post as the General Secretary.
Preparations to replace Lenin began, and Leon Trotsky seemed to be the greatest opponent to Stalin. Stalin held the advantage of understanding how leadership and politics worked. He made use of a party rule that outlawed factions by allowing members of the Communists to debate on a proposal until it became a policy. On Lenin’s death on January 21, 1924, Stalin organized a funeral ceremony for Lenin, where his body was laid out in the casket for display.
Stalin stood beside the casket to win the public’s attention on his close bond with Lenin as mourners viewed the body. Stalin later highlighted Lenin’s key philosophies published in a book as “The Foundations of Leninism” (Havlat 45). Stalin joined forces in the left wing with Gregory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev to keep Trotsky out of power, for they believed that Trotsky would dismiss them from the government once he becomes the leader.
On the other hand, Trotsky had long been opposed to NEP, which was an unacceptable compromise to Socialism. Trotsky then called for a Marxist policy ‘Permanent Revolution’ based on the Marxist theory. Stalin gave an alternative to this policy, stating that a ‘Socialist state could survive and prosper within a capitalist world.’ This led to the damage of Trotsky’s reputation in the party and the public. Stalin eliminated Kamenev and Zinoviev by publishing criticizing articles with Bukharim on issues concerning NEP.
Stalin, emerging as the Soviet Union leader, continued the New Economic Policy, which allowed farmers to sell their produce in open-air markets and employ workers. He embarked on an industrialization program, creating hydro-electric dams, power stations, factories, and other necessities. Stalin began accusing kulaks (farmers who expanded their farms) of not producing enough food for industrial workers. He proposed small farmers to join forces and form large-scale units setting up collective farms. He argued that this would enable farmers to afford machinery. Farmers were reluctant to this, and local communist officials were instructed to confiscate kulaks property resulting in the execution of thousands of the kulaks.
On the evening of December 1, 1934, Sergey Kirov, whose laws believed to be Stalin’s potential rival, was assassinated. This led to the arrest and execution of Kamenev, Zinoviev, and other party members (Zuehlke 2006). Nikolai Yezhov, who was appointed as the head of the Communist Secret Police, arrested top political leaders who were critical of Stalin. They were accused of planning a coup and were forced to sign confessions to the accusations after intense interrogations. Members who were accused of being involved with Trotsky plot against Stalin were assassinated after being found guilty.
The members included Alexei Rykov, Nikolai Krestinsky, Christian Rakovsky, Genrikh Yagoda, and Bukharin. In June 1937, fifty percent of the army officers were executed together with eight Red Army commanders accused of planning a coup. Stalin later appointed Lavrenti Beria as the new head of Communist Secret Police (NKVD) who allegedly arranged the execution of all senior figures in the party. This was to ensure that anyone who knew of the executions was eliminated from the party. These purges destroyed any threat of opposition to Stalin’s rule and all independent thought in the Soviet Union.
Works Cited
Havlat, Alexander. Victims of the Bolsheviks: 1917-1953. Norderstedt: GRIN Verlag, 2011. Print.
Phillips, Steve. Lenin and the Russian Revolution. Oxford: Heinemann, 2000. Print.
Zuehlke, Jeffrey. Joseph Stalin. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2006. Web.