How did Lenin set the stage for
Stalin?
THE LENIN
LEGACY
Stalin became heir to the “Lenin legacy”
Since 1924 Lenin’s body has been kept on
display in his Mausoleum on Red Square, right
outside of the Kremlin walls.
Lenin’s Legacy
“It is barely an exaggeration to say that in the eyes
of the Communist Party, Lenin became a god. His
actions and decisions became unchallengeable,
and all arguments and disputes within the Party
were settled by reference to his statements and
writings.” (Lynch 16)
Lenin’s Legacy
• Soviet Communism became Leninism
• Thereafter, leaders had to at least appear to
carry on his work.
Key Dates:
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1917
1917
1917-1924
1918
1918-1920
--1921
1922
1923
1924
February Revolution
October Revolution
Consolidation of Bolshevik power
Decree Separating Church & State
Russian Civil War
Foreign Interventions
The Red Terror
Ban on Factionalism
Purges and show trials
Lenin’s Testament
Death of Lenin
Lenin Provided the Ideological Base
• Foundations in Marxist beliefs
• According to Lenin, Bolsheviks were guiding
the proletariat through the scientific laws of
the dialectic, to cease power.
• Lenin believed that that workers could not
complete the revolution without strong,
central, and elite leadership.
Cease power in the October
Revolution, 1917
Soviets- local committees
Lenin’s Bolsheviks, with the support of the Soviets,
overthrew the Provisional Government
Civil War- 1918-1920 The Reds –vs- The Whites
Foreign Intervention- USA, Great Britain, France
The Communist Party had taken absolute control
Lenin’s Methods establish precedent in
the party…
A. The Red Terror
-Lenin allowed NO opposition government
-Established a “tradition of authoritarian rule for the
communist party.” (Lynch 2)
-Established the Cheka (1st Secret Police of the party)
-Established the Red Army- Army loyal to Lenin via
Trotsky
ESSENTIALLY THE BOLSHEVIK GOVERNMENT REPLACED
ONE FORM OF TOTALITARIAN / AUTHORITARIAN
GOVERNMENT WITH ANOTHER
Lenin needed to reject the Tsarist
past…
B. Democratic Centralism
-To appear less “authoritarian” Lenin was careful to
describe the policies of the government as
democratic
-” Democracy is indispensable to socialism.” – Lenin
-Goal- To direct the revolution from above.
Lenin’s Definition of Democratic
Centralism:
• “Classes are led by parties, and parties are led by
individuals who are called leaders. This is the ABC.
The will of a class is sometimes fulfilled by a dictator.
Soviet socialist democracy is not in the least
incompatible with individual rule and dictatorship.
What is necessary is individual rule, the recognition
of the dictatorial powers of one man. All phrases
about equal rights are nonsense.” -Lenin
CPSU- Communist Party of the Soviet Union
C. Established the precedents of
Authoritarianism
• Represented a return to absolutism
1917-1924
1. Single Party State
2. Bureaucratic Organization- government
organizations grew, structure was created
3. Police State- the Cheka
4. Ban on factionalism- 1921 by Lenin- outlawed
criticism of the leadership within the Party. Ban
of free speech.
C. Established the precedents of
Authoritarianism
• Represented a return to absolutism
1917-1924
5. Destruction of Trade Unions- Trotsky removed all
trade unions.
6. Law used to extend the power of the state…. Not to
protect people. “The Court is not to eliminate
terror but to legitimize it.”- Lenin
7. Purges- Created under Lenin
-by 1924 there were 315 concentration camps to hold White
prisoners of war, rebel peasants, and political prisoners
C. Established the precedents of
Authoritarianism
• Represented a return to absolutism!
1917-1924
8. Show Trials--Public Trials of the Moscow clergy, April –July 1922
--Public Trials of the Socialist Revolutionaries (SRs) as a Threat to Soviet
security and order
9. Prohibition of Public Worship- Orthodox churches were
looted and closed. Clergy arrested.
-Atheism adopted to replace religious belief
-Karl Marx - Religion is the “Opium of the people.”
-Lenin argued that religion existed to deaden the pain of life.
-January 20, 1918- Decree on Separation of Church & State
No salaries to church members, no church schools, no
ownership of the Church lands (now state controlled)
D. New Economic Policy (NEP)
• Lenin had implemented “war communism” during the Civil War to help
secure the win
– Central control of Agriculture, food seized, farming for profit prohibited,
traditional markets were outlawed.
• NEP–
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(Gosplan- government body for Economic Planning)
Central control to be relaxed
Agriculture, farming - free enterprise
Allowed to sell surpluses for profit
Public markets restored
Money introduced for trade
“Temporary concession to capitalism.”
Left Communists- Wanted the NEP abandoned
• Trotsky spoke out against
– Right Communists- Wanted to continue the NEP
• Stalin would use Trotsky’s opposition to the NEP as justificationTrotsky was disrupting the Party structure… of course Stalin
would alter abandon the NEP altogether once he gained control.
Research Piece:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Trotsky
Kamenev
Zinoviev
Bukharin
Stalin
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Read and research your person
What are your beliefs?
What is your position?
What is your relationship to Lenin?
What do you do in the months after
Lenin’s death?
6. What are your motivations?