Stalinist Russia 1924-1952

The Power Struggle 1924-1928
1. After Lenin's death in 1924, there was a power vacuum within the Communist Party
  1. Contenders:
    1. Trotsky
    2. Zinoviev
    3. Kamenev
    4. Bukharin
    5. STALIN
2. Triumvirate: -Stalin -Zinoviev -Kamenev
  1. This was formed in 1923 to opposed Trotsky
  2. They opposed Trotsky's Economic Plans
  3. This was successful in removing Trotsky from the Power Struggle
3. Duumvirate: -Stalin -Bukharin
  1. This was an opposition to Zinoviev and Kamenev as they returned to the Left of the Party
    1. Bukharin heavily supported the NEP
4. Stalin, at the start of the Power Struggle, was not considered as a candidate to take over from Lenin
  1. This worked in Stalin's favour as no one expected him to mount a serious challenge
5. Stalin also used Lenin's funeral to establish himself as the main disciple of the 'Cult of Lenin'
  1. Trotsky did not show up to the funeral
6. Lenin's Last Testament was never published
  1. This document stated from Lenin that Stalin should be removed from his position of General Secretary
    1. This was Trotsky's chance to dirty Stalin's name but it was decided that is wouldnt be published
7. Bukharin's downfall was due to his undying support for the New Economic Policy
  1. This was even when the NEP results were declining, so he lost influence within the Party
First Five Year Plan 1928-1932
1. Stalin wanted Russia to catch up with the West in 15 years
2. This Plan purely concentrated on increasing industry in such areas as coal, steel, iron ore etc.
  1. The production of these industries excelled that of the NEP
    1. For Example, 64.3 million tonnes of coal were produced in 1932 compared to 35.4 million tonnes in 1926
      1. But there were also disadvantages to this as the quality was very low as all the managers cared about was meeting their targets and avoiding punishment
        Living standards also deteriorated as there was a scarcity of Consumer Goods
      2. Magnitogorsk was a town in the Urals which was built in order to produce more industry
  2. The urban population trebled by 1932 because of problems with Collectivisation
Second Five Year Plan 1933-1938
1. This plans aim was to develop the Russian economy in many different ways
  1. This saw the rise of the Stakhanovite Movement
    1. Exceptional workers were rewarded with better lives
    2. Incentive for success but there was still harsh punishment for failure to meet targets
    3. Steel production trebled and coal production doubled
  2. But, in 1936 the focus of the Plan changed to rearmament in a reactions to Hitler's Four Year Plan
2. Concentration was given to consumer goods and living standards in a bid to gain popularity
  1. The Moscow Metro was built in 1935 which made transport easier
Third Five Year Plan 1938-1941
1. The Third Five Year Plan was solely based on rearmament in case of war with Germany
  1. It was hugely stunted by Stalin's Purges
    1. This was because it got rid of Russia's best economic planners and managers
      1. Investment in rearmament doubled by 1940
    2. Rations returned
WW2 1941-1945
1. Operation Barbarossa was the German plan to take Russia so they were able to concentrate forces on the Western Front
  1. It commenced in June 1941 to target Moscow
    1. By September 1941, German troops had reached the outskirts of Leningrad and Moscow
2. The Third Five Year Plan was possible as of the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939
Collectivisation 1928-1941
1. Dekulakisation
  1. Stalin suspected that the supposed 'kulak' class, were hoarding grain
    1. Kulaks were the most successful peasants
      1. Stalin set out to persecute the 'Kulak' Class
        Exiled 10 million peasants
  2. Twenty-Five Thousanders
2. Requisition of Grain
  1. All grain was taken away if villages didn't meet their unrealistic targets
  2. This led to the harvest of 1936 being 10 million tonnes short of what it was in 1926
3. Famine of 1932
  1. Because of heavy Collectivisation, there was a large famine which led to 10 million people dying
  2. The removal of the kulaks meant that the most skilled workers were not able to work

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Stalinist Russia 1924-1952

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