How important was Stalin’s use of the Lenin legacy in gaining power? Stalin’s use of the Lenin Legacy helped him gain support during the years 1924-1929, eventually resulting in him winning the power struggle and gaining power in Russia. Even though in Lenin’s final testament he made it clear that Stalin was trouble and he should be got rid of, Stalin’s political cunning and his use of the Lenin legacy meant that he was able to gain people’s support and become leader of the Communist party. One of the most noticeable was at Lenin’s funeral. Firstly, Stalin had told Trotsky (who was a major rival to Stalin at this time) the wrong date for Lenin’s funeral.
Joseph Stalin truly strengthened this nation to become a widely known superpower, although he carried out mass genocide and created a murderous dictatorship. Historians have viewed him in many different ways, including a psychotic power-driven killer, a military and communist genius, and also the man who transformed the Soviet Union into an industrial colossus. Joseph Stalin should have never taken the role of the USSR’s leader. Instead, Trotsky should have been the one to take Lenin’s place, which would have saved the lives of millions. Joseph Stalin put forth many positive attributes to the USSR, however; the only reason this was possible was through his brutal intimidation tactics used on the nation’s
People who expressed negative thoughts about Peter's decisions were often executed before they had a chance to gain followers and rebel against the Tsar. The Streltsy, bushy musketeers and pike men, Russia's first professional soldiers, were often found at the receiving end of harsh sentences[6]. Peter the Great was bad in that he was very cruel to the people of Russia. He heavily taxed everyone, so the serfs had to pay taxes for themselves and their owners. In
In 1907, 1,200 government officials were murdered in political terrorist attacks by revolutionaries. Meaning that the revolutionary ideas and parties were still strong and threatening the government position. They tackled this problem by making the trial and punishment system harder and harsher. Stolypin (the Tsar Chief Minister) was the main man responsible for this, he met terror with terror by using field court Martials – these involve the armed forces deciding who’s guilty and what their punishments should be. Due to the stricter and tougher jury system 1,144 death sentences were handed out between October 1906
His army also consisted of millions of poor, starving peasants with bad equipment, poor supplies of rifles and ammunition. In 1916, two million soldiers were killed or seriously wounded, and one third of a million taken prisoners. The Russian population was horrified. They considered the Tsar irresponsible for taking over the army and held him responsible for everything; as a result instability was growing at an alarming rate for the Tsar who had once held himself so assuredly in power. Nicholas II took this course of action to assure himself he still had complete control of Russia.
Although Ivan calmed down in 1564 in protest, he was urged back to power and began a rule of terror never before seen in Russian history. He divided the country into two clean-cut spheres, the oprichnina was encompassing his personal domain, and the other ,the zemshchina, representing the rest. Ivan broke the power of the Muscovite boyars, exiling thousands of them to Siberia, and created a new militia. These hand-picked oprichniki, as he named them, were devoted to his orders and were encouraged to rape, loot, burn, kill and torture in the Tsar's name. They spread terror throughout Russia, culminating in the atrocious massacre of Novgorod in 1569, when as many as 60,000 citizens were tortured to death for supposedly plotting to side with
Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin were both powerful, ambitious leaders that worked their way into positions of power. Stalin took over after Lenin died to lead the USSR after the Russian Revolution. Hitler became leader of the Nazi Party and gained the people’s support with promises of a strong leader that resisted western powers. On their rise to power, both Stalin and Hitler became leaders of political parties, eliminated opposing parties, and promised a better future for the people and country, but Stalin used the people’s support as leverage in his power struggle with Trotsky while Hitler used his passion and the economic situation in Germany to become leader of the Nazi party and gain support over the socialists. Both Hitler and Stalin started their journey towards power by joining political parties.
DBQ: Evaluation of Stalin’s Leadership Loved and hated by many, Joseph Stalin is one of the most controversial leaders in world history. Joseph Stalin transformed the Soviet Union into a modern superpower between 1928 and 1941. His rule is characterized by the creation of Collectivized Agriculture, Rapid Industrialization like the Five Year plan, and the many aspects of life under a totalitarian regime like purges, censorship, propaganda, and the cult of personality. In 1917, Russia was crumbling into pieces. The World War I was draining all of Russia’s resources.
To what extent was the leadership of the Bolsheviks the reason for their success in the Civil War in Russia from 1918-21? The Bolshevik’s new government was still in its infantry stages when the Civil War broke out, threatening the foundation they had created for their socialist state. It is to a critical extent that the leadership of the Bolsheviks was the reason for their victory in the Civil War in Russia from 1918-1921. Lenin’s introduction of the severe policies under war communism dealt with the disastrous economic and military situation that the Bolsheviks were facing with the onset of the Civil War, and although exasperating social problems it ensured the survival of the industrial areas under Red control and kept the Red armies fed and supplied. Lenin’s skilled use of propaganda and the importance of the cause of ‘mother Russia’ harnessed the support of the peasants and working class in the face of another revolution.
Trotsky and Lenin were both massive key players in Russian history as Lenin being head of the Bolsheviks and Trotsky being his right-hand man. Now to say which of the two is better is a hard task, nonetheless looking at what was key to consolidate the Bolshevik power in the period 1918-1924 is quite simple as both did major things and the biggest of Trotsky’s, the Civil War. Although originally identifying himself with the Menshevik party, he was formally admitted to the Bolshevik party in August 1917, while still in jail (following a ‘crackdown’ on Bolshevik leadership and revolutionaries by the Provisional Government). Following the November revolution in which he had played a significant role in the organisation and commanding of the military support for the Bolsheviks, Trotsky continued to command the army when Kerensky (ex-prime minister of the Provisional Government) threatened to take back Petrograd with an entourage of loyal soldiers on November 13th. As foreign minister, Trotsky saw the importance of establishing peace, and so took steps towards this in order to fulfil the Bolshevik promise (‘Bread, Peace, Land’).