STALIN By Lucrecia, Lola, Mirco,

Patricia
BIOGRAPHY OF STALIN
•Stalin was born in Georgia in 1879. He joined the bolsheviks and was a follower of
Lenin. He became prominent after the October revolution in 1917. He took part in the
Russian civil war (defending Tsaritsyn).
•He became general secretary of the communist party and used his position to put loyal
followers in power. He participated in the struggle for power against Trotsky.
•He became the most powerful person in the Soviet Union.
•He built Socialism in one country, bringing in a five year plan to industrialise Russia. By
1938, he had made Russia into the world’s second industrial power but had created a great
general suffering. Also, crashing any opposition (same as Lenin).
•Russia became a totalitarian state by propaganda.
•Organised the Great Purges (death of millions, including communist party
members).
•In 1939, he was afraid of Hitler and signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact but in 1941,
Germany invaded Russia.
•The battle of Stalingrad was a total success, pushing German troops back (able to
take credit in defeating Hitler). Took part in wartime conferences with Churchill and
Roosevelt.
•Continued in power till his death in 1953 (series of strokes).
TROTSKY VS STALIN
• Trotsky commanded the Red Guards in the October Revolution, 1917. He created
and led the Red Army in the civil war. He was arrogant and some feared he might
use the army to take over Russia.
• Stalin initially joined two communist leaders in opposition to Trotsky. He was
comissar of nationalities and General Secretary of the party. Stalin deliberately
spread the cult of Lenin, promoted himself as the best, the staunchest, the truest
comrade-in-arms of Lenin.
• Stalin was helped by Trotsky’s failure to attend Lenin’s funeral and attacked Lenin’s
NEP. Lenin’s Testament wasn’t published because of its damaging verdict on Stalin.
SOCIALISM IN ONE COUNTRY
•Trotsky and Stalin fought over the future of communism and the development of
Soviet Russia.
•Trotsky supported the idea of permanent revolution in which workers in other
countries would be encouraged to revolt and set up communist states. Took the view
that communism was weak in Russia and that it had to expand to other countries
(western Europe).
•Stalin believed in socialism in one country and that communism in Russia had to be
developed first so that country was a modern, powerful state, rather than
encouraging world revolution. This policy was supported by his comrades and by
party members who felt that Russia had suffered enough through war and revolution
from 1914 to 1921
VICTORY OF STALIN
•Stalin turned againist his party’s comrades.
•Stalin joined up with Bukharin (the editor of the main communist newspaper).
•When his ex comrades joined Trotsky to oppose him, it was too late. He kicked them
out of the party and sent Trotsky into exile to Siberia (died in 1940 in Mexico).
•In 1929 Stalin had filled all opposition in the party with his own supporters.
•He was now in total control of the Soviet Union.