Explain Why Was There Tension Between Stalin And His People Between 1928-1941
Why was there tension between Stalin and his people between 1928-1941?
After Lenin’s death in 1924, the two leading candidates for his successor were Stalin and Trotsky-both with opposing ideologies in the manner in which the country should be run. Despite being a brilliant speaker and writer, Trotsky’s policy on a ‘permanent revolution’ worried people in the fear that the USSR would get involved with more conflicts while Stalin’s proposition of ‘Socialism in One Country’ was far more comforting for people. After being elected leadership of the party in 1924, Stalin did not have complete supremacy in his power until 1929 and once acquired, despite his best efforts, between the period of 1928-1941 saw economic, political and social tension between Stalin and his people. …show more content…
Stalin did not want to share power and so moved against other leading communists who might threaten him like his removal of power of left-wingers Kamenev and Zinoviev in 1926 and 1929. There were initial signs of terror in 1928 when engineers were accused of sabotage and later in 1931 where former Mensheviks were put on charge. However the true start of the horrific period known as the Purges began in 1934 where Kirov, the leader of the Leningrad, was murdered when there were suspicions that his opponents were planning to replace him. This was the perfect motive for Stalin as he proceeded to ‘purge’ out the rest of his opposition in the party. Source 23 in the source booklet demonstrates the extent of the purges as we can see that ‘Stalin the executioner alone remains’ from Lenin’s general staff of 1917; the rest of the members including famous names likes Trotsky, Bukharin and Kamenev are either missing, dead or executed. The reliability of the source can be questioned as it was put together by Trotsky supporters, whom Stalin had fought for power with,
After Lenin’s death in 1924, the two leading candidates for his successor were Stalin and Trotsky-both with opposing ideologies in the manner in which the country should be run. Despite being a brilliant speaker and writer, Trotsky’s policy on a ‘permanent revolution’ worried people in the fear that the USSR would get involved with more conflicts while Stalin’s proposition of ‘Socialism in One Country’ was far more comforting for people. After being elected leadership of the party in 1924, Stalin did not have complete supremacy in his power until 1929 and once acquired, despite his best efforts, between the period of 1928-1941 saw economic, political and social tension between Stalin and his people. …show more content…
Stalin did not want to share power and so moved against other leading communists who might threaten him like his removal of power of left-wingers Kamenev and Zinoviev in 1926 and 1929. There were initial signs of terror in 1928 when engineers were accused of sabotage and later in 1931 where former Mensheviks were put on charge. However the true start of the horrific period known as the Purges began in 1934 where Kirov, the leader of the Leningrad, was murdered when there were suspicions that his opponents were planning to replace him. This was the perfect motive for Stalin as he proceeded to ‘purge’ out the rest of his opposition in the party. Source 23 in the source booklet demonstrates the extent of the purges as we can see that ‘Stalin the executioner alone remains’ from Lenin’s general staff of 1917; the rest of the members including famous names likes Trotsky, Bukharin and Kamenev are either missing, dead or executed. The reliability of the source can be questioned as it was put together by Trotsky supporters, whom Stalin had fought for power with,