Formation of the Soviet Union: Power Struggles & Early Policies

The Political Offensive: Creation of the Soviet Union (1921-1922)

Between 1921 and 1922, stricter policies were implemented to consolidate power:

• Internal currents were banned within the Communist Party.
• Uprisings were crushed by the army.
• Violent repression was carried out against all political opposition.
• Civil rights were curtailed, and critical intellectuals were imprisoned.
• The Orthodox Church was also persecuted.

The Creation of the Soviet State

The Congress of Soviets adopted a series of measures to establish a Soviet socialist state. Lenin signed two key decrees:

• The Decree on Peace, which invited warring governments to a just and democratic peace without annexations or indemnities.
• The Decree on Land, which expropriated the lands of large landowners, the Crown, and the Church, delivering them to the soviets of peasants.

Other measures to strengthen political control and secure popular support included:

• Control of factories and mines was granted to workers' soviets.
• An eight-hour workday was established.
• The right to self-determination for nations was declared.
• The announcement of the Constituent Assembly, tasked with drafting a constitution, was promised.

Lenin's Death and the Struggle for Power

Trotsky's Role and Influence

Trotsky had demonstrated his political capacity in organizing the October Revolution, constructing the Red Army, and managing the war effort. However, he did not gain Lenin's full support.

Stalin's Rise to General Secretary

Stalin was himself promulgated by Lenin as the General Secretary of the Party in 1922. He was the person who controlled the party throughout its entirety at the time. He had the support of other Bolshevik leaders, whose main purpose was to isolate Trotsky.

Stalin's Triumph and the Political Struggle

Trotsky and the opposition claimed the following changes in policy were necessary:

• The establishment of genuine workers' democracy.
• The restoration of freedom of expression.
• The principle of election, not appointment based on subservience.