Stalin's Rise to Power and Soviet Policies

The Struggle for Succession

After Lenin died in 1924, two candidates vied for succession: Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. The former defended the idea of a world revolution, while the latter advocated for 'socialism in one country'. Stalin ultimately became the successor.

Social and Economic Policies

Stalin's rule brought significant changes, including centralized economic planning and the collectivization of the countryside. Abandoning the New Economic Policy (NEP), Stalin opted for rigorous economic planning through a series of Five-Year Plans.

The First Five-Year Plan (1928-1932)

The first plan was initiated on October 1, 1928. Its objectives were:

• The disappearance of the private sector.
• The specialization of technical training.
• The development of heavy industry.
• The construction of huge public works.

In agriculture, the collectivization of land led to the elimination of the kulaks (wealthy peasants).

Subsequent Plans

The Second Five-Year Plan (1933-1937) focused on the steel industry. The Third Five-Year Plan (1937-1942) aimed to promote light industry but was interrupted by the onset of World War II.

Political System

Politically, Stalin established a dictatorial system characterized by a cult of personality, the use of brutal methods of repression, and the elimination of all forms of opposition. During Stalin's time, Russia became a major economic power.

Glossary of Key Terms

Autocracy

A political system in which one person possesses total power.

Soviet

A Russian assembly, convocation, or council of workers. The first soviets were formed during the Russian Revolution of 1905. These councils of workers, soldiers, and peasants were critical to the success of the October Revolution in 1917.

Mensheviks

A faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP). They were moderate socialists who agreed to collaborate with constitutional democrats to defeat Tsarism.

Bolsheviks

A faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), led by Lenin. They represented the Marxist left and favored a revolutionary insurrection.

Five-Year Plan

A series of national, centralized projects for the rapid economic development of the Soviet Union.

Lenin

A Russian revolutionary and Bolshevik leader. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia, elected as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union at the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies on October 25, 1917.