FROM LENIN TO STALIN

RISE OF COMMUNISM IN SOVIET UNION

• Communism set up a new legislature called the Supreme Soviet.
• Gave power to the people in a sense.
• However the Communist party used the army and secret police to enforce their will.
• Soon after, Lenin adopted the NEP or New Economic Policy.
• This allowed the Communist environment to fade away due to the ability for people to make private profit.

JOSEPH STALIN

• Responsible for instituting Russia's purges.
• Known as the most ruthless leader of Russia
• Responsible for leading Russia into World War II.

STALIN GAINS POWER

• Vladmir Lenin died in 1924 suddenly.
• Joseph Stalin and Trotsky had a power struggle as Communist leaders.
• They were exact opposites in their views, Stalin being more conservative.
• Trotsky fled the country due to being stripped of party membership in 1929.
• This led to Stalin taking power.

STALIN'S FIVE YEAR PLANS

• Wanted to make Soviet Union an industrial power.
• Made economy under his control.
• His plans made business efficient ,but to little benefit of the peasants.
• Wages were low and life remained of poor quality for the workers.
• Heavy industry was successful, but consumer good were in need.
• Greatly increased industrial output, rather than the output of consumer goods

THE GREAT PURGE

• Stalin and secret police began cracking down on Old Bolsheviks, or early days party activists.
• Soon, even army heroes, industry managers, writers, and ordinary citizens came under fire.
• Files show that at least 4 million people were purged during this.
• Since the victims included most of the nations' military officers, Stalin lost the trust of his nation as well as those of others.

SOVIET FOREIGN POLICY

• The two goals of this policy were for Communist revolution and national security through worldwide trust.
• Since these goals were differing and contradictory, the entire policy soon proved to be unsuccessful, and any progress made was demolished.

THREE REVOLUTIONS COMPARED

• Compared to the extremely violent revolutions of Russia and France, the American Revolution was the least radical.
• Stalin's policies caused millions of deaths, and nearly all ideas and goals of Lenin and Stalin have been abandoned by Russians today.