What In Your View Is the Short term Significance of Leon Trotsky? Trotsky played a key role in the Bolshevik party, encouraging revolution, which saw the Bolsheviks gain power in 1917. He built up a strong Red Army during the civil war, used to ensure the survival of the Bolshevik government and was seen by many as the most likely candidate to take over as leader after Lenin’s death, showing the significance he was held in by Russians. However, evidence suggests that after Lenin’s death he lost his a considerable amount of power, eventually being exiled from the Communist party. In the short-term it is clear that Trotsky had a huge significance in the development of Russia, shown clearly through both his letters and documents, and the opinions of those close to Trotsky. The significance is obvious through his role in the build up to the October Revolution, his negotiations with Germany through the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, his contribution to Bolshevik success in the civil war and his attitude towards terror and his failure to out maneuver Stalin to succeed Lenin. Trotsky was hugely significant in the build up to and during the October Revolution. The first reason was his ability to convince many of the Social Democrats that the revolution was a real possibility, not just a theoretical concept. This is evident through much of Trotsky’s work as the leader of the Petrograd Soviet in September 1917, which saw Trotsky re-invent the Bolshevik plan to seize power, curbing Lenin’s ruthless ambition as he aimed for the swift overthrow of Kerensky . ‘The provisional government was brought down with barely a shot fired… they looked to undermine his government through those of the Petrograd Soviet.’ This passage suggests Trotsky was hugel... ... middle of paper ... ...ectively work with him. But he was an industrious worker and a talented person, and for Lenin, that was the main thing’ . Trotsky, despite his nuances and arrogance, was hugely significant in the short term through his brilliant tactics throughout the October Revolution where the Bolsheviks took control of Russia. Furthermore his coordination of the Red Army was definitive in Bolshevik victory in the civil war, removal of opposition in the terror, and he played an under appreciated role in reclaiming of occupied Russian lands following the world war. Trotsky’s final years in the Bolsheviks also saw him have a huge impact on the direction the communist party in Russia would take. So, in the short term, Leon Trotsky was undoubtedly significant, as he helped the Bolshevik’s propagate power and ultimately left them in a strong position, albeit on a changing course.
As relations changed between Russia and the rest of the world, so did the main historical schools of thought. Following Stalins death, hostilities between the capitalist powers and the USSR, along with an increased awareness of the atrocities that were previously hidden and ignored, led to a split in the opinions of Soviet and Western Liberal historians. In Russia, he was seen, as Trotsky had always maintained, as a betrayer of the revolution, therefore as much distance as possible was placed between himself and Lenin in the schoolbooks of the 50s and early 60s in the USSR. These historians point to Stalin’s killing of fellow communists as a marked difference between himself and his predecessor. Trotsky himself remarked that ‘The present purge draws between Bolshevism and Stalinism… a whole river of blood’[1].
The Failure of the Provisional Government and the Rise of the Bolsheviks i. Subject of investigation. How did the failure of the Provisional Government allow for the rise of the Bolsheviks? ii. Methods to be used.
Trotsky was a very influential man. Without him it is questionable whether they would have gone on to win the war. In his organising of the Red army. Trotsky used professional army officers to make sure the battles were carefully and tactically organised. He got political commissars to work with the officers and staff.
Without Lenin and Trotsky, the revolution would have never occurred, nor would power have been secured, the combination of these two inspirational leaders was vital to the outcome of the seizure of power and civil war. They can be held accountable for the Bolsheviks gaining power in 1922.
The accumulation of these factors centred on Lenin's leadership helped stamp Bolshevik power across the Soviet Union. Lenin’s pragmatic leadership was the most considerable factor in helping to fortify Bolshevik power. His willingness to take power in October/November 1917 and the successes of the move, through his right-hand man, Trotsky, was critical as it helped give him unquestioned authority within the party despite members of the Central Committee i.e. Zinoviev and Kamenev suggested industrialisation needed to occur first. This highlighted Lenin’s communist ideology, which was essential to the Bolsheviks maintaining power. Following the failure of the Provisional Government, Lenin recognised that it was the Bolshevik’s priority to legitimise their government.
Trotsky’s Involvement in The October Revolution ‘Trotsky took a leading role in directing countermeasures for the soviet, while reassuring the public that his Military Revolutionary Committee meant only to defend the Congress of Soviets. Trotsky continued to function as the military leader of the Revolution’ Gerhard Rempel 1998 · The liberals and people loose confidence in Kerensky. So Bolsheviks gained the majority in the soviet for the first time - more than 50% in the September elections. They had had only 10% in July. · Trotsky released from jail become president of St. Petersburg Soviet.
A power struggle for control of the Bolshevik party began after Vladimir Lenin's death in 1924. Among the several contenders, two of the most important names in this struggle were Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. Ultimately, Stalin was able to secure power and vote out Trotsky. In the following essay I will discuss the reasons why Stalin rather than Trotsky emerged as the leader of the USSR in 1929.
Trotsky was a member of the Social Democratic Party and was living in exile in America. Surprised by the February revolution in Petrograd in 1917 he returned to Russia arriving in May 1917. In this revolution, he was the one who persuaded Lenin to hold off the attack until he was sure that the Bolshevik?s had a much more secure hold on the country. This led to the abdication of the Tsar and the establishment of a Provisional Government led by Kerensky. Although he had been a Menshevik (a branch of the Social Democratic Party which believed that there would be a workers uprising leading to a revolution) he was rapidly convinced by Lenin?s views to become a Bolshevik (a branch of the Social Democratic Party that believed a small organised party was needed to spearhead a revolution) and by June 1917 he was regarded by Lenin as the ?number 2? in the Bolshevik party.
To decide on Lenin’s importance, regarding Bolsheviks success in the November Revolution of 1917, we need to identify the factors that we can take into account. These include Lenin’s April Thesis, his effective use of “Peace, Land, Bread” and his ability to convince the Bolshevik central committee for an immediate revolution. However, over the course of the essay we will see that it’s not just Lenin’s leadership that was the reason for Bolshevik success, we also have the mistakes of the Provisional Government and its overall weakness. By starting with Lenin’s April Thesis we can analyse its key points which structured around the idea of “No Support for the Provisional Government” from which it developed into a campaign to give all power to the Soviets, or in reality the Bolsheviks. The April Thesis basically outlined the plan for the November revolution and essentially set the Bolsheviks onto a path that would put them into the best possible position to take power when the time came, The April Thesis essentially gives us an insight into the amount of planning that Lenin put into the seizure of power and without the April Thesis it’s possible that the Bolshevik party would not have such an established purpose.
Trotsky thought that Communism could not survive in the USSR alone. He argued that the capitalist countries of the West feared Communism and would try to destroy it. For this reason, he said, it was necessary to spread Communism to the countries of Western Europe and to their overseas colonies. This would be done by giving help to revolutionary groups and parties in Western Europe.
...ove Russian people's lives by giving them the vision through his “April Thesis” stating his ideas on taking over the intermediate government. He provided the leadership that was necessary during the revolution he knew that democratic centralism was necessary, which would be leading the revolution for the people. In 1917 the followers of Lenin called the Bolsheviks took control of the government ending the war with Germany. Later in 1920 after the civil war broke out between the White army and the Red Army, The Red army wins and Lenin seizes the opportunity and implemented his New Economic Policy. Lenin believing that a socialist revolution would be successful if there were multiple revolutions happening together all at once in Europe. Later after Karl Marx died his work was brought back by a man named Joseph Stalin. Stalin incorporated both Lenin and Marx's ideals by
Over the next few years, Russia went through a traumatic time of civil war and turmoil. The Bolsheviks’ Red Army fought the white army of farmers, etc. against Lenin and his ways. Lenin and the Bolsheviks won and began to wean Russia of non-conforming parties eventually banning all non-communist as well as removing an assembly elected shortly after the Bolshevik’s gain of power. Lenin’s strict government, however, was about to get a lot stricter with his death in 1924.
Inspired by the works of Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin nonetheless drew his ideology from many other great 19th century philosophers. However, Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” was immensely important to the success of Russia under Leninist rule as it started a new era in history. Viewed as taboo in a capitalist society, Karl Marx started a movement that would permanently change the history of the entire world. Also, around this time, the Populist promoted a doctrine of social and economic equality, although weak in its ideology and method, overall. Lenin was also inspired by the anarchists who sought revolution as an ultimate means to the end of old regimes, in the hope of a new, better society. To his core, a revolutionary, V.I. Lenin was driven to evoke the class struggle that would ultimately transform Russia into a Socialist powerhouse. Through following primarily in the footsteps of Karl Marx, Lenin was to a lesser extent inspired by the Populists, the Anarchists, and the Social Democrats.
According to most historians, “history is told by the victors”, which would explain why most people equate communism with Vladimir Lenin. He was the backbone of Russia’s communist revolution, and the first leader of history’s largest communist government. It is not known, or discussed by most, that Lenin made many reforms to the original ideals possessed by many communists during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He revised Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles’ theories to fit the so-called ‘backwardness’ of the Russian Empire. Lenin’s reforms were necessary to carry out a socialist revolution in Russia, and the contributions he made drastically changed the course of history. It can be assumed that, the Soviet Union would not have been as powerful if it was not for Lenin’s initial advocacy of violence and tight organization.
Lenin lead the first communist government in russia . When communist took over the city of petrograd , they decided to take out the provisional government . “Peace, bread and land” and “All power to the soviets” was said by Lenin to the cities workers with sayings such as these 2. In lenin's eyes he claimed that workers will and can not , be governed by themselves. Lenin promised to the Soviets that he would get his soldiers out of war plus he granted land ownership to the peasants and also gave them a opportunity to own shops in Soviet . The actual revolution only lasted two days. Trotsky had planned this and it was perfect execution . Trotsky held a speech in the city of petrograd to distract them while the red guards took over important parts of petrograd. Almost everything possible was captured. Lenin was like a spy during this revolution, he had to find the leaders of the provisional government and arrest them . At this time Alexander Kerensky was the president of the provisional