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.
In order to establish whether Lenin did, indeed lay the foundation for Stalinism, two questions need to be answered; what were Lenin’s plans for the future of Russia and what exactly gave rise to Stalinism? Official Soviet historians of the time at which Stalin was in power would have argued that each one answers the other. Similarly, Western historians saw Lenin as an important figure in the establishment of Stalin’s socialist state. This can be partly attributed to the prevailing current of pro-Stalin anti-Hitler sentiments amongst westerners until the outbreak of the cold war.
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.
Kronstadt deserves special attention for several reasons. The workers, soldiers and sailors at Kronstadt used the Revolution to build "a bustling, self-governing, egalitarian and highly politicized Soviet democracy, the like of which had not been seen in Europe since the days of the Paris Commune."3 This was the great promise of Kronstadt, which Trotsky praised as "the pride and glory of the Russian Revolution."4 Nowhere in Russia, however, was the failure of the revolution so dramatically illustrated as at Kronstadt. After the Bolsheviks consolidated their control of the base in mid-1918, Kronstadt made one last "desperate attempt to restore and reactivate its radical Soviet democracy."5 This...
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.
The outbreak of revolution in Russia lured Trotsky back into action, but he was soon arrested. While in jail, Trotsky joined the Bolsheviks (“Leon Trotsky”). After his release, Trotsky allied with Vladimir Lenin as he gained control of the Russian government. Trotsky was made commissar of war and was charged with the formation of the Red Army to defend communism (“Leon Trotsky”). Although the Red Army proved successful in its endeavor, its Red Terror campaign caused “thousands of people, many of whom were only suspected of being anti-communist, [to be] slaughtered in unthinkably cruel ways” (Asnes, Tania. Kissel, Adam ed). Soon after, Lenin's death left Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky to battle to be Russia's leader. Although Trotsky had the skills and the intellect that should have made him the clear choice, jealousy among his colleagues prompted them to side with Stalin (“Leon Trotsky”). Soon after Stalin gained power, he exiled Trotsky. His role in Russian history had come to an abrupt
Without contribution from crucial individuals politically involved in Russia at the time, the success of the Bolsheviks and the proceeding (ideally) Communist government may have been less then what we know today. One such individual was Trotsky.Trotsky made a vital contribution to the success of the Bolsheviks up to 1922. As Lenin made clear in 1918 Trotsky was in his view the only person able to save the revolution.
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.
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.
...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
Stalin was able to damage Trotsky’s reputation and political prestige, by tricking Trotsky for not showing up at Lenins funeral. After Lenins death, on the 21st of January 1924, on over three days, about three and a half million people queued to see Lenins body. Although many people felt hatred towards the regime, many felt a bona fide affection towards Lenin, which was comparable with the affection the people had to the Romanov dynasty, before the October Revolution. Throughout Lenins funeral, Stalin hoped that he could strengthen his position in the Party and remove Trotsky from his powerful position, which he was in. Trotsky turned ill just before Lenin’s death, and had settled in the south of Russia, to recover. Stalin contacted Trotsky about Lenins death and meant that Trotsky would not make it to the funeral. For Trotsky not attending the funeral, caused his reputation and political prestige, within the party, to be damaged. During Lenins funeral, Stalin made a speech referring t...
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov better known as Lenin. Lenin was an important part in Soviet Union history . lenin had a determined goal , he wanted power . Lenin was so powerful , he took the practice communism and made it reality throughout Soviet plus other countries he had an influence on. Lenin believed that communism could solve the problems of society , because his brother was killed by a tsarist regime. He started as a politician and war general , he later became the leader of the Soviet Union. Before Lenin was the leader a man named Stalin Ruled Soviet . Lenin despised Stalin , Lenin then started to take control of the states he created.
After the death of Lenin, his chief lieutenant Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin fought for control of the country. Stalin was able to win out over Trotsky and gain control of the Russian government. He felt that Lenin and Trotsky’s socialistic ideas were flawed in that they were to wait for other countries to revolt and become socialistic as well. Staling believed that a single country could make socialism .
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.