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Lenin's new economic policy (Essays)
New economy policy by lenin
Leadership and consolidation of Bolshevik power
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Throughout the years leading up the 1918 Bolshevik revolution in Russia it could be seen that the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin was both pragmatic and idealistic in his approach to gaining and maintaining power. There were several different instances in which Lenin was pragmatic in his approach, these included his land reform policies and his imposition of the NEP (New Economic Policy). However there were also several points were Lenin was ideological and stuck to his Marxist views. This was evident through him bringing about peace and the end of Russian involvement in WWI. Add social policies
One way in which Lenin was Pragmatic was through his land policies for the peasant class in Russia. Leading up to the 1918 revolution Lenin started to promote a new Bolshevik land reform policy in Russia. This policy was aimed at the peasant class who made up 80% of Russia’s population at the time and was very similar to the policy of the socialist revolutionary party who were very popular with the peasant class. Lenin’s policy promised the abolition of all private ownership of land and would see the removal of the crushing debt that the peasants faced under Romanov rule. The policy meant that all land once privately held was confiscated by the government and then “to be placed at the disposition of the workers who cultivate them”. This could be argued as an act of pragmatism on the part of Lenin as this policy was only adopted very late in 1917 and for many years before this Lenin did not have any land policies concerning the Russian peasant class. This was because the ideology that Lenin based many of his policies of (Marxism) was only concerned with the proletariat (working class) and it excluded the peasant class, with no mention of la...
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...hat he made. Whilst it could be argued that even though Lenin did get Russia out of WWI it could also be seen that he helped bring about a whole new war that was much more devastating to the people of Russia, the Russian civil war. However, Lenin did manage to bring about peace from the civil war in 1924. SOCIAL POLICIES
Another way in which Lenin was idealistic was through his radical social policies t would be unfair to categorise Lenin as purely an idealist or a pragmatist as it has been shown that he adopted different policies that were both idealistic and that were pragmatic. However, it has also been shown that whilst Lenin did have some policies that were linked to his ideology (an end to WWI and war communism) he was indeed more of a pragmatist as more of his policies seemed to be in response to the current circumstances such as the NEP and his land policy.
During the 19th century, Russia was experiencing a series of changes with its entire nation and society overall. The government was trying to adapt themselves to them at the same time. It was not an easy time period for Russia whatsoever. Vladimir Lenin helped change this.
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.
There are many people who have lived through and within the Bolshevik Revolution, so there are a multitudinous variety of perspectives, thoughts, and insights about the revolution. The Bolshevik Revolution is known for many things; some say that the revolution helped women become free of control, and others proclaim that it did nothing but continue to hold women captive of their desired rights. The Bolshevik Revolution article states the side of a history professor Richard Stites, who argues yes the revolution benefited the women whilst the other side is declared no the revolution did no justice for women at all, which was argued by a Russian scholar, Lesly A. Rimmel. The opposing arguments both create an effective view on the revolution, and
For instance, in “Industrialization of the Country,” written by Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, Stalin discussed the need for Russia to industrialize in order to compete with the rising, surrounding nations of the world such as Germany, France, England, and the U.S. Stalin believed that Russia must do whatever it takes, even if it meant going to war, to make sure Russia did not fall too far behind the other world powers, both technologically and economically, in the race for industrialization; he believed that doing so would result in a return to capitalism for Russia. He believed that winning the industrialization race was the final missing piece to the puzzle that could propel socialism towards its victory in Russia (Stalin, p. 331). In order to accelerate the industrialization process, Stalin created a Five-Year Plan in 1928, which involved the collectivization of agriculture, a policy in which three to five percent of the wealthiest farmers were either killed, sent to labor camps or sent for resettlement on inferior soils (PWH, p.
On March 3, 1918 Russia lost 1/3 of its fertile farm lands, 1/3 of its
Stalin continued even once he was successful in accomplishing those goals, as he did not stop hurting people, but if anything it gave him more power to hurt people even more. But, at the end of the day, although Lenin ruled for only a very short time, he did raise the standard of living, though there maintained a large amount of hardship. Stalin, however, transformed the USSR from a peasantry to an industrialized nation in less than a decade, he did it on the backs of his millions of victims, who died because of his harsh policies and many purges. Lenin made a series of policies throughout the beginning of the Revolution and through his short time in public office that came to be collectively known as ‘Leninism’. There were many things that influenced Leninism, such as Karl Marx.
and I think that before Lenin came to power he had not considered what a huge task it would be. Therefore, I see Lenin as someone who was trying to resolve and trying to help a country through a time of crisis and although he made many mistakes, I feel he did have the interest of the people at heart. Quite different from the Tsar who caused the problems and made no real attempts to put things right. In
Lenin 's leadership was a crucial factor in consolidating Bolshevik power up until his death in 1924. His pragmatic leadership helped gain some initial support as well as giving him unquestioned authority within the party. Furthermore, his push for the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk to help save the revolution from foreign invasion was crucial and his practicality was further exemplified through War Communism and the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP). The use of terror under Lenin 's rule was also highly effective in removing political dissidents and exerting Bolshevik authority through coercive measures like the Cheka and the Red Terror. The accumulation of these factors centred on Lenin 's leadership helped stamp Bolshevik power across the Soviet Union.
One of Lenin's ideas was 'International Socialism,' it was under this idea that he set up the Comintern with the purpose of spreading communism throughout the world. His successor, Josef Stalin, took a different approach in his ideas of 'Socialism in one country." Josef Stalin led the U.S.S.R. from the death of Lenin to his own in 1953. Stalin led the Soviets through the betrayal of the Germans in the Nazi-Soviet Pact, he turned back the Nazis on the Eastern front, and brought the U.S.S.R. out of the Second World War as one of the only two superpowers in the world. After the end of the World War Two Stalin spread the Soviet sphere of influence to include East Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.
Joseph Stalin was a realist dictator of the early 20th century in Russia. Before he rose to power and became the leader of Soviet Union, he joined the Bolsheviks and was part of many illegal activities that got him convicted and he was sent to Siberia (Wood, 5, 10). In the late 1920s, Stalin was determined to take over the Soviet Union (Wiener & Arnold 199). The main aspects of his worldview was “socialism
...nt the works of Marx. The result became a system where emotion triumphed over practicality, and the central message was blurred by the overthrow of the old regime. Thus, Lenin followed Marx in the general ideas of socialism, where everyone was equal under the law, and worked for each other and the common good. While Lenin’s system did manage to create a proletariat class, it also evoked the formation of the corrupt and power hungry Bolshevik Party. With regard to the Populists and Anarchists, Lenin was transformed into a revolutionary who would not stop at anything in the pursuit of Communism. Furthermore, Lenin followed to a lesser extent the Social Democrats and their views on the threat of the peasantry if they were not properly maintained. It is clearly evident that in following other philosophies, Lenin mutated Communism into a form unrecognizable to true Marxism
Marxism and Leninism 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.
Stalin was also politically skillful and cunning. In the Politburo, when matters of high policy were being discussed, Stalin never imposed his views on his colleagues. He carefully followed the course of the debate and invariably voted with the majority. To the party audiences he appeared devoid of personal grudge and rancour and even seemed to be a detached Leninist, a guardian of the doctrine who criticized others only for the sake of the cause. Stalin always adopted policies that were broadly approved by the majority of the Communist party. Hence, using his political dexterity, he maintained a good reputation within the party. Stalin also made full use of Lenin?s funeral to advance his position. He tricked Trotsky into not attending the funeral by letting him know that he would never make it on time (of course this was not true).
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.
Along with this massive group of opponents, Lenin also faced acute starvation as little grain was being produced and this lead to high inflation and so quick action was needed if Lenin was to keep his promise of bread to the people. The... ... middle of paper ... ... private ownership and the militaristic rule over factories was stopped. Money was reinstated and anyone could set up a shop and sell or hire goods for a profit.