As we’ve already seen there were two main contenders to rule Russia; Stalin and Trotsky. They both had very different ideas about how

Russian should be ruled.

Trotsky Stalin

Trotsky believed in “World Revolution” – that Russia would become stronger by trying to spread Communism throughout the rest of the world

Stalin believed that the only way to make Russia a strong world power was to concentrate on spreading socialism throughout Russia and by modernising Russian agriculture and industry.

Key Term Supporters Meaning

•Bukharin•Zinoviev•Stalin

Believed that the first step was to build a strong Socialist State inside the Soviet Union

•Lenin•Trotsky

Believed that the way ahead was to spread the Revolution to other countries at once.

Stalin won and we all know what happened to Trotsky…

What is the cartoonist’s attitude towards Stalin winning the struggle for power?

(4)

1.To greatly expand Soviet industry

2.To get money to equip and set up new industry.

3.To increase agricultural production, so that:

a)The extra workers needed in the towns would have food.

b)Surplus produce could be sold abroad to raise hard cash to help pay for equipping the new industries.

Stalin chose Central Planning and set Russia to work on the FIVE YEAR PLANS. He explained why in his speeches..

“It is sometimes asked whether it is possible to slow down the tempo a bit, to put a check on the movement. No comrades, it is not possible! The tempo must not be reduced. To slacken the pace would mean to lag behind; and those who lag behind are beaten. We do not want to be beaten. Russia was ceaselessly beaten for her backwardness, by Mongol Khans, by Anglo-French capitalists, by Japanese barons, she was beten by all – for her backwardness. For military, political, cultural, agricultural backwardness. We are fifty or one hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this lag in ten years. Either we do it or they crush us.”How valuable is the source as evidence of Stalin’s reasons

for introducing the Five Year Plans? (4)