Eventually, Stalin had to abandon Georgia and go to Baku, the oil-producing center on the Caspian Sea, today the capital of Azerbaijan, where the Bolsheviks had some meaningful support from the workers. Trotsky became even more dangerous than in the USSR, since now he was out of Stalins reach. Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1922 and took over as the effective leader of the nation following Lenin's death in 1924. At the first of these meetings, in Tehran, Iran, in late 1943, the recent victory in Stalingrad put Stalin in a solid bargaining position. For a time, he found work as a tutor and later as a clerk at the Tiflis Observatory. He advocated full-scale terror and dictatorship within the country, as well as spreading the fire of Revolution across the entire world. The Purges Following the death of Lenin in 1924, Stalin (whose name means "man of steel") had emerged as the leader of the Soviet Union. As war clouds gathered over Europe in 1939, Stalin made a seemingly brilliant move, signing a nonaggression pact with Germany's Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party. This writing became extraordinarily important later on when the Bolsheviks took power, when he became first the commissar of nationalities and eventually the autocrat of the Soviet Union. So there were debates within the movement, and before the revolution, Stalin fought against many of these kinds of things. Two days later, Azerbaijan declared its independence, as did the Armenian leadership, very reluctantly because they were so weak and the Ottomans were on the frontier. My biography is not psychoanalytical. He was quite clear-minded in assessing the possible consequences of the victory of Trotskyism. Compare and contrast Stalin's Soviet Union with Hitler's Germany. They became leaders of the social-democratic faction in the duma, and later the leaders of the Russian revolution of 1917 after February, until the Bolsheviks took over later that year. After heroic efforts on the part of the Soviet Army and the Russian people, the Germans were turned back at the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943. Stalin was a good leader but in good and bad ways. My parents spoke it, but not to me. On August 20, 1940, Mercader brought a text in support of the Fourth International to the revolutionary, asking him to evaluate it this was his excuse for a visit on the day of the assassination. The dropping of two atomic bombs in August 1945 forced Japan's surrender before the Soviets could mobilize. 11 terms. Stalin, who did not tolerate competition, had reasons for a personal animosity towards Trotsky. Stalin did well in school, and his efforts gained him a scholarship to Tiflis Theological Seminary in 1894. The son of Besarion Jughashvili, a cobbler, and Ketevan Geladze, a washerwoman, Stalin was a frail child. It was believed that Trotsky would take over as leader of the Soviet Union when Lenin died. Get our print magazine for just $20 a year. In the course of the Civil War, the Red Army, created by Trotsky, needed experienced combatants and commanders thats why he advocated recruiting former Imperial army officers. Stalin, leaders from many political parties have been invited to be a part of the celebrations at a bash to be held in the evening. There should be no apology by people on the Left for Stalin. But he was not a good leader. That positive opinion is boosted by current frustration over social policy and economic hardship, she said. Karl Kautsky, the great theorist of German social democracy, came to the country and wrote a book called Georgia: A Social-Democratic Peasant Republic, praising this democratic experiment. Ronald Suny is the William H. Sewell Jr. So there was a clear difference between Georgian and Russian Mensheviks there. Lenin did not want to ally with the bourgeois liberals and said, No, dont be afraid of that. But Stalin still wanted everyone in the Communist Party and Soviet government to bend to his will. On a hot day, Mercader came dressed in a raincoat, but that didnt alert anyone such a regular he was in the house. Mao Zedong (L) and Josef Stalin (R) were the two most powerful leaders in the communist world at the time (two photos have been merged together to create this image) By Steven Rosenberg. Video, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, Rare witness to Stalin prison horror dies, Wall of Grief: Russia remembers victims of Soviet repression, Prince Andrew offered Frogmore Cottage - reports, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, Beer and wine sales in Canada fall to all-time low, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Bieber cancels remaining Justice world tour dates, Trump lashes out at Murdoch over vote fraud case, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Eli Lilly caps monthly insulin costs in US at $35. But he was not a good leader. Asatar Bair, a self . By 1930, his chief rival, Leon Trotsky, had fled the country. In an interview, Suny explains the specificities of the Georgian socialist movement, Stalins role in the revolution, and why Stalinism was bloody, ruthless, and the nadir of the Soviet experiment., Young Russian revolutionary and political leader Josef Stalin in 1915. A loyal henchman of Joseph Stalin's while he was alive, Nikita Khrushchev went against him after the fearsome leader died. Ramon Mercader, aka Frank Jackson, Aug. 31, 1940. To attempt to give a simple answer to this question is tempting but not really useful. So one wouldve expected that the nationalist movement in Georgia wouldve been the most powerful. It was hard to even survive in that environment. Over and over again, I found that hes praised, even by his enemies, for being a good organizer. Then I went to Georgia. Caricature on Trotsky, depicting him as a cruel killer of masses. Though never a strong orator like Vladimir Lenin or an intellectual like Leon Trotsky, Stalin excelled in the mundane operations of the revolution, calling meetings, publishing leaflets and organizing strikes and demonstrations. Yet he is increasingly paranoid and purges the Communist party and Army of anyone who might oppose him. As you said, the book covers from his birth to the 1917 revolution, the young Stalin. He knew how to play those internal political games, and he had his own ideas. The people who count the votes decide everything. In his lifetime he was worshipped by. Potential rivals were accused of aligning with capitalist nations, convicted of being "enemies of the people" and summarily executed. Others wanted this extraterritorial national cultural autonomy. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Why Covid lab-leak theory is now being taken seriously, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Stalin forced rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agricultural land, resulting in millions dying from famine while others were sent to labor camps. I believe in one thing only, the power of human will. Millions were killed in forced labor or starved during the ensuing famine. Trotsky, however, was the head of the Council, so the struggle between the two continued. And they were against capitalism and the bourgeoisie, not the Armenians per se. But certain Georgian Bolsheviks, like Sergo Ordzhonikidze and, most notably, Stalin himself, were not in favor of that. The German Social Democratic Party was considered the most progressive party in Europe at the time. Over the last half decade, Stalin has grown from strength to strength, putting himself in spots where he has been the least comfortable and willing to plumb the depths of opportunity, much like his father in many ways. Its a fascinating and tragic story. "Communist, Communist, Communist, Communist, Communist, Communist. He thought it wasnt necessarily an enemy of the Bolsheviks, that they could live with it. A California professor was widely hounded on Twitter for praising the legacy of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, calling him "one of the great leaders" of the 20th century. was stalin a fair leader. Paradoxically, compared to Trotsky, Stalin looked like a much more clear-minded and rational politician. The fledgling Soviet government went through a violent period after the revolution as various individuals vied for position and control. Im Armenian by heritage but born in the United States, so Armenian was not my native language. He said, So what are you interested in, and why are you writing this book? This was before his book came out. They traditionally were not in favor of national territorial autonomy for Georgia but rather regional self-government within a larger Russian multinational state. The Soviet Union became the first country in the world, at least the first major country in the world, which adopted a constitution based on national territorial autonomy for Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, etc. This, they say, is evidence that Stalin must have been a good leader. Coming to pick his girlfriend up after work, he slowly began to gain the trust of the inhabitants of the house: he was invited in, he showed interest towards Trotskys ideas and brought presents for his grandson. "Do you think Stalin was a good leader?" Updated on September 12, 2019. Theres lots of good stuff in it. Nationalism, the new issue of Jacobin is out now. Chris Maisano is a Jacobin contributing editor and a member of Democratic Socialists of America. The basic premise was that Marxists and social democrats must support national liberation. A+. Sudoplatov, the main organizer of Trotskys assassination, later recalled that Stalin explained the necessity to get rid of his former ally in such words: Trotsky has to be eliminated within a year, before inevitable war commences. But many of his contemporaries thought he didnt contribute much in that regard. Its a little bit, in my taste, sensationalist. Theres no shortage of material on Stalin out there. As I started to write in the 1980s and signed my first contract, I realized that the Soviet Union was shifting (though I didnt know it was going to collapse). That is, that you develop a sense of who you are as a nation, you revolt against colonialism, and you make your new state. Levada sociologist Karina Pipiya told BBC Russian: "There is growing nostalgia for the Soviet period and Stalin as a leader. Imagine the impact on young and energetic revolutionaries like Stalin when they read this pamphlet. This is not, in my mind, the sign of someone who is truly a good leader. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Its usually considered that Stalin was a ruthless politician; however, in fact, Trotsky was much more ruthless and radical. Stalin Collapses . Marxism and socialism are basically a democratic expansion of bourgeois liberal democracy. Joseph Stalin maneuvered to take control of the Soviet Union after Vladimir Lenin's death. Rose to power, promising equality, then took over private industry, leading to mass poverty and famine. Reform of the pension system ran into much opposition and "many felt the state was neglecting its social responsibilities". During party work, Stalin and Trotsky had disagreements on many issues, but their animosity turned into a real hatred after the Tsaritsyn conflict. The Allies responded with the massive Berlin Airlift, supplying the city and eventually forcing Stalin to back down. After Lenin's death, in 1924, Stalin set out to destroy the old party leadership and take total control. Answer: No. The period known as the Great Purge eventually extended beyond the party elite to local officials suspected of counter-revolutionary activities. Just after the turn of the century, in 1902, local peasants in a place called Guria in western Georgia revolted against their landlords. Joseph Stalin, as he was previously known to me, is credited as the hero of the second World War, guilty of genocide, terrorism, and is recognized amongst the great statesmen of the 20th century. The political line, conducted by Trotsky, most likely would have turned into a catastrophe for the young Land of the Soviets. 39 terms. eNotes Editorial, 12 Apr. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOME; ABOUT; EQUIPMENT; SERVICES; CONTACT; was stalin a fair leader The struggle between the two party leaders entered its open phase, due to Lenins illness the leader of the party couldnt engage in political activity anymore; he simply withdrew. Though not a significant post at the time, it gave Stalin control over all party member appointments, which allowed him to build his base. The leader of the Nazi party has remained universally reviled and detested as a psychopathic despot motivated by bigotry, racism and a deluded belief in Aryan superiority. Later on, in 1905, Lenin put the argument of What Is to Be Done? Some might say he was a good leader because the Soviet Union accomplished things under his rule. Our website and social media accounts are under threat of being restricted or banned, due to the current circumstances. Theyll turn into our enemies as they did in 1848 and 1871 with the Paris Commune. 2. We'll write it for you! The first post-Stalin Soviet leader perceived a sharp break between the legality of Lenin's period in office and the illegality of Stalin's rule. Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. The latter was the main associate of the undisputed leader of the Bolsheviks - Vladimir Lenin.The influence and authority of Trotsky were so large that, after the October Revolution, he could rise to the position of the head of the new government . Joseph Stalin rose to power as General Secretary of the .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Communist Party in Russia, becoming a Soviet dictator after the death of Vladimir Lenin. After escaping from exile, he was marked by the Okhranka, (the tsar's secret police) as an outlaw and continued his work in hiding, raising money through robberies, kidnappings and extortion. " [spurious].". Which then, as you say, in the extra-European world becomes more of a model. Under his leadership, the Soviet Union played a major role in the defeat of Hitler 's Germany during World War II. 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