TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > Leninism vs Stalinism
Continuities
- Lenin used Terror freely – created the Cheka and uses it against class enemies & Krondstadters, used class warfare against m/c 1917-18, famine and food requisitioning under War Communism
- 1921 Congress advocated War Communism anyway. Collectivisation merely puts into effect what Lenin
- intended – both men have a Communist intention
- Religion – both violent atheists and hate orthodox Church, both use propaganda against it. Also use active persecution – 1922 execute 8000 churchgoers including Metropolitan of Petrograd & personally approves shooting of priests. Similarly, under Stalin from 1928 the 25000ers attack Church - kill all but 12 Bishops by 1939
Differences
- Stalin used Terror against own party and against Politburo whereas Lenin did not – marks new phase in Terror
- By 1921 Lenin says peasants to be left alone and 1924 War Communism ended. Lenin specifically forbids the party to compel the peasants to go into collectives – Stalin does the direct opposite of this
- Stalin’s religious policy was driven by a kind of Russification because religion a sign of regional identity, so he is harsher to non-Christians than Lenin. Lenin wants people to stay in the USSR by choice so sets up schools in regional languages etc
- Lenin uses existing anti-semitism to deflect blame from himself and the party e.g. puts Jews in charge of smashing up churches so that they are blamed instead of Lenin
- Cult of Stalin existed, whereas no equivalent for Lenin
Comments
These notes are aimed at A Level history students.
Originally written by mellow-yellow on TSR Forums.
