1. Marx, Stalin, Lenin, and trotsky: Evolution of ideas

2. Russia after revolution
Economy destroyed
Emigration
Decrease in trade and production

3. Vladimir lenin (1870-1924) Primary leader of the Bolsheviks
Seen as “father of the revolution”
Had been planning overthrow of the Czar/Romanovs since early 1900s
Ultimate goal was communism
Political and economic system
All property is owned by the public
All citizens work and share wealth

4. LEnin

5. Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Communism
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”
“Our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie, possesses, however, this distinctive feature: it has simplified the class antagonisms: Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great classes directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.”
Marx- “Manifesto of the Communist Party”

6. Marx

7. Marx and lenin Lenin was heavily influenced by Marx’s ideas
A couple of key differences
Marx thought working conditions would lead the working class to revolution
Lenin thought revolutions needed to led by prominent revolutionaries
Marx thought the revolution would end with communal ownership
Lenin thought that administrators needed to be in place to ensure the community’s goals are met

8. Lenin’s solution New Economic Policy
Partially capitalist, partially communist system
Government controlled major industries, but some private ownership was allowed
Economy mostly stabilized by late 1920s
Production returned to pre-World War I levels

9. Lenin and power
In 1922, Lenin formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
Inspired by Marx’s writings, the Lenin & the Bolsheviks rebranded themselves as The Communist Party
In reality, Lenin’s concept of Marx’s ideas differed from the ideas themselves
The Communist Party ruled as a dictatorship
Marx would have pictured that the people (or, the proletariat) would rule

10. Power struggle
Lenin’s stroke in 1922 created tension over who would rule the party
Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin were the two main players
Lenin was wary of Stalin:
“Comrade Stalin… has concentrated enormous power in his hands, and I am not sure that he always knows how to use that power with sufficient caution.”

11. Leon Trotsky ( )

12. Joseph Stalin ( )

13. Stalin’s Rise
After Lenin’s stroke, Stalin (General Secretary at the time) started working behind the scenes to orchestrate his rise to power by slowly putting his close allies into positions of power
1928- Stalin takes control of party
1929- Trotsky exiled
After Trotsky’s exile, Stalin was the unopposed dictator of the USSR