History·Depth Study B — Russia, 1905–41 · NSSCO 5.3.2b
Bolshevik consolidation & Stalin's rise to power
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Seizing power was one thing; keeping it was another. We'll see how Lenin's Bolsheviks held on to power through a brutal Civil War and the harsh policy of War Communism, and ask why they won. We'll weigh Lenin's surprising retreat to the New Economic Policy — was it a success? And finally, after Lenin's death, we'll follow the great struggle for power, and understand why it was Stalin, not the brilliant Trotsky, who emerged to rule the Soviet Union.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO History 5.3.2b):
- Describe how the Bolsheviks consolidated their rule
- Explain why the Bolsheviks won the Civil War
- Evaluate how far the New Economic Policy (NEP) was a success
- Explain why Stalin and not Trotsky emerged as Lenin's successor
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