Lenin’s legacy is one of transforming medieval Russia into a country ran on a system never seen on a large scale previously, feared by the Western world. He created a stable economy to match those of the times and faced little opposition until the Bolshevik party was well rooted. Stalin is often remembered as a ruler utilising great oppression to retain his power; betraying Lenin and therefore the entire revolution for personal gain. His rule however continued over decades and transformed Russia into one of the world’s superpowers. Why then is Stalin remembered for betraying the legacy left for the communist party of Russia and in turn the entire world in 1924?
Abdication of the Tsar left a power vacuum within the Governmental systems of
…show more content…
From 1924 until the collapse of the USSR Stalin grew Russia from a vulnerable newly formed political ‘utopia’ transforming it to become “one of the 20th centuries two superpowers” (Francis and Dalton, 2016). Stalin was referred to in Lenin’s testament as rude and Lenin doubted Stalin’s ability to be “capable of using authority with sufficient caution” (Historyguide.org ,1922). However, the apple may not fall far from the tree as Stalin also took power of Russia with small tactical plans that slowly greatened his powerbase until he too went unchallenged. Such as switching between political groups causing the other leading figures to destroy each other bringing greater friction within the party; which is exactly what Lenin didn’t want as the revolution was far too precious if it was to spread into Europe. Stalin used force and oppression to further his cult of personality and personal power gains – he went unchallenged through totalitarian terror ultimately his legacy is the betrayal of Lenin’s vision of Marx and communism