essay_laura

=To what extent was the USSR an orthodox Communist state under either Lenin or Stalin?=

= = The definition of orthodox is whatever is correct or sound in doctrine, holding the commonly acceptable ideals. Therefore an orthodox communist state would be a communist state that follows devoutly the writings of Karl Marx and specifically the ideals laid out in the Communist Manifesto. Lenin, a Bolshevik revolutionary felt led to lead Russia into communism, but would his ideas and teachings be qualified as orthodox?

The events that took place during his reign both prove and contradict these ideals. This can be examined by looking at the Manifesto’s ten main points [1]. Marx strongly believed in the equality of all and the possibility of a classless society. In order to obtain this he believed that one must abolish all private property, the rights to an inheritance and enforce “equal liability to all labour” [2] and the “extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State ” [3]. Other social goals consisted of free education for all and the abolition of child labour. Karl Marx strongly believed that within the natural cycle of things, a classless society would evolve thus losing all political supremacy. [4] This ideology is called Marxism.

A theory very similar to Marxism is Leninism. Lenin came to power, November 8, 1917 when he was elected the Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars by the Russian Congress of Soviets. His being in political power also gave power to the Bolshevik communist party. The Bolsheviks came to power in Russia after the October Revolution in 1917 and later founded the Soviet Union. Lenin attempted to rule Russia with Marxist ideals thus creating Leninism. Leninism like Marxism believed in the creation of a classless society in which all production would be produced communally by all the Russian people and distributed equally. Some other similarities lay within the idea of social equality; such as free education for all and women’s rights. However some differences did exist. Lenin believed that force must be used in order to encourage the workers to produce and that they must always be prepared to fight against the “imperialist” capitalists if the occasion arose.

During Lenin’s reign he created many reforms and policies as an attempt to promote a communistic way of life and aide Russia as a whole. After the Russian Civil War, Lenin saw that communism could lead to success, thus creating War Communism in 1918. The situation that sparked its creation was the economic problems that the Kulaks and other peasants had run into when focused on subsistence farming. War Communism included the rapid nationalization of all industry and the requisition of all surplus grain from the peasantry in order to feed the population as well as the ban of private trade. As peasants only produced enough to feed their family and thus did not have any surplus grain to give to the government, the state took the grain that the peasants lived on, resulting in millions of deaths due to starvation. This policy was very supportive of the first, seventh and eighth point of the Communist Manifesto. War communism encouraged the abolition of the private possession of property, the joining of forces towards a common plan and the liability to labour. All Russians are equal thus working towards the same goal and reaping the same rewards.

Lenin’s second important reform was the New Economic Policy, created in 1921. In order to alleviate the economic and social problems that War Communism had led to, Lenin was compelled to introduce the New Economic Policy, which was however based upon Capitalist principles. The New Economic Policy allowed privatization of small scale industry and replaced grain requisition by a proportional tax, enabling peasants to sell their surplus grain. Lenin had taken the communist approach where land belonged to the peasantry and factories to the workers, which resulted in decline of production as “anarchy and chaos” ] occurred whenever Russian central state authority was removed, the Socialist approach did not solve the economic crisis in the long term and ergo the last possible approach was the Capitalist approach, hence going “one step backwards to take two steps forwards”. By the end of 1922 the crisis began to ease and by 1924 the economy was as good as ever. This policy went very much against Marxist principles and the idea of communal work and benefits. The privatization of small scale industry gave the workers something to strive for and work towards, but took away from the idea of equality. While this policy installed a "hierarchy", it gave the people a sense of competition which greatly improved production. Finally there was the Red Terror which also went against Marxist ideals. The Red Terror was unleashed in 1918 after and was controlled by the CHEKA under the leadership of Dzerzhinsky, who stated that they “stand for organized terror”. Leading Bolsheviks believed that “the bayonet [was] essential for introducing communism” ] and thus the Russian Royal family was executed. Concerning the Constituent Assembly, Lenin had promised the peasants and workers political power and the national minorities’ independence, however, Lenin did not stick to these promises. . Regarding politics, Lenin introduced the Red Terror and based the Constituent Assembly upon “Communist” principles. While Marx was never clear on his position regarding dictatorship, he wasn't pro extreme force. Marx felt a though communism could be attained by evolution, rather than military power and force. Lenin also promised peasants and workers political power, which went along with Marxist ideals, but failed to go through with it.

In conclusion, Lenin's ideology was based on Marxist ideals but he never fully put them into practice. He felt as though his only way of remaining in power was to install a dictatorship which itself created a class system. Lenin attempted to create a unified equal work force but ended up leaning towards a more capitalistic outlook. It can be argued though that Lenin was in the process of introducing communism rather than leading an equal communistic state and if he'd been given more time he could have obtain true communism.


 * 1) [1] Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
 * 2) A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
 * 3) Abolition of all right of inheritance.
 * 4) Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
 * 5) Centralization of credits in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
 * 6) Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.
 * 7) Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
 * 8) Equal liability of all to labour. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
 * 9) Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equal distribution of the population over the country.
 * 10) Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, &c. &c. [wikipedia]

[2] Communist Manifesto [3] Communist Manifesto [4] //"When, in the course of development, class distinctions have disappeared, and all production has been concentrated in the hands of a vast association of the whole nation, the public power will lose its political character. Political power, properly so called, is merely the organized power of one class for oppressing another. If the proletariat during its contest with the bourgeoisie is compelled, by the force of circumstances, to organize itself as a class, if, by means of a revolution, it makes itself the ruling class, and, as such, sweeps away by force the old conditions of production, then it will, along with these conditions, have swept away the conditions for the existence of class antagonisms and of classes generally, and will thereby have abolished its own supremacy as a class." [Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx]//