There are two varying schools of thought on the relationship between Leninism and Stalinism. Orlando Figes manages that there is overmuch continuity, “…the basic elements of the Stalinist regime – the one party state, the organization of terror and the cult of personality – were all in set out by 1924” (Figes 1996: 807). However, in this essay, I am going to argue that there is much discontinuity between the two leaderships. To do this, I volition compare and contrast the elements in Figes’ argument to register that they were in fact, two very different leaders; wherefore concluding that Stalin did in fact betray Lenin.
Firstly, I will talk about the concept of the one-party state and the ideologies of the loss party. Despite the fact that Figes argues that both men presided over a one-party state, I believe that the different ways in which they governed the Bolshevik party are key when answering this question. The ab initio obvious way in which Stalin betrayed Lenin was through the idea of the greatness of the role of the state.
In Lenin’s ‘State and Revolution’, he wrote, “…the proletarian state will begin to wither aside immediately after its victory, because the state is unnecessary and cannot exist in a society in which there are no class antagonisms” (Lenin 2004: 24). We can see from this that his aim was to reduce elitism among the Russian people in order to create a fairer society. However, when Stalin gains power, he creates a regime, which is more centralised, elitist and more permanent. He built the government up so that he was in the centre and so held all the power. This is nearthing that Lenin would not have approved of according to some anti-Stalin historians such as Stephen Cohen.
Furthermore, during Lenin’s rule, the party was a classless being, in which the members could debate and consult about new policies. Lenin’s slogan...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Orderessay
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