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Stalinism is a term for a brand of political theory and the political and economic system implemented by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. Leon Trotsky described the system as totalitarian and this description has become widely used by critics of Stalinism. 1 Stalinism as political theory
The term "Stalinism" is sometimes used to denote a brand of communist theory, dominating the Soviet Union and other countries in the Soviet sphere during and after the leadership of Stalin. The term used in the Soviet Union and by most of those who uphold its legacy, however, is " Marxism-Leninism". This reflects the fact that Stalin himself was not a theoretician, but was a communicator who wrote numerous books in language easily understood, and, in contrast to Marx and Lenin, made few new theoretical contributions. Rather, Stalinism is more in the order of an interpretation of their ideas and a certain political system which claims to apply those ideas in a way that fits the changing needs of society, as with the transition from "socialism at a snail's pace" in the mid-20s to the forced industrialization of the 5-year-plans. Sometimes, however, the compound terms Marxism- Leninism- Stalinism, or teachings of Marx/ Engels/ Lenin/ Stalin, are used to show the alleged heritage and succession. At the same time, however, many people who profess Marxism or Leninism view Stalinism as a perversion of their ideas; Trotskyists in particular are virulently anti-Stalinist, considering Stalinism a counter-revolutionary policy using Marxism as an excuse.
For their part, the followers of Stalin believed that the death of Lenin in 1924 left Stalin with the job of defending Lenin's theories where they differed with Trotsky's. In particular, since Trotsky did not join Lenin's party till 1917, many believed that Trotsky did not really believe in Lenin's contributions regarding the need for a vanguard party. From 1917 to 1924, Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin often appeared united but in fact differences never disappeared.
Also underlying many disputes was the nature of what Lenin called imperialismImperialism is the policy of extending the control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires, either through direct territorial control or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or. Trotskyist, Naziswastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). Black, white, and red were in fact the colors of the old North German Confederation flag (invented by Otto von Bismarck, based on the Prussian co and other writers characterized this difference as between a Western outlook and an Eastern one, between advanced capitalismCapitalism generally refers to a combination of economic practices that became institutionalized in Europe between the 16th and 19th centuries. Exactly which historic and current practices are considered part of "capitalism" varies among users of the term and its liberal outlook on the one hand and the East and its despotism on the other. Whereas for Trotsky revolutionary potential concentrated itself in the advanced Western workers, for Lenin in his last years and for Stalin thereafter the emphasis fell more on the workers and peasants in the colonies.
Trotsky complained bitterly when Stalin allowed circulation of Comintern theses that considered the U.S. working class as a bourgeoisified labor aristocracy in its entirety while Stalin simultaneously polemicized against Trotsky on the role of peasants, as in China, where Trotsky wanted urban insurrection and not peasant-based guerrilla warfare. Crucially, Trotsky continued to hold that advanced capitalist countries had a progressive influence on colonies while Stalin stressed uneven development and the break between early capitalism and imperialism as the final, decadent and parasitic stage of capitalism as Lenin put it.
The main contributions of Stalin to communist theory were:
