Trotsky vs. Stalin - The Struggle for Lenin's Succession (1924-1929)

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On his deathbed, Lenin attempted to ensure unified leadership within his party. After his death in 1924, Lev Trotsky, his most trusted follower, was disposed of by Stalin, who eventually forced him into exile to Central Asia, Turkey and finally Mexico, where Trotsky would be assassinated. Lenin had condemned Stalin before his death, yet Stalin managed to suppress and crush any opposition and consolidated his power. He would become the Soviet Union’s dictator until his death in 1953, ruthless, without any regard for human lives and with millions of deaths to his name. What happened between Trotsky and Stalin, the Communist Party and the Soviet Union following Lenin’s death?
The content of this video covers events, people or concepts via a lecture-style presentation that is educational and historical in nature. Every video is original content by House of History. The events relating to conflict in this video are portrayed in their historical context without either value judgment or an ideological message attached to it. There is no intent to shock, upset or disgust. The goal of my channel is to make interesting lecture-style videos, no more, no less.
Timecodes:
2:43 How did Stalin accumulate his power?
4:03 Preparing to expel Trotsky
5:09 Theoretical dispute
6:09 Trotsky into exile
Sources:
Hosking, Geoffrey A. Russia and the Russians: A History (Harvard University Press, 2010).
Pomper, Philip, and Phillip Bernhei. Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin (Columbia University Press, 1992).
Schlögel, Karl. Moscow, 1937 (John Wiley & Sons, 2014).
Video sources:
I have not found the original video source of the footage I am using. Please do not hesitate to contact me if this footage belongs to you.
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

[@joykim467]

I was just having a debate on Stalin and Trotsky in my head and eventually came across this really helpful video! Thank you 🤭

[@Ocinneade345]

Same. I hate the weird Lenin vs trotsky division

[@shay3355]

The fact that this has actual subtitles already makes this channel better than most of those you see today. Great video, keep making more. Subbed.✌

[@germancarrasco2028]

If you wanted to make money selling books after the fall of the Soviet Union, you only had to write about horrifying stories... That is what happens with "experts" on North Korea who talk about sadist executions of people who after a couple of years reappear alive again...

[@jamesmacdonald4637]

Fantastic video. Very clear and easy to follow! Thanks so much for making it!

[@marrymekatsuya]

great episode, never stop making content for us

[@HoH]

Hey, thanks for your continuing support!

[@ageortegs8359]

Reading animal farm all i can see is Stalin as a pig

[@mauricewalker7959]

Very interesting, if Trotsky had succeed Lenin. Would Russia become a more equal and fairer country. I think Trotsky had the greater vision and intellect.

[@ulsterrevolution7970]

Trotsky also was a complete opportunist who after he had lost his general followers after being arrested, joined the very successful bolshevik faction of the RSDLP

[@nitinphulera8871]

despotism is inherent to marxist theology and it does not matter who heads it , all turns out to be same be it stalin , mao , pol pot all of their hands were red with blood of 10 of millions of people.

[@ulsterrevolution7970]

@@nitinphulera8871 considering that the party openly practised democratic centralism and had many industrial workers actively taking part within the party its hardly despotism, the numbers of the amount f deaths under communism is never legitimate, due to bourgeois historians counting famines as a product of communism (which they are not) and they also count the deaths of citizens during ww2 and also considering the numbers are inconsistent among historians is kind of evident that they really haven't a fucking clue what they're on about, also capitalism has a higher death toll lol

[@nitinphulera8871]

@@ulsterrevolution7970 Sir , with due regards and respect , I am expressing my opinion ............ fundamental tenants of Marxism . 1) Marxism believe in single party system , which is anti capitalist , against any sort of spiritual belief system . 2) Marxism do not recognize individual identity , but in collectivism , it believes in human beings to behave as ants or termites or bees ( entomology ) . 3) Marxism believes God has died , and human body don't have soul . 4) Marxism believe in closed society ( no freedom of speech or of press ). 5) Marxism main concern is egalitarian society , not the economic efficiency and creation of wealth . now we shall analyse what it may lead to . 1) the single party itself may go corrupt and the leader may involve in nepotism , and start promoting people close to him , besides the blue collar workers can also be misguided through propaganda , so what I see , that in multi party democracy system in India , the cult worship of party leader and its nepotism , leading to corruption of the whole party , which are routed in next elections .Despotism is the natural outcome of single party system . 2) again as per point 2 raised above , there is no system of individual human right , and any person may be branded as enemy of the people and instead of being tried of independent judiciary , the person is trialed by the polit bureau members who themselves are psychology indoctrinated in particular belief system as true and rest all false . the moment the concept of destruction of individual identity is introduced , it prevents the free thinking of the individual and so do the collective felicities of these individuals , and their fundamental right to express them . 3) In marxism , end justifies the means , since human body don't have soul , and their is already the concept of revolution to be achieved through blood , so it does not matter whether one person murdered or millions to establish the kingdom of proletarian , so the concept is similar to Islamic jihad or Christian Crusade , bloodshed is the natural outcome of such ideology . 4) The communist government may be heading in wrong direction , which the independent press could high light and provide the feedback system to the society , but due to closed society approach it creates despotic rulers , after all power corrupts people and absolute power corrupts absolutely . closed society and absence of free press provides the absolute power to the leader . 5) C F Volini in his works "Ruins of Empire " in late 18 th century demonstrated that when the cultivator approaches the spirit of proprietor , best productivity is delivered , in collective agriculture when surplus is belongs to some one else productivity depreciates appreciably . Marxist economy system are in efficient . there are many other points but I shall conclude , not all capitalists are bad , not all spiritual belief systems are bad .Communism is not a new phenomena , but the historical feature which have been tried in past , and lead to the annihilation of the society .though I am from science background with no formal study of humanities , but independently reached the conclusion , but recently I noticed that the formal academician has reached the same conclusion . Thanks ____________________________________________________________________ Communist despotism was a logical consequence of Marxist theory. www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/0198279213.001.0001/acprof-9780198279211-chapter4_______________________________________________________________________

[@ulsterrevolution7970]

@@nitinphulera8871 I deeply apologize but i sort of generally get what youre saying but your english is sort of poor so i dont know should i reply to the "theology of marxism"

[@sirbrick7105]

Just found your channel. Keep going. Great quality. You will succeed! Thanks.

[@nt-wilson213]

Anyone else trying to gain deeper understanding of Animal Farm by George Orwell?

[@HoH]

This video has received an overwhelmingly positive response. I am very humbled and grateful. As I am writing this it is over 8 months old and I have since bought both a new camera and microphone to take my history documentaries to the next level! Consider checking out my channel and some of my more recent videos if you enjoyed this one. *Timecodes* 2:43 How did Stalin accumulate his power? 4:03 Preparing to expel Trotsky 5:09 Theoretical dispute 6:09 Trotsky into exile *Sources* Hosking, Geoffrey A. Russia and the Russians: A History (Harvard University Press, 2010). Pomper, Philip, and Phillip Bernhei. Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin (Columbia University Press, 1992). Schlögel, Karl. Moscow, 1937 (John Wiley & Sons, 2014).

[@PeopleProfiles]

Congrats on reaching 1k subs buddy! The only way is up!

[@nitinphulera8871]

your vedios are more factual , informative , unbiased than those long documentaries full of proganda , irrelevant infornation.

[@ahwasright1364]

These Bolsheviks were Nazis, but on steroids. They killed 66 million and were Juice.

[@markkozlowski3674]

It is not correct that Trotsky was misinformed about the date of Lenin's funeral. Please consult Nina Tumarkin, Lenin LIves!: The Lenin Cult in the Soviet Union (Harvard University Press, enlarged edition , 1997) at 157-59.

[@RENEBACON]

some more documents - by 1927, Stalin had three times asked the Central Committee to be relieved of his not very high position of the general secretary: at the plenary session of the Central Committee after the 15th congress of the VKP(b), when he failed to obtain from members of the Central Committee of their liberation, he began to beg them to at least be released from the position of general secretary and mistaken for an ordinary secretary like the other four. Plen refused him even this, but what kind of person must he have a conscience to claim something about Stalin's pathological lust for power with the knowledge of this? He was the leader of the USSR and the country not because he wanted power, but because he was in that role necessary for the nation and the communists, and neither the people nor the party saw anyone comparable. And now let's go back to the Russia of the 1920s - to the period when Trotsky, exceptional a personality in his own right, but a pygmy in relation to Stalin, he was trying to make Stalin executor of his decisions. Let's go back to the question of how it happened that Stalin was not even a year old 1941 no state office, Stalin, who was neither president, nor minister, not even speaker of the Duma, was he still considered and actually was the leader of the Soviet Union?

[@GabrielA-mw4in]

The street urchin bully, vs. the intellectual bully. Guess who won. You reap what you sow. Every action has a reaction.

[@nitinphulera8871]

hi thanks for the vedio , just finished the george orwell , animal farm , i wished to understand the communist allegory refering to snowball and napolean . from your vedio i come to conclusion trotsky was snowball and stalin was napolean . thanks for the vedio .keep the good work going .love from india.

[@lightninbolt986]

That's why I'm here too. After learning this, I can relate to it so much. Nice video, thanks

[@sohailjaswar6442]

@himalaya Its Video, not vedio :)

[@craigs2023]

Hahahaha same here

[@Protestant_Paladin440]

the parallels were so clear once the actual history was explained, no wonder Orwell had trouble getting it published.

[@vophie]

You forgot to mention that Stalin tried to resign four times

[@cosuinofdeath]

How hard did he try

[@RedSoldier1918]

You can figure this video is pure propaganda based on a mythology from the first 43 seconds. Stalin was elected GS of the CC of the CPSU by a majority vote in the 14th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party by a majority vote, he was re-elected in the till the 18th congress, each time someone else has to appoint you for the position, you can't apoint yourself, Stalin would try to resign 4 times during his servise. Trotsky was never favored by the Party and Stalin's platform would always win over Trotsky's. For example Trotksy's platform was based on limiting the NEP? Stalin's platform abolished it completely! Trotsky lost his platform and attempted treason for trying to factionalise and break the party, completely disregarding the principles of Democratic Centralism.

[@RedSoldier1918]

@Bean Boiiiy2k no u

[@kiwichippie5465]

And who did elected Stalin? The people who he put there

[@udhaysankar419]

Great vid, would be even better if you got a better mic! Keep going! 😄

[@HoH]

Working on it, I have bought a microphone and am now saving up for a camera with an audio-jack! :)

[@n2eman192]

I hear him plain as day, open your ears or turn your volume up!

[@udhaysankar419]

@@n2eman192 I know how to open my ears, thank you!

[@nepalishortmovies5689]

Make your ear bit bigger

[@dafyduck79]

did not new there are already some film material from that period I would mention that trotsky was very arogant and made many enemies and stalin looked calm those days - it was like the children (party members) could choose between strickt demanded teacher (trotsky) and the friendly uncle (stalin) I am not sure if the difference beetween trockism and stalinism was in international revolution - trotsky was extreme left (colectivism, industrialisation ... with no remorse on famine or human losses). stalin those days was "right wing". ironicaly after defeading trotsky stalin moved on his position and and realised his policy. but there is non sence to search any rational stuff in pure tactical party power struggle. anyway, very good videos, you make it or you own, or you have some fundings?

[@polly6336]

Thanks so much for this info. Liked and subscribed.

[@TGiannini007]

Great stuff brother. Move your boom mic a bit closer and it will be perfect. Very informative.

[@HoH]

Thanks for the tip, in my more recent videos the audio should be much clearer!

[@chonky6772]

I just have one question. What were the mistakes Trotsky had made which led to Stalin succeeding???

[@saadoriom]

theres one at 6:30

[@jjrod33]

Being a weak entitled academic and underestimating Stalin believing he was dumb muscle.

[@manorovermanor299]

jjrod33 your analysis is idiotic

[@jjrod33]

@@manorovermanor299 It's what actually happened nobody took Stalin seriously and they lost you can read what other party members thought of Stalin.

[@maxh7788]

Joining an anti-communist faction and committing acts of terrorism in the USSR; this is why he was exiled. He didn’t stop so Stalin had him killed, rightfully so.

[@nikhilbhardwaj8817]

top class informative video. As the one who is a layman about the events happened in Russia after the revolution & Stalin getting to power , this video helps us to know what happened in those years.

[@jmichealsmith99]

I agree with death_scream , great vid!!!

[@theparadigm8149]

Wow! This was uploaded on my birthday! 🙀

[@dztructive5507]

Thank you lad

[@cheekysteez]

Exactly what I was looking for!

[@horrorhabit8421]

If you read Orwell's 1984 in light of this history, it becomes very interesting.

[@glucen4408]

he was so surprised that Russians were actually eating that he had a few strokes lol

[@helenk6718]

can you make a video explaining the situation Stalins terror had on the economy and on the society (e.g. collectivization...)?

[@alexherzmansky9854]

Hi, I just have a question. What sources are did you use for this video? I have to write a paper for my history class on this very topic, and I am struggling to find sources. Any recommendations?

[@danielhagan921]

Perhaps that paper is finished. There are some good discussions about Trotsky on KZbin with people I think you can consider experts. They are Christopher Hitchens and Robert John Service, moderator Paul Robinson at the Stanford Hoover Institute. In another video here Trotsky, A biography, I noted that THIS same narrator Has Service's book about Trotsky on his desk. Hope the paper went well!

[@farhanurmiah2635]

thanks

[@Paraglidecrete]

juri lina ' in the shadow of hermes'

[@kahnfatman]

Xi Jinping is doing the same. Let's see if prime minister Li Keqiang would be on the menu

[@storytaller-i3t]

It's a great chhanel fore history

[@phyllisdevries5734]

Trotsky didn't slob nob

[@germancarrasco2028]

You know that there are a lot of propaganda about Stalin, right?

[@sepp8375]

Your speech is distracted by your constant hand movements. Try not to speak so much with your hands.

[@yt_baphomet]

One Pickaxe > Trotsky

[@harrylangdon491]

They're dying off, but in the 1930s into the 1950s a main center of support for Stalin was among the U.S. "intellectuals". And of course many anti-Stalinists were also from that group.

[@outis439-A]

George Orwell also spoke of them in the Uk. Not only that but the whole of British society including the government.

[@aaronnolan1653]

So much false information , discredited sources here

[@HoH]

How are Hosking and Schlögel discredited

[@danielhagan921]

Sorry Aaron. Nope.

[@DavidL1986]

What i dont understand.. people like Trotsky KNEW Stalin was filling government positions with his supporters, building a power base. And they did nothing to stop it (i was initially under the impression they were oblicious to it).So i dont know why they didnt stop Stalin ealier

[@deezeed2817]

Trotsky was too narcissistic and self entitled. He assumed that just because he controlled the red army then that meant he had more influence and power than everybody else. Stalin was simply more cunning and smarter than he was.

[@DavidL1986]

@@deezeed2817 my guess is Stalin filled the red army with his supporters. So when Trotsky disagreed, the red army would only do what the “government” says

[@thedrinkinggamemaker9749]

He underestimated The Man Of Steel

[@fandomfollower5247]

Wait, so this isn’t two pigs fighting over windmills? George Orwell, I have questions.

[@ericvantassell6809]

You have impressive mastery of English but the most unusual accent

[@javierborda8684]

You've watch some Indy Neidell's videos, haven't you?

[@harrisonwall7863]

I was thinking the exact same thing haha

[@sheltr9735]

Concise, informative, and interesting. Well done!

[@ximenaalvarado7271]

Very informative! I'll show this to my teacher!

[@horrorhabit8421]

Trotsky's ideas seemed more in keeping with Marx's original philosophy.

[@adamralica4968]

Very good video man (Y) make more :)

[@HeavyApollo]

Very crispy clean intro my dude

[@elliecollins4472]

This is amazing

[@ericpham6192]

I think the reverse was the true where Trosky advocate national communism while stalin advocate international communism movement and that is why Trosky is more like Mr Putin while Stalin is more like Mr xi now in China

[@HoH]

Hey, thanks for your comment. "Socialism in one country" was a theory put forward by Stalin and Bukharin. It was opposed by Trotsky who propagated an international revolution of communism, as he figured communism would not last in one country if the international area had capitalist countries.

[@shelbyb9965]

@@HoH Well I mean...he wasn't entirely wrong? I guess it all depends on your GDP and nuclear arsenal nowadays. Neither were really a factor in 1917...

[@dukejivetalker7541]

Great video, awful audio. Its called proper mic selection and placement. I can hear 30% your voice and 70% room reflections. Get it together people. Love your content.

[@HoH]

Sorry about that, this was my second upload ever on this channel. My recent videos are of better quality. I am planning on remaking my older videos soon.

[@dukejivetalker7541]

@@HoH lol, sorry im an audio engineer, and i hate to see great content limited by technical considerations! Going through your videos now! Excellent content mate.

[@HoH]

@@dukejivetalker7541 You make a very fair point however. Since you're an audio engineer: I record my audio in audacity (separate from the video file) and then run a noise gate on it with Sony Vegas Pro. If, after you've watched a more recent video, you think I should approach it differently, I'd love to hear it. I'm far from an audio expert and only got to this point by trial and error.

[@dukejivetalker7541]

@@HoH i will take a listen and get back to you👍

[@dukejivetalker7541]

@@HoH just listened to your video on prussian ascension, youve got the blue yeti mic (podcasters fav) a decent distance, your voice is far above the room noise and my complaints now seem petty lol. Great content and kudos for caring about audio fidelity!!!