POL SCI 140L Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Kronstadt Rebellion, Leninism, Leviathan
9 Feb 2018
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1921 turning point : new economic policy, peaceful coexistence , ban on factions. 1920s in soviet union was a culture flowering because regime wasn"t strict yet. Political tightening, selective economy, cultural and international loosening. Strike up treaty of mutual assistance with germany. Lenin believed political tightening and a cohesive party was key to continuing success. Did he have second thoughts in the years before he died? (said that he thought the party was become a bureaucratic leviathan) When you see a portion of support base rebel, makes you wonder what you"re doing wrong. That"s why lenin was having second thoughts, losing his revolutionary nerve. Many leaders described turn of 1921 as a respite : consolidation of gains, regaining cohesion and strength before the next battle. Desirable stays inevitable, only the timing changes: continues millenarian view of communism. Expectation of eventual war with capitalist forces: didn"t feel strong enough to win it, so avoided it through peaceful coexistence.
