Marxian Praxis:

1. Marxian Praxis: The Soviet Experiment

2. Stalin’s Rise to Power • Bolshevik leadership provided pre-requisites for the rise of Stalinist totalitarianism • Russian history is a history of crisis and strong, centralized leadership in terms of the figure of the Vozhd • Stalin as the unity of Marxian theory and practice – The strong man to bring about radical social transformation

3. Stalin’s Life • Born to poor artisan parents in 1879 • Seminary education including exposure to liberal ideas • Expelled from seminary and spent much of his time in jail from 1900 to 1917 – During this time Stalin is drawn toward Leninist ideas • Stalin played a role in communist party central committee and became general secretary of the party in 1922 • Lenin suggest removing Stalin from position because of rudeness. Lenin dies before this objective is realized

4. Stalin’s Life - Continued • 1924-1930 involves complex maneuvers to secure the throne vacated by Lenin • Stalin competes with Trotsky and Bukharin – Stalin is less urbane than his opponents, but ultimately more successful in securing power – fear of Bonapartism becomes liability to Trotsky and asset to Stalin • 1929 Trotsky expelled from Politburo and the collectivization of agriculture begins • 1938 Bukharin, architect of NEP, “soft wax”, is purged from the party

5. Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism • Marxism-Leninism is used to establish unity of the two theories • The intensification of socialism in one country – Russification • Development of heavy industry • Russia emerges as a major industrial state

6. The World’s First Totalitarian State • In search of the new Soviet Man • Everything is political • Secret police and gulags deployed to serve the development of proletarian consciousness • Cult of personality • Socialism in one state - “Soviet Union First” foreign policy • Consistency and a certain level of success despite the horrific costs of that “success”

7. Soviet Marxism After Stalin • Silent de-Stalinization – Lavrenti Beria Removed • Twentieth Party Congress overt and vociferous de-Stalinization – Khrushchev – p. 175 – democratization and lifting of censorship and other forms of decentralization • Opening up to other socialist possibilities – Recognizing Tito – Deviations limited – Hungary 1956 and Czechoslovakia 1968 • Prolonged and gradual transformation – Leonid Brezhnev • Doctrine of Peaceful coexistence

8. Perestroika • Brezhnev slows transformation and shifts emphasis to the party as vozhd • Rapid succession in leadership as gerontocracy passes away • Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev introduces perestroika or restructuring of political and economic institutions of the Soviet Union • Glasnost introduces political liberalization • Discontent with system leads to reform getting out of control – Boris Yeltsin argues for end of corruption and the end of the nomenklatura system – multiparty politics outside of Gorbachev’s intentions, but emerged under pressures for democratization – Coup of August 18, 1991 tries to overthrow Gorbachev but fails

9. Boris Yeltsin and Post-Soviet Marxism • Yeltsin attempts to create instant capitalism through shock therapy – therapy caused pain and encouraged another political challenge that was crushed by military force • Yeltsin resigns and is replaced by Vladmir Putin who has tried to improve Russia’s condition by reaffirming the powers of the state by battling oligarchs and reaffirming state institutions – Russia remains quite chaotic