Bukharin is a largely forgotten figure today, just one of those Bolshevik leaders was subjected to a show trial in 1938 and shot on Stalin’s orders. If he is remembered at all it is as Stalin’s ally in the 1920’s against Trotsky’s Left Opposition . After Trotsky’s defeat Stalin then turned on his ally.
This simple and common account is a travesty of the truth and completely diminishes one of the most powerful intellectuals in Europe at the time. An intellect he iften undermined himself by tendency to act emotionally to situations.
In my view, after Lenin’s death there were two mighty poltical intellectuals in the Communist Party – Trotsky and Bukharin and they stood on opposite sides of the politicalfence. It would not be an overstatement to say that Bukharin was 100 times the man and 100 times the genuine Marxist than was his murderer Josef Stalin.
Bukharin was an honest communist in the sense that he was never underhand – unlike Stalin who was only underhand. He relied on his powers of argument, although with his dealings with Trotsky he was often petty and childish. The penny dropped in 1928 when, having witnessed the horrifying illegal and bureaucratic methods that Stalin had used to defeat the Opposition, so that their programme was not even put forward for debate at 1927 Congress, he realised the enormity of the mistake he had made. He turned up at Trotsky’s apartment complaining about the violent methods Stalin had used and ” He is going to kill us all, im sure if it” He was right of course, but it was too late. He proposed a Left/Right alliance against Stalin but this would never have worked. Trotsky and his many thousand followers were about to be arrested.
Trotsky was sent into exile, with the official story that he had deserted the Soviet Union on order to plot its downfall with its western enemies. He was still too popular and too powerful to murder. Not so his fellow oppositionists, they were rounded up, most of them murdered and rest sent to labour camps. Bukharin was in limbo as Stalin pretended to steal Trotsky’s clothes in his so called “left turn” and collectivisation and industrial 5 year plan. The titles he stole from the platform of the Left Opposition, but his collectivization and industrialisation 5 year plan bore no resemblance Trotsky’s. Stalin’s plan was a horrific and violent monstrosity and a declaration of war on the peasantry. An absolute anathema to any socialist.
Inevitably, Bukharin and his following were left isolated and were expelled from the party then arrested. He was brutally tortured and made to confess he was in league with Trotsky and the Nazis and then shot after a show trial.
To understand his position we have to go back to 1922. Lenin. In that year, put forward the New Economic Policy. He had concluded that the wartime ” War Communism ” had exhausted and alienated the peasantry and made them reluctant to sow crops for fear of it being sequestered. He also concluded that the prospect of revolution in major industrial countries had ebbed away. Russia as a ” Capitalist country run by Communists” would have to mark time and survive until the prospect of revolution in western countries reasserted itself.
This was to be done by allowing the peasantry to grow food for the market and make a profit for themselves. This policy worked immediately because the following harvest was a bumper one. Lenin surmised that NEP might have to last 25 years. Bukharin was an enthusiast for this policy calling for the peasants to ” enrich themselves believing that profits from agriculture would provide capital investment for industry still mostly in state hands. Stalin’s centrist group with that weak,egocentric but arrogant procrastinator Zinoviev supported NEP because Lenin.
In 1925, Trotsky parted company with Bukharin, some peasants were certainly getting rich but not investing in industry. This caused a crisis called by Trotsky the ” scissors” crisis because NEPmen were not investing or even buying new farm machinery. He proposed to drastically modify NEP. This was Stalin’s opportunity, allying himself to Bukharin he and other old Bolsheviks formed a bloc against the upstart Mezhrayontsy late comer Trotsky and his comrades, who had stolen Lenin’s friendship and support from them.
Stalin also began to peddle the anti Marxist concept that Communism could be national and could be built in one country. As far as any genuine communists were concerned this idea was a counter revolutionary absurdity. Socialism was international or it was nothing. Trotsky was forced into Opposition, in 1926 Zinoviev realised that Trotsky was actually correct and joined the Opposition.
Bukharin rather naively continued his pro NEP position and was shocked when Stalin had smashed the opposition by using the police rather than debate, then appeared to be adopting Trotsky’s ideas. As said Stalin’s plan was a perversion and gross distortion.
However, we must not forget Bukharin’s massive contribution in developing and expounding Marxist theory and ideas.
This is one the many works of Bukharin during the early 20’s designed to give ordinary people and understanding of Marxist thought. It is a magnificent and life changing work. One could not imagine a wooden mediocrity like Stalin even understanding it let alone writing something. Despite their opposing positions Trotsky and Bukharin had a deep respectfor each other.
Rinaldo Frezzato 