Ideological debates

The economy - how should Russia industrialise?

• Left-wing (rapid industrialisation): impose high taxes on the peasants to fund industrialisation; use collective farms to increase production
• Right-wing (gradual industrialisation): low taxes for peasants; allow the peasants to own their own farms and trade freely

Stalin  supported the right-wing until the NEP started to fail in 1927, at which point he supported the left-wing

• Debate over the economy made Trotsky unpopular because abandoning the NEP would mean losing the support of the peasants
• Debate over…