Editing Bolshevism (section)

===Socialism in one country===
{{Main|Socialism in one country}}

The concept of "socialism in one country" was conceived by Stalin in his struggle against [[Leon Trotsky]] and his concept of [[permanent revolution]].{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=126}} In 1924, Trotsky published his pamphlet ''[[Lessons of October]]'' in which he stated that socialism in the Soviet Union would fail because of the backward state of economic development unless a [[world revolution]] began.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=126}} Stalin responded to Trotsky's pamphlet with his article, "[[October and Comrade Trotsky's Theory of Permanent Revolution]]".{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=127}} In it, Stalin stated, that he did not believe an inevitable conflict between the [[Proletariat|working class]] and the peasants would take place, further adding that "socialism in one country is completely possible and probable".{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=127}} Stalin held the view common amongst most Bolsheviks at the time; there was possibility of real success for socialism in the Soviet Union despite the country's backwardness and international isolation.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=127}} While [[Grigoriy Zinoviev]], [[Lev Kamenev]] and [[Nikolai Bukharin]], together with Stalin, opposed Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution, they diverged on how socialism could be built.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=127}} According to Bukharin, Zinoviev and Kamenev supported the resolution of the [[14th Conference of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)|14th Conference]] (held in 1925) which stated that "we cannot complete the building of socialism due to our technological backwardness."{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=127}} Despite the rather cynical attitude, Zinoviev and Kamenev did believe that a defective form of socialism could be constructed.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=127}} At the 14th Conference, Stalin reiterated his position, claiming that socialism in one country was feasible despite the capitalist blockade of the country.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=128}} After the conference, Stalin wrote "[[Concerning the Results of the XIV Conference of the RCP(b)]]", in which he stated that the peasantry would not turn against the socialist system because he believed they had a self-interest in preserving.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=128}} The contradictions which would arise with the peasantry during the socialist transition, Stalin surmised, could "be overcome by our own efforts".{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=128}} He concluded that the only viable threat to socialism in the Soviet Union was a military intervention.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=129}}

In late 1925, Stalin received a letter from a party official which stated that his position of "Socialism in One Country" was in contradiction with [[Friedrich Engels]] own writings on the subject.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=129}} Stalin countered, stating that Engels' writings 'reflected' "the era of pre-monopoly capitalism, the pre-imperialist era when there were not yet the conditions of an uneven, abrupt development of the capitalist countries."{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=129}} From 1925 onwards, Bukharin began writing extensively on the subject, and in 1926, Stalin wrote ''[[On Questions of Leninism]]'', which contained his best-known writings on the subject.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=129}} Trotsky, with the publishing of ''[[Leninism (book)|Leninism]]'', began countering Bukharin's and Stalin's arguments, claiming that socialism in one country was possible, but only in the short-run, and claimed that without a [[world revolution]] it would be impossible to safeguard the Soviet Union from the "restoration of [[bourgeoisie]] relations".{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=129}} Zinoviev on the other hand, disagreed with both Trotsky and Bukharin and Stalin, holding instead steadfast to Lenin's own position from 1917 to 1922, and continued to claim that only a defecting form of socialism could be constructed in the Soviet Union without a world revolution.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|pp=129–130}} Bukharin, by now, began arguing for the creation of an [[autarkic]] economic model, while Trotsky, in contrast, claimed that the Soviet Union had to participate in the [[international division of labour]] to develop.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=130}} In contrast to Trotsky and Bukharin, Stalin did not believe a world revolution was possible, claiming in 1938 that a world revolution was in fact impossible, and claiming that Engels was wrong on the matter.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=133}} At the [[18th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)|18th Congress]], Stalin took the theory to its inevitable conclusion, claiming that the [[Pure communism|communist mode of production]] could be conceived in one country.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=133}} He rationalised this by claiming that the state could exist in a communist society, as long as the Soviet Union was encircled by capitalism.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|p=133}} However, surprisingly, with the [[Eastern Bloc|establishment of satellite states in Eastern Europe]], Stalin claimed that socialism in one country was only possible in a large country like the Soviet Union, and that the other states, in order to survive, had to follow the Soviet line.{{sfn|van Ree|2003|pp=134–135}}