THE MARXIST-LENINIST RESEARCH BUREAU:
Report No 8: THE SYRTSOV/LOMINADZE AFFAIR


The Formation of the Faction (1930)

In 1930 a new opposition faction emerged in the Party,  led by Sergey Syrtsov*, then Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (i.e., Prime Minister) of the Russian Federation, Vissarion ('Beso') Lominadze*, then 1st. Secretary of the Regional Party Committee in Transcaucasia. Another member of the faction was Ian Sten*.  Syrtsov:

The faction took organised form after the 16th Party Congress, which was held in June/July 1930.: The Political Line of the Faction (1930)

The political line of the Syrtsov-Lominadze faction was one of right opposition to the policy of the Party:

It was essentially a rightist line, demanding that the Party adopt a 'more moderate' policy: Firstly, the faction denounced the Party's economic policy as 'adventurist', demanding a slowdown in industrialization and a halt to collectivisation. For example, in the autumn of 1930: They declared that since: It was at this time that Syrtsov: Secondly, the faction denounced 'excessive' centralised economic planning as 'undemocratic', and demanded that it be replaced, at least partially, by reliance on market forces. For example: This resolution: at the 16th Party Congress, and reflected: In place of centralised direction of production, the Syrtsov-Lominadze faction demanded that: Thirdly, the faction denounced as untrue the Party's line that the USSR had entered the period of the construction of socialism.
In the Political Report to the 16th Congress in June 1930, Stalin said: However, later the same year Lominadze was insisting that: and Lominadze's resolution referred to in the last paragraph: Fourthly, from 1932 the faction called for the removal of Stalin as Party leader: The aim of the Syrtsov-Lominadze group was to bring about unity between the left and right oppositions: However, despite their similar policies, the most influential leaders of the right-wing opposition refused to associate themselves with the Syrtsov-Lominadze faction: Nevertheless: The Demotions (1930) According to Trotsky's 'Bulletin of the Opposition": On 3 November 1930, Syrtsov was dismissed as Russian Premier, and: while: On 1 December 1930 a joint resolution of the Political Bureau and Central Control Commission of the Party removed both Syrtsov and Lominadze from the Central Committee of the Party: The resolution charged Syrtsov with having: and Lominadze with having: According to a 'Letter from Moscow' in Trotsky's 'Bulletin of the Opposition': Lominadze's Self-Criticism (1934)

At the 17th Party Congress in January/February 1934, Lominadze was one of many former Opposition leaders who made insincere self-critical statements:

in which he: and admitted engaging in factional activity directed against the Party leadership: The Arrest of Syrtsov (1935)

In 1935, Syrtsov was arrested, charged with and found guilty of treason, and sentenced to a long term of imprisonment.

The Suicide of Lominadze (1935)

By this time, the authorities had come to realise that Lominadze's self-criticism had not been sincere, and he was summoned to the district capital, Cheliabinsk. Realising that his treasonable activity had been discovered, he committed suicide:

Medvedev confirms this: The Kamenev/Zinoviev Trial (1936)

At his trial, along with Lev Kamenev* and Grigory Zinoviev*, in August 1936, the terrorist Vagarshak Ter-Vaganyan* testified.:

And the defendant Sergey Mrachovsky* named Lominadze as one of the members: KAMENEV, Lev B., Soviet revisionist politician (1883-1936); Chairman, Moscow Soviet (1919-25); RSFSR Premier (1919); member, Political Bureau (1919-25); RSFSR Deputy Premier (1923); Ambassador to Italy (1926-27); joined 'United Opposition' (1926); expelled from Party (1927), readmitted (1928), re-expelled (1932), readmitted (1933), re-expelled (1934); tried for and found guilty of moral complicity in murder of Sergey Kirov and imprisoned (1934); tried for and found guilty of treason and executed (1936).

LOMINADZE, Vissarion ('Beso’) V., Soviet revisionist politician (1891-1935); secretary, CP of Georgia (1922-24); secretary, Communist Youth International (1925-26); 1st Secretary, Transcaucasian Regional Party Committee (1930); head, Scientific Research Section, USSR People's Commissariat of Supplies (1931-32); secretary, Magnitogorsk City Party MRACHOVSKY, Sergey V., Soviet revisionist politician (1888-1930); expelled from Party for factionalism (1927); reinstated in Party and again expelled (1936); arrested, tried, found guilty of treason and executed (1936).

RYKOV, Aleksey I., Soviet revisionist politician (1881-1938); RSFSR People's Commissar of Internal Affairs (1917); Chairman, Supreme Council of the National Economy (1918-21); RSFSR Deputy Premier (1918-21); member, Political Bureau, CPSU (1922-1930); USSR Premier (1924-30); USSR People's Commissar of Posts and Telegraphs (1931-36); expelled from Party (1937);
arrested, tried for and found guilty of treason and executed (1938).

SHATSKIN, Lazar A., Soviet revisioist politician (1902-37); 1st Secretary, All-Russian Young Communist League (1918-22); removed from Central Control Commission, CPSU for siding with the Leftist-Rightist bloc (1931); expelled from Party (1935); arrested, tried, found guilty of
treason and imprisoned (1936); died in imprisonment (1937).

STEN, Ian, Soviet revisionist politician (1899-1937); Director, Marx-Engels Institute (1929-32);  expelled from Party (1932); arrested (1936); tried for and found guilty of treason and executed (1937).

SYRTSOV, Sergey I., Soviet revisionist politician (1893-1937); editor, 'Kommunisticheskaia revoliutsya' (Communist Revolution); Secretary, Siberian Regional Party Committee (1926-29); Premier, RSFSR (1929-30); removed from Central Committee for factionalism (1930); director, Nogin Chemical Plant (1931-36); arrested, tried, found guilty of treason and imprisoned (1936); died in prison (1937).

TER-VAGANYAN Vagarshak A., Soviet revisionist politician (1893-1936); arrested, tried, found guilty of terrorism and executed (1936).

TOMSKY, Mikhail P., Soviet revisionist trade union leader and politician (1880-1936); member, Political Bureau, RCP/CPSU (1922-29); Chairman,  All-Russian Central Council of Trade Unions (1921-28); Director, Joint State Publishing House (1928-36); committed suicide to avoid trial for
treason (1936).

ZINOVIEV, Grigory E., Soviet revisionist politician (1883-1936); Chairman,
Petrograd Soviet (1917); member, Political Bureau, RCP/CPSU (1921-26); Chairman, Comintern (1919-26); removed from all posts (1926); expelled from Party; arrested, tried for and found guilty of moral complicity in murder of Sergey Kirov and imprisoned (1935); tried for and found guilty of treason, and executed (1936).



BIBLIOGRAPHY

Avtorkhanov, Abdurakhman: 'Stalin and the Soviet Communist Party: A Study in the Technology of Power'; London; 1959.

Conquest, Robert: 'The Great Terror'; London; 1973.

Davies, Robert W.: "The Syrtsov-Lominadze Affair', in: 'Soviet Studies', Volume 33, No. 1 (January 1981).

Deutscher, Isaac: 'Stalin: A Political Biography'; London; 1967. Drachkovich, Milorad M. & Lazitch, Branko (Eds.): 'The Comintern: Historical

Highlights: Essays, Recollections, Documents'; Stanford (USA); 1966. Grey, Ian: 'Stalin: Man of History'; London; 1979.

Kuromiya, Hiroaki: 'Stalin's Industrial Revolution: Politics and Workers'; Cambridge; 1990.

Lang, David N.: 'A Modern History of Georgia'; London; 1962.

McNeal, Robert H.: 'Stalin: Man and Ruler'; Basingstoke; 1988,

Medvedey, Roy A.: 'Let History Judge: The Origins and Consequences of Stalin;'; London; 1971.

Schwarz, Heinrich E., Urban, Paul K. & Lebed, Andrew I. (Eds.): 'Who was Who in the USSR'; Metuchen (USA); 1972.

Stalin, Josef V.: Political Report of the Central Committee to the 16th Congress of the CPSU(b), in: 'Works', Volume 12; Moscow; 1955.

Suny, Ronald C.: 'The Making of the Georgian Nation'; London; 1989.

Ulam, Adam B.: 'Stalin: The Man and His Era'; London; 1989.

'Buylletin Oppositzy' (Bulletin of the Opposition), Nos. 17-18 (November/December 1930).
No. 19, March 1931.

'Report of Court Proceedings: The Case of the Trotskyite-Zinovievite Centre'; Moscow; 1936. 



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