How important was ideology in the development of the Bolshevik state between 1917-29

*I cannot really think of an A-level history question which would be just two paragraphs short, so have set out a brief planIntroduction: "Ideology- a system of ideas that form the basis of a political theory- appears at first look to be hugely important to the Bolshevik state. Whether followed because of the Bolshevik’s admiration of its theories or because it was politically smart, Marxism (the theories of Karl Marx that later formed the basis of communism) proved to greatly influential in the development of the Soviet State, both through its political organisation and rule, and its agricultural and industrial developments. That said, it is less sure which of the two is more prevalent- whether ideology influenced policy or if policy was later justified by ideology."Para1- 'Political organisation and rule of the Bolsheviks was heavily informed by various ideologies''-Dictatorship of the proletariat' representative of Marxist ideology-Brest Litovsk focuses on demands of the 'people'-Stalin's focus on 'dekulakisation'- branded as class enemies, arguably heavily influenced by Marxist idealsPara2- 'However, there is also a sustainable argument against this theory, with some instead positing that ideology had little influence in the political development of the Bolshevik state'-Continuous undemocratic motions-Coup of 1917 largely 'top-down'-Bolsheviks not even acting on behalf of the Soviet- presented congress with a fait accompli-Vesenka and Sovnarkom encouraged bureacracy and party politics, contradicting Marxist structural ideology-Workers lost power over factories, with Rykov and Osinki heading instead (elites?)Para 3- 'One must also take account of the relatively 'pure' or derivative form of agricultural policy in reference to ideology'-Capitalistic NEP appears more practical than ideologically influenced-However, only introduced as compromise to combat ills born of War Communism- forced hand?-Stalin appears more ideologically aligned with Marxism eg in forced collectivisation-However could the forced and violent background of policy imply departure form Marxist ideology? Marx ----argued that process were inevitable- Stalin was trying rather to force through such movementsPara 4- 'It is also vital to consider the impacts of ideology on the industrial development of the Soviet state'-Vesenkha encouraged nationalisation but as prior mentioned replaced worker-power with bureaucratic methods Lenin's decrees on industry generally indicated movement towards proletariat empowerment.-However, the 5-year-plans of Stalin were ideologically flawed; poor standard of living, forced work and low wages continued to exploit workers-Stakhanovite movement represents Stalin's common strategy of using capitalist or competitive methods to achieve 'Marxist ideal' (rewards and economic incentives hardly Marxist)Conclusion- Overall, one could argue that ideology had great influence in the development of the Bolshevik state from 1917-1929, though perhaps not simply because of the two leader’s ‘dedication to the cause’. Although Lenin and Stalin both show a willingness to manipulate ideology to suit their cause, the influence of Marxism and socialism can be seen throughout this period through both political, agricultural and industrial organisation- even when the two do not value ideology in itself, they could appreciate the importance of seeming like they did. This can be exemplified through the revolution that began the Bolshevik’s hold over Russia in October 1917; although not in itself a strictly ideologically correct revolution, Lenin made it clear that it was to be referred as the a ‘revolution of the proletariat’. Even when Lenin, or later Stalin, were not acting according to Marxist teachings, it was vital that they appeared to be, making ideology in this period hugely important.