To What Extent Was Stalin's Ability to Manipulate the Party Machine Responsible for His Success in the Leadership Struggle

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To what extent was Stalin’s ability to manipulate the party machine responsible for his success in the leadership struggle? Stalin’s ability to manipulate the party machine was largely responsible for his success in the leadership struggle. This was due to his significant role in the party as general secretary, as this meant he had power over party members, allowing him to manipulate their decisions in party congress to benefit him, leading to him gaining more power and support in the party. In addition to his, Stalin’s ideological tactics, and alliances were also significant in allowing Stalin to gain power, because he was able to overpower his opponents, as the alliances allowed Stalin to remove his opposition much more easily. Furthermore, Stalin’s use of devious tactics also played a large role in securing his position in the party, as they allowed him to undermine his opponents and strengthen his position by reducing support for them. Overall, although the main reason that Stalin was able to succeed in the leadership struggle was his ability to manipulate the party machine, Stalin’s devious tactics and his alliances were also vital in securing his position as leader. Stalin’s ability to manipulate the party machine was extremely vital in securing him success in the leadership struggle, as it allowed him to eliminate Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev from the struggle. As General Secretary, Stalin was able to control who sat in Party Congress. By placing his supporters in Party congress, Stalin was able to ensure that his opponents could not gain any power or support, therefore ensuring that these opponents could be ruled out of the struggle. In 1923, Stalin used this manipulation at the 12th Party Congress in the struggle against Trotsky. Stalin drew up approved lists of party members, allowing him to control who were sent to Party Congress. This was extremely
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