An important factor as to why Stalin was able to emerge as leader was due to the advantages that he had as a result of his position within the communist party. Stalin managed to obtain the role of head of central control commission. His role presented him with the power to investigate and discipline members of the party. He used this to the best of his manipulative ability by not expelling those who disagreed and went against him ideologically. Another important factor was the weaknesses of his opponents for example Trotsky was a weak powerbase due to his old age although he had high authority as he was the leader of the red army.
What factors led to Stalin’s rise to power? After the death of Lenin in January 1924 the Bolshevik party was leaderless. Lenin had not said who he felt should take up his mantle before he died and so a power vacuum was formed. The major competitors were Trotsky, Stalin, Bukharin, Zinoviev, and Kamenev. Thus began a battle of political subterfuge, manoeuvrability and betrayal, things that Joseph Stalin, eventual leader of the USSR, excelled at.
Stalin’s appeal was based on the fact he was the ‘Voice of Moderation’ which appealed to many members across the party whereas other contenders were seen as extreme, therefore they had a narrow base of support. Stalin was well liked within party so he was able to build a large network of supporters. On the other hand contenders like Trotsky and Bukharin adopted extreme positions within the party, which ultimately led to a very narrow base of support. Adopting extreme positions alienated many in the party, allowing Stalin to become leader. Zinoviev was seen by the party as ‘the most despicable individual since Mussolini.’ He was considered vain and arrogant with very limited political success, so he was unable to challenge Stalin’s authority alone.
Unit 1 Stalin – Assignment ‘To what extent was Stalin’s victory over his opponents in the power struggle a result of his opponents mistakes?’ In 1929, four years after the death of Lenin, the power struggle between Stalin, Trotsky, Bukharin, Kamenev and Zinoviev was over. Stalin was the undisputed leader of the USSR. Many people would said that Stalin’s victory was due to the mistakes made by his opposition, yet it could also be argued that there were other reasons behind his rise to power. One of Stalin’s biggest opponents during the power struggle was that of Trotsky (left wing), who some considered to be the favourite to succeed Lenin at the time of his death in 1924. Despite his Menshevik past, Trotsky was close to Lenin and had played a key role in the communist party.
There are a number of factors that explain Stalin’s rise to power. As well as his role of General Secretary, there was his natural and unerring political sixth sense which, coupled with the fatal weaknesses of his opponents and the fertile ground sown by Lenin’s legacy, led to him to the top of the Communist Party. Firstly, the role of General Secretary was very important in accounting for Stalin’s success. On the face of it a dull bureaucratic post involving dreary administration, the role actually allowed Stalin vast powers over the party. It gave him a seat in the Politburo, overseeing policy, but also oversight over party members as he had access to over 26,000 personal files.
After Lenin’s death, there was a dispute over the succession between Bukharin, Trotsky, Kamenev and Stalin. Trotsky could end the dispute and took power as the head of the Bolsheviks with Lenin's Testament, which criticized the oppositions Trotsky. However, he did not do it, and Stalin, using his position in the Bolshevik Party was able to get his men in high positions and policies through a swing, a union with his opposition to displace others, was able to take power in 1923 and the elimination of his violent Trotsky opposition, using a "ban on faction’’. In some cases, single-party leaders use a combination of legal and illegal methods to come to power. For Stalin, what he did was entirely legal.
Analyse the Rise to Power of Stalin By 1929, Stalin was the undisputed leader of the Soviet Union, and, according to an official biography, ‘the most outstanding continuer of Lenin’s cause and his most devoted disciple’. To achieve absolute control, Stalin had created a strong power base in the party, outmanoeuvred his opponents, created his own Stalinist ideology and benefited from circumstances such as weak opposition and chance. This essay will analyse the different reasons why Stalin was able to become party leader and show that his ideology of ‘socialism in one country’ was his greatest advantage in the power struggle after Lenin’s death in 1924. Stalin benefited greatly from his powerful positions within the Party apparatus, which allowed him to build up a significant power base within the party. In 1919, Stalin became Liaison Officer between the Politburo and the Orgburo, which allowed him to control the resources available to put into effect the decisions made by the Politburo.
Many of the people looked up to the Tsar like a father, not because he was inspirational or because he was exceptional but because 85% of the country, the Peasants were uneducated and so were very easily controlled and influenced. If one is uneducated and knows nothing else except solid Russian traditions like Tsarism then no one will question it and ask if it really is the best option for a country like Russia, for every country has a political system that suits it. However as the peasants and proletariat became better educated they did ask questions and realised that they were under complete authoritarian control. Not only would they query Tsarism as a whole but the actual Tsar, in personality and ability. For however strong the system is at controlling the largely uneducated majority, Tsarism is only as powerful as the Tsar is at the time.
Lenin was able to consolidate his power due to the weakness of his opponents, how far do you agree with this statement? Lenin was able to take advantage of the PG’s weakness’s and the confession that reigned in Russia at the time due to not being used to anything but an autocracy, Lenin was able to take advantage of this relatively easily but he faced many problems with holding onto power . There were many reasons why a large amount of people thought Lenin’s form of control would be a failure, he faced problems including World war 1 , enemy occupation, inflation and unemployment and although the Bolsheviks were strong in cities such as Petrograd or Moscow they did not have mass support across the country and a big threat to power was the Constituent assembly which was promised by the Provisional government which Lenin felt too vulnerable to cancel. Solving these problems was a seemingly impossible task and therefore his success is regularly put down to the weakness of his opposition, however I do not agree with the statement completely as I would conclude there were many other reasons why Lenin was successful in solving the problems he faced and in starting the first communist dictatorship. Forming a new government was one of Lenin’s biggest breakthroughs on consolidating his power, he faced a major problem that none of the Bolsheviks had any experience of governing or administration, and the situation made worst when government officials went on strike and the state bank refused to release any funds to the new government.
Likewise Stalin saw himself as a God-like man in the way he was able to have total control over Russian people. This was done through heavy propaganda and the notion of Stalinism. This simply meant anything which was successful within Russia whether it be having a meal or winning a war it was all down to Comrade Stalin. Continuity could also be seen as a key factor in characterising Russia as well as change for example the two regimes had similar methods in the running of the country. The Tsars government was predominantly made up of family members and previous heirs close advisors who supported his autocracy.