Why were Stalin’s opponents unable to mount an effective challenge to his growing power in Russia in the years 1928 – 1938? I believe that main reason why Stalin’s opponents were unable to mount an effective challenge to his power in Russia during the years 1928 and 1938 was because of his Purges and the great Terror. However, there were several other reasons that affected his opponent’s ability to stand up against him such as Collectivisation, the first of the Five Year Plans and The Cult of Stalin. Stalin’s opponents were unable to challenge him during Collectivisation. Stalin’s desire to initiate collectivisation was motivated by his struggle against Bukharin and the Communist party’s right wing.
Sebastian Pasha 5th September 2014 How significant were the personalities of the contenders to succeed Lenin in accounting for Stalin’s defeat of his opponents in the years 1924-1929? Stalin’s defeat of his contenders in the struggle of power between 1924 to 1929 was mainly due to his personality. For instance, he was compared to a ‘grey blur’, allowing him to slip under the radar and play behind the scenes, therefore seeming to be no real threat to the others. However he was quite the contrary. In addition, numerous factors such as his acquired powerbase and his policies aided him greatly to secure the highest position of authority in Russia.
This increased year upon year allowing Stalin to have increasing control over the important discussions. Party members failed to recognise the extent of his control until it was too late. Even though Trotsky had the position of the Head of the Red Army, this position held little power because many of the members of the army were not members of the party and therefore could not attend Party Congress to support Trotsky. This position, also, made party members feel threatened. Bukharin’s position in the media allowed him to shape opinions and Zinoviev’s and Kamenev’s positions gave them support from the largest sections of the communist party.
How significant were ideological disputes in accounting for Stalin’s emergence as leader of Russia? Ideological disputes accounted greatly for the rise in power of Stalin in 1929; however his cunning and mischievous ways, his ability to manipulate situations to his advantage and capitalise on the mistakes of his contenders, all allowed him to succeed in Russia after the death of Lenin in 1924. Biding his time Stalin was gradually moving up in the ranks and attaining more power within the Bolsheviks party and eventually got an influential position; General Secretary of the party. So not only the ideological disputes with the other contenders but his new powerbase as the general secretary led to his rise as the Russian leader. Stalin’s emergence as a successor and a dominant figure within the Bolshevik party really came when he got the influential position as general secretary in 1922.
Stalin was never considered to be a prominent member of the Politburo however he became one of the most well known leaders of the Soviet Union and the most feared. Firstly Stalin built himself a ‘power base’ within the party that allowed him to defeat his rivals. He did this by firstly impressing Lenin about his practical abilities and there Lenin saw him as well suited for the position of General Secretary. Consequently in 1922 Lenin and Kamenev appointed Stalin. With the power that Stalin had now acquired he could appoint new members for the party and demote members of the party.
Previous historians saw Stalin’s pre 1924 career as a “dull grey blank” (Nicolai Sukhanov-1922) however recent research has shown it as significant to his uprising. As there were few members in the early Bolshevik days Lenin knew them all well and because he liked Stalin’s excellent organisation he included him as one of the six members of the Central Committee, where he helped make policy and wrote the Pravda. His heritage as being Georgian paid off after the October Revolution when he was made Commissar for Nationalities, this saw the beginning of Stalin becoming the cold hearted and ruthless man which he is infamous for. Stalin was given jobs that other Bolsheviks viewed as tedious and unimportant, none of them “saw in the Stalin of 1923 the menacing and towering figure he was to become,” (I. Deutscher, the Prophet Unarmed). Positions such as the General Secretary and the Liaison Officer between the Politburo and Ogburo he used to his advantage.
This gave Stalin a most important comeback and it was only the beginning of Stalin’s quest for the power of Russia. Lenin’s testament was send to the CC in May 1924 but it was not released to the party. If it had been it would have ended Stalin’s career. Zinoviev and Kamenev convinced the CC not to release it, because of the following causes it could have; the testament was not very positive about the party, Zinoviev and Kamenev thought that Stalin was no real threat to them and they wanted his help to get rid of Trotsky, and that the testament would help Trotsky. Zinoviev, Kamenev and Stalin were now ahead in the struggle to conquer the power.
Not only this but Stalin used Lenin’s Legacy when he once again falsely claimed he was there at the beginning of the original Russian Revolution, when he was actually in exile. There is a picture, taken from the Eighth Bolshevik Party Congress in 1919 in which Trotsky was absent and Stalin took the opportunity to sit himself at Lenin’s right hand side, gaining him credit and showing his subtle ways of propaganda. However, Stalin’s win couldn’t just be down to what Lenin had done previous to the power struggle. To achieve and successfully get away with all of the above he would have had to have great skill as a politician – which he did. He had the ability to control Lenin’s funeral and turn it into his own campaign,
He turned his opponents against each other while keeping his eye on the prize and being sure to never do anything that would endanger his chances of becoming the leader of the Soviet union. Although he was clever he seemed not to show this - he is described as awkward and even boring. He is generally shown as having no character. He became the leader of the Soviet Union at age 51. Adolf Hitler’s rise to power was very different to the way Stalin’s.
How far do you agree that Trotsky’s personality and mistakes led to Stalin becoming leader of the Bolsheviks? Leon Trotsky was indeed crucial to Stalin’s rise to power for two main reasons. Trotsky was without a doubt one of the most publicly supported and intellectual of the Bolsheviks, this meant that upon Comrade Lenin’s death the majority of people foresaw a new Russia under the rule of the strategic Trotsky. Trotsky did however have flaws which were central for Stalin’s taking of the Bolsheviks. Although somewhat popular among the average population, Trotsky wasn’t all too well-liked among his fellow party members due to his temperament and odd qualities.