Elective History Final-Year Examination Revision
Stalin’s Russia (SEQ Revision)
A) How did Stalin Rise in Power?
When we examine the reasons behind the rise of Stalin, there are TWO
MAIN FACTORS RESPONSIBLE:
Stalin’s Cunning Personality
o Stalin Outwitted His Rivals
o Stalin Pretended to have been Close to Lenin
o Made Alliances
o Used His Position as Secretary-General of the Party
Favourable Circumstances
o Trotsky’s Weaknesses
1) Stalin Outwitted His Rivals
 When Lenin died, there were four contenders to his place – Leon
Trotsky, Lev Kamenev, Grigory Zinoviev and Joseph Stalin.
 Although Trotsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev were much more capable
than Stalin, Stalin managed to outwit them and claim leadership
despite Lenin’s will criticising Stalin and naming Trotsky as a
successor.
2) Stalin Pretended to have been Close to Lenin
 Stalin tricked Trotsky and made him miss Lenin’s funeral which
reflected very badly on Trotsky.
 Stalin also organised Lenin’s funeral and made himself the chief
mourner which gave people the impression he was very close to
Lenin.
3) Trotsky’s Weaknesses
 Stalin was also able to rise due to Trotsky’s weaknesses. Trotsky
had a narrow support base limited to youths, students and the
Red Army. As he was too confident of replacing Lenin, he did not
bother to build a Party support base unlike Stalin.
 He was not well liked in the Party and his views on world
revolution were not popular as the Party members preferred the
more practical Stalinist view of working on Socialism within the
country first.
4) Made Alliances
 Stalin made alliances with Kamenev and Zinoviev to have Trotsky
removed and exiled from Russia.
 Once he had achieved his purposes, Stalin turned on Kamenev and
Zinoviev using other alliances and had them removed from the
Party.
5) Used his Position as Secretary-General
 Stalin used his position as Secretary-General of the Party to
appoint his supporters to important posts, ensuring their loyalty.
 By controlling the central Party machine, he was able to exert
great influence on the Party members and get them to vote on his
policies or initiatives (e.g. voting out of Trotsky in 1925).
In conclusion, when writing your essay on this issue, you MUST explain
both factors and their supporting points and WEIGH which one helped
Stalin REACH HIS POSITION MORE EFFECTIVELY.
B) The Control of the Russian People – Fear or Propaganda
When we examine how Stalin controlled the Russian people, there are
TWO MAIN FACTORS RESPONSIBLE:
Fear
o Establishment of a Dictatorship
o Development of a Terror State
Propaganda
o The use of Propaganda to Control
o Control over the Education System & Arts
o Cult of Personality
1) Establishment of a Dictatorship
 Stalin established an authoritarian regime where he was a dictator
and held all the political power in his hands.
 As a dictator, Stalin could make laws without consulting other
members of the government or the people of Russia.

He banned other political parties from the Soviet Union and
anyone who opposed Stalin was beaten, jailed or even killed.
2) The Use of Propaganda to Control
 Stalin used propaganda to persuade people to accept and obey him
as the rightful leader of the country.
 Stalin often exaggerated his achievements and made writers and
journalists portray him as a hero of the people.
3) Control Over the Education System & Arts
 Stalin also controlled the education system by centralizing it and
controlling it through the government.
 Schools had to teach Marxist and Leninist ideas and instill
complete loyalty to the state among the students.
 Stalin’s role in important events such as the October 1917
Revolution was increased and those of his enemies or opponents
unfairly represented or ignored.
 Strict discipline was enforced for teachers and students who would
be purged if they were anti-Stalin.
 Authors and artists were forced to portray Stalin in good light.
 Emphasis was placed on highlighting and promoting Stalin’s
industrialization success and as a result there was a lack of
variety in Soviet culture at the time.
4) Stalin’s Purges (Development of a Terror State)
 Used the high-profile murder of one of his supporters to purge his
opponents in the Communist Party over the years 1934 to 1938.
 Arrested by the NKVD (secret police), the opponents were sent to
jail, tortured, sent to labour camps or simply executed.
 Intellectuals, politicians, teachers, writers, workers, armed forces
personnel, scientists, ordinary Russians and anyone perceived as a
threat to Stalin was not spared.
 Those arrested were put on “show trials” where they were made
to admit to ridiculous crimes and sign confessions before being
jailed or executed.
 People lived in an atmosphere of fear and suspicion. People were
encouraged to inform on one another and no evidence was
necessary for persecution.
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
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Mass executions were carried out and the victims buried in mass
graves. Over 20 million Russians lost their lives to the purges.
Stalin became extremely powerful as no one dared to challenge or
oppose him. High-ranking officials who had been purged were
often removed from photographs and paintings as well.
Stalin also disallowed religion and sent his young followers to
spread anti-religious propaganda. Places of worship were
vandalized and their leaders persecuted.
5) The Cult of Personality (Cult of Stalin)
 Stalin tried to make the Russian people worship him as a leader.
 He often portrayed himself as a cheerful, fatherly and popular
man.
 Statues, pictures and paintings of him were placed prominently all
over Russia from government offices to factories to schools to
humble homes.
 Successes of Russia were also attributed to Stalin.