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WHAT LED TO
THE RISE OF STALIN?
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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RISE OF STALIN

When Lenin died in January 1924, there was a
struggle to replace him as leader of the Soviet
Union.
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Among the candidates were:
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Leon Trotsky
Lev Kamenev
Greg Zinoviev
Joseph Stalin
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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RISE OF STALIN
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Trotsky was considered the front-runner.
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In 1924, no one expected Stalin to become Lenin’s
successor.
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Yet by 1929, he had managed to outwit all his rivals to
become the leader of the Soviet Union. How did he do
that?
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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How Soviet Union is ruled (p.34)

One-party rule; no free elections

Party Congress brings together thousands of
delegates from party organizations across the
country. Its main function is to "elect" a Central
Committee which runs the Communist Party.

In turn, the Central Committee's main job is to
elect a Politburo which decides government
policies.
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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LEON TROTSKY
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Brilliant and fearless leader with
great speaking and writing skills
Played a leading role in the
October 1917 Revolution
Led the Red Army to victory
during the Civil War
Saw himself as Lenin’s rightful
heir
Seen as arrogant by his
opponents
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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JOSEPH STALIN

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Did not play significant role in
the October Revolution or the
Civil War.
Appointed Secretary-General
of Communist Party in 1922
Seen by Trotsky and many
others as a dim-witted person
Stalin’s opponents
underestimated him and did not
consider him a serious threat
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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LEV KAMENEV

Member of the Bolshevik
Party since its formation in
1903.
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Trusted by Lenin.
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Had good leadership and
organisational skills.

Acted as Lenin’s deputy
before.

Opposed Lenin on the timing
of the October Revolution.
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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GRIGORY ZINOVIEV

Member of the Bolshevik
Party since its formation in
1903.
 Trusted by Lenin.
 Had good leadership and
organisational skills.
 Also opposed Lenin on
the timing of the October
Revolution.
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Factors for rise of Stalin
Non-disclosure of Lenin’s Testament (will)
 Trotsky’s unpopularity in the Party
 Stalin’s manipulations/ trickery
 pretended to have been close to Lenin
 control over party organization’
 exploitation of divisions

Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Non-disclosure of Lenin’s Testament (will)

Before his death, Lenin wrote a will expressing his views
of various leaders of the Communist Party.
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E.g. Lenin warned that Stalin should not be trusted to use
his power wisely. He also said that Stalin was rude and
impatient and should be removed as Secretary-General.
On the other hand, he praised Trotsky as the most
capable man in the Party.
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Non-disclosure of Lenin’s Testament (will)

However, the Party leaders felt that the will should not be
made public as Lenin had criticized all of them. In
addition, some Party members felt that Trotsky was a
greater threat so they decided to ignore Lenin’s
instruction to remove Stalin.

Thus, the Party’s decision to ignore Lenin’s will allowed
Stalin to retain his position as Secretary-General of the
Party, which he later used to great effect during his rise to
power. (link to Stalin’s rise to power)
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Source 2.3 (p.38)
“Comrade Stalin, having become Secretary-General, has
unlimited authority concentrated in his hands and I am not sure
whether he will always be capable of using that authority with
sufficient caution.
Stalin is too rude and this defect becomes intolerable in a
Secretary-General. That is why I suggest that the comrades
think about a way of removing Stalin from that post and
appointing another man in his stead.”
Q) What does this source tell us about Stalin as a leader?
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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“Comrades, every word of Lenin’s is law to us … But we
are happy to say that in one point Lenin’s fears have
proved baseless. I have in mind the point about Stalin. You
have all witnessed our harmonious cooperation in the last
few months; and like myself, you will be happy to say that
Lenin’s fears have proved baseless.”
Zinoviev, one of Lenin’s closest associates, defended
Stalin against Lenin’s call, in his will, for Stalin’s removal
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
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Trotsky’s unpopularity in the Party
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Trotsky’s arrogance and extreme ideology made him an
unpopular figure in the Communist Party.
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E.g. Trotsky believed he would succeed Lenin and made
little effort to build up any support within the ranks of the
Party. He often offended other senior party and failed to
take the opposition seriously. His support came from a
narrow base: the youths, students and the Red Army.
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Trotsky’s unpopularity in the Party
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Moreover, Trotsky’s idea of world revolution did not find
broad acceptance among Party members because they
were weary at the prospect of more fighting. In contrast,
most Party members felt that Stalin’s idea of ‘Socialism
in one country’ was more practical.

Thus, Trotsky’s unpopularity caused him to lose support
within the party and weakened his quest for power. This
paved the way for Stalin to take advantage and gain
power at Trotsky’s expense. (link to Stalin’s rise)
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Stalin’s manipulation – pretended to
have been close to Lenin
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Stalin pretended that he had been close to Lenin to give
others the impression that Lenin had favoured him.
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E.g. when Lenin died in 1924, Stalin organized the funeral,
gave the funeral speech and played the role of chief
mourner, showing deep sorrow over Lenin’s death.
Ba
ck
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Stalin’s manipulation – pretended to
have been close to Lenin

He also tricked his biggest rival, Trotsky, into missing
Lenin’s funeral by giving him the wrong date. As a result,
many party members were angry with Trotsky’s apparent
lack of respect for Lenin when he failed to appear at the
funeral.

Thus, through his political trickery, Stalin was able to
present himself as the rightful successor to Lenin and
destroy the reputation of Trotsky. This paved the way for
his rise to power. (link to Stalin’s rise)
Ba
ck
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Stalin’s manipulation – control over
Party organization
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Stalin’s position as Secretary-General gave him
considerable power over Party organization
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E.g. Stalin appointed his own supporters to important
posts and transferred supporters of his opponents to less
important posts. Many key Party officials owed their
positions to him and were loyal to him.
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Stalin’s manipulation – control over
Party organization

By controlling the Party organization, Stalin was able
to pack a 1925 Party meeting with his supporters, who
voted to remove Trotsky from his posts. In 1927, Stalin
had Trotsky expelled from the Party.

Thus, by controlling the Party organization, Stalin was
able to build up his support base within the party which
enabled him to consolidate his power and eliminate his
opponents. (link to Stalin’s rise)
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Stalin’s manipulation – exploitation of
divisions
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Stalin took advantage of divisions within the Party and
played one side against the other to gain power.
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First, Stalin allied himself with Zinoviev and Kamenev to
cover up Lenin’s Will and to get Trotsky dismissed.
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Once Trotsky had been removed, Stalin then worked
with Bukharin to relieve Kamanev and Zinoviev of their
posts. Later, he had Bukharin removed from his post.
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006
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Link to Stalin’s rise
 Thus,
by switching alliances and exploiting
divisions within the party, Stalin was able
to isolate his opponents and eliminate
them one by one in a ruthless way. This
paved the way for his rise to power.
Crisis and Conflict: Communist Russia
Copyright 2006