Stalin's Position As General Secretary

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Position Of General Secretary:

He controlled all of the party's machines and was an excellent organiser. This gave him an important power base.

Stalin used his position to appoint more junior party officials. They all supported him because they owed their position to him.

These junior officials elected the Politburo (the principal policymaking committee of a Communist Party) therefore Stalin was able to control his organisation through them.

He abused his power to get rid of Lenin's Testament which was a will he had written summarising his views of the leaders of the bolshevik party, in particular he criticised Stalin. In his statement he also said he considered Trotsky as a more suitable leader.