Stalin notes

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Why did Stalin succeed Lenin?

History

- Cyclical pattern frequently applied to revolutions 1793-1794 in the French revolution

Radical phase (reign of terror) - coup d etat (policies and leadership swing right) taken over by military under Napoleon

By 1802 - French Republic converts into personalised rule of Napoleon

- Bolsheviks drew lessons from this pattern that helped shape future events

- Stalin was seen as a safety alternative than Trotsky - from the way he had built up the red army between 1918 - 21. Trotsky was fear and isolated which helped Stalin to emerge into power.

- Appeared "safe" to bolsheviks as he was considered pedestrian, Trotsky referred to him as "the party's most eminent mediostrity"

- Because he had no contact with EU culture unlike Trotsky who was influenced by contracts with western Europe, he was considered safer

- Inicial disadvantages actually worked to his disadvantage

- Failure of Trotsky's plans for revolution elsewhere in Europe boosted credibility of Stalin put emphasis on isolationism.

Character

- Ruthless and opportunist

-He waited for the opportunity to attack other candidates for the leadership

-Martin McCauleyis "he was a very skilful politician who had a superb grasp of tactics, could predict behaviour extremely well and had on unerring eye for personal weakness"

1. Kamenev's lack of vision

2. Bukharin's inability to take action

3. Zinoviev's organisational weakness

Manipulation of the party

- Stalin controlled the party organisation and its promotion of it leading members in turn, they supported him against his potential rivals.

- membership of local parties was determined by the secretariat which was under control.

- Stalins support were able to gradually move into the upper levels of the party, they were given the added inceptive in filling the vacancies of those removed before they became Stalin's main rival

- enabled Stalin to out manoeuvre rivals at all stages

- meant he was more secure than Trotsky - consolidated his position, stalin controlled methods where Trotsky could be out manovered.

Circumstances

- Threat of the collapse of bolsheviks into chaos

1. failure of revolution abroad - Trotsky's reputation had been tied to spread of communism in Europe, diapered by 1919.

Benefitted Stalin as supplied and given by social - democratic leaders, wave swept through Europe. Against this Stalin could project a traditional Slavic appeal that was more in keeping with his emphasis in socialism in one country.

2. Favouring Stalin was the insecurity of the Bolshevik economic policies

Two strategies proposed in the 20's appeared antagonistic . On one hand it was the planned retreat of the NEP, Bukharin saw this that the economy should now progress at the pace of "the peasants slowest nag". On other hand it was argued, Trotsky and the leftists argued for increasing pace of industrialisation to implement socialism. Therefore caught up in conflict involving in new peasantry. Stalin had power to in leading Bolsheviks who could make adjustments between these extremes, being adaptable for conditions at the time. Early 1920's favoured the NEP and the rightists , whereas the procurement crisis of 1927 demonstrated that the NEP was no longer working and hence needed a radial rethink. Struggle against Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky was seen by many at time a balanced reaction to a policy that had failed by all objective criteria, majority of party shared same view.

Also considered they had good grounds for supporting their leader to whom many owned their places, Stalin therefore confirmed support for his position by reading correctly the signs of the economic times. Recent view suggested " machine politics didn't count for Stalin's triumph" rather "statement of political fact". His ability to be flexible owed to the prevailing wind of circumstances.

The rise of Stalin can be seen as too much as the calculation of a supremely rational party machine taking advantage of an efficient dictatorship already established by Lenin

- Revolution had experienced an emergency in form of the Civil war, which created widespread chaos

- Policies and organisations where tested

- Stain was a average politician , rather basic skills were enhanced by circumstances, succeeded not in producing order overall but controlling pressure points

- Trotsky was right about Stalin's ability but wrong in the situation that allowed the latter to prevail, situation of Russia favoured the pragmatist made possible through skills that had been misinterpreted.