Key Profiles of Opponents to Stalin in 1924

Key Profiles of Opponents to Stalin in 1924

1. Grigori Zinoviev

   • Influential as the head of the Leningrad Party Organisation.
   • Advantages in the struggle for power
     • Regarded as intelligent, energetic, wide knowledge of European Culture
     • One of party's best speakers
     • An 'Old Bolshevik' demanded respect from colleagues
     • Promoted to highest ranks by Lenin
     • Had important and influential positions in the Comintern, the Politburo and the Leningrad Party
   • Disadvantages in the struggle for power
     • Gained reputation for inconsistency, seen in opposition to Lenin and switching alliances between Stalin and Trotsky
     • Seen as an ambitious compromiser, without a clear philosophy
     • Vain but lacking in political courage, buckled under political pressure
     • Subject to considerable and unpredictable mood swings
     • Seriously underestimated his opponents, especially Stalin, to whom he looked down upon

2. Lev Kamenev

   • Power base in Moscow where he ran the local party machine
   • Advantages in the struggle for power
     • 'Old Bolshevik' who helped form party policy and was close to Lenin
     • Had influence in Moscow, where he ran the local party
     • Regarded as thoughtful and intelligent
     • Good at smoothing out difficulties amongst collegues
   • Disadvantages in the struggle for power
     • Gained reputation for inconsistency and opportunism by opposing Lenin, and switching sides between Stalin and Trotsky
     • Regarded by many as too soft , without the wish or ability to be leader
     • Seriously underestimated opponents, especially Stalin

3. Trotsky

   • Advantages in the struggle for power
     • Was clever, a dynamic speech maker. Shown himself as energetic man of action
     • Lenin's right hand man during the revolution and the civil war
     • Showed a combination of leadership skills, ruthlessness and decision making during those key years - carried out October Revolution, and leading the Red Army
   • Disadvantages in the struggle for power
     • Late convert to Bolshevism, which made some Old Bolsheviks suspect him
     • Some disliked his aloofness, arrogance and disdain for those less clever than himself
     • Made no attempt to build a base of support within the party - crucial mistake
     • Fear among many that Trotsky would use his Red Army links to mount a military coup after Lenin's death.
     • Trotsky believed that as he was Jew there would be prejudice against him as leader so did not push himself forward
     • Opportunist who lacked consistency
     • Unpredictable, indecisive and on some occasions showed a failure of nerve. Sometimes fell ill at critical moments
     • Crucial errors of judgement made - attacked Party Bureaucracy when he needed its support
     • Underestimated Stalin, whom he regarded as his inferior, and never really came to terms with this

4. Nikolai Bukaharin

   • Advantages in the struggle for power
     • Popular within the party, close to Lenin, and for a long time, friendly with Trotsky
     • Intelligent and regarded as the best thinker of the party
     • For many years a close associate to Stalin and respected by him
     • Stalin relied heavily on his knowledge of economics
   • Disadvantages in the struggle for power
     • Naive and lacked the qualities of intrigue, making him unsuited to party in-fighting
     • Made the mistake of appearing to be more popular in the party than Stalin
     • In trying to remain loyal to everyone and avoid taking sides, he lacked a power base
     • Seriously underestimated Stalin
     • Made a tactical mistake by trying to establish links with the defeated Kamenev and appearing inconsistent