Stalin's Rise

Stalin's Rise

1. Leadership Contest

   • Why
     • Lenin's death
       • Left a testament mentioning all potential successors
         • No final judgement
         • Trotsky
           • Agreed with Lenin on red army
           • Favoured by Lenin
           • 1917 revolution figure
           • Support from younger members
           • Heroism and gave inspirational speeches
           • Disagreed with Lenin on ideology
         • Stalin
           • Poor relationship with Lenin
           • General secretary
             • Can expell members of party
           • Not seen as threat by other contenders
         • Bukharin
           • Admired Lenin
           • Responsible for pravada
           • Referred to as 'Golden boy' by Lenin
         • Kamenev
           • Played no part in civil war
           • Close friend to Lenin
           • Head of Moscow communist party
           • Little respect from members
         • Zinoviev
           • Coward from civil war
           • Close with Lenin
           • Least likely to be a successor
           • Opposed October revolution
     • Trotsky most likely successor
       • Opposed by many
     • Debates over speed of industrialisation and revolution
     • NEP debate
       • Left - end of NEP
       • Right -fear of breaking alliance with peasants
     • Communist party split into left and rights

2. Rise

   • Triumvirate with Zinoviev and Kamenev
   • Convinced central committee to keep Lenin's testament a secret
     • Saying it damaged NEP
   • Lenin's funeral
     • Stalin told Trotsky the incorrect date
       • Used Trotsky's absence against him
   • Zinoviev and Kamenev attacked Trotsky
     • Trotsky's book 'the foundations of Lenin'
     • Accused him of being disloyal
   • Stalin replaced Trotsky as Commisar in 1925
   • Zinoviev and Kamenev became suspicious of Trotsky
   • Stalin emphasised disagreements between Lenin and Zinoviev
   • Stalin removed Zinoviev and Kamenev as secretaries of local parties
   • Trotsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev formed united opposition
   • Stalin removed Zinoviev and Kamenev from congress party in 1926
   • Stalin removed Trotsky from congress party in 1927
   • Stalin and Bukharin formed Duumvirate
   • Trotsky exiled in 1929
   • Bukharin joined with Tomsky and Rykov
   • Stalin formed rumours of Bukharin, accusing of factionalism
     • Brought up Bukharin's disagreements with lenin
   • Bukharin lost presidency of Pravada and Tomsky sacked
   • Tomsky and Rykov removed from Politburo
   • Stalin was now dominant figure
     • Eliminated leaders on left and right

3. Stalin defeated leaders on right opposition, then on left

4. Stalin pretended to like NEP for alliance with Bukharin

5. Stalin really wanted socialism

6. Used role as general secretary to control congress members