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Why did Stalin become Leader (Stalin’s political ability (After his death,…
Why did Stalin become Leader
Trotsky’s personality
Trotsky was a formidable intellect and master tactician which so many feared he would try to create a dictatorship. Seen as arrogant and individualistic, not loyal to the party especially as he had only joined from the Mensheviks in the summer of 1917.
Trotsky’s position
Trotsky was commissar for War until 1925. So he was often away from Petrograd and didn't really run the party. He lost peasant support during the Civil War as he was in charge of grain requisition and his control over the army led many party members to fear his ability to lead a military takeover.
Trotsky’s mistakes
He felt above party politics so made no effort to gain support amongst the members. Rarely attended meetings He openly attacked the bureaucracy, corruption and patronage of the party and so obviously lost support.
Trotsky misread the support for Lenin after his death. He didn’t turn up to the funeral and attacked Lenin’s NEP in his essays Lessons on October (1924).
Weakness of the Left and Right
The leftists and the rightists had political beliefs that they weren’t willing to change. Lefts to communist solon after War Communism and rights supported a continuation of the capitalist NEP. In contrast, Stalin simply towed the popular line.
The United Opposition (Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev) never really liked each other. When the party voted against their ideas at 1926 conference Zinoviev and Kamenev deserted Trotsky and swore their alliegence to the party.
Stalin’s political ability
After his death, Lenin became a god like figure and it made political sense for Stalin to align himself with the continuation of Lenin’s policies. Stalin seemed like the most trustworthy candidate to do this as he seemed to have no ideas of his own.
He gave a speech at the funeral, inaugurated the Lenin institute and gave a series of lectures on Leninism at Moscow University.
Stalin simply aligned himself with popular ideas and used his support in the party to force his rivals out. Between 1924 and 1927 he supported Lenin’s NEP and “Socialism in one Country” at a time when Lenin was seen as a God and foreign invasion seemed likely
By 1927 the left had been crushed and so he completely changed his ideas to crush the right. He began supporting the end of the NEP at a time when people were beginning to get fed up with the profit making Kulaks and NEPmen. Stalin cleverly changed his policy to get rid of his opponents but also to fit in with what was popular at the time.
Stalin’s position in the party
Stalin had used his position as General Secretary (1922 onwards) to gain information and influence over most areas of the party.
1924 Stalin new exactly how the party functioned. It allowed him to monitor all party members but also to appoint his friends to powerful positions, this meant he could always get his way in a vote.
Lenin’s enrolment campaign between 1921 and 1925 saw many new proletariat members. Stalin was in charge of recruitment and promotion so many of these new members were loyal to Stalin to rise up ranks of the party. They also admired Stalin’s own humble background.