Friday 2 April 2010

To what extent was Stalin's position as the Secretary-General the main reason in winning the leadership contest in the 1920s? Explain your answer.

When Lenin died in 1924, a power struggle broke out. Eventually, it was Stalin who emerged victorious, due to certain factors that were in his favour.

One of his advantages was his position as Secretary-General. As Secretary-General of the Communist Party, Stalin had the power to give out many jobs in the Communist Party. This gave the opportunity to Stalin to distribute the important posts to those whom he trusted and those who supported him. As the Secretary-General, he was even able to suppress unfavouable information, such as Lenin's notes to recommend Stalin's removal as Secret-General. As Secretary-General, he also managed to build up his power base within the Communist Party, as he was situated in Moscow most of the time.

Another reason that explained Stalin's victory in the leadership contest was his political manoeuvers. Firstly, he created the image that he was close to Lenin so that he could be perceived as his successor, especially during Lenin's funeral, when he was the chief mourner. Secondly, he collaborated with his lesser rivals, Zinoviev and Kaminev, to deal with his biggest rival, Trotsky. His idea of “Socialism in one country” won the support of more party members than Trotsky's idea of “Permanent Revolution”. Eventually, Trotsky's image was so badly damaged that he was forced out of the Communist Party. Once Trotsky was no longer the threat to his position, Stalin turned his attention to his collaborators, Zinoviev and Kaminev, and got rid of them as well.

The weaknesses of Stalin's rivals also contributed to Stalin's victory. Trotsky's background was a burden to him, as he was not a Bolshevik originally, a fact that was fully exploited by Stalin. Trotsky's absence from Lenin's funeral created a negative image of him, who was perceived as arrogant and disrespectful. His main power base was the Red Army, which did not allow him to build up his support in the Communist Party, which made all the key decisions in the USSR. As such, it was not difficult for Stalin to oust him from the leadership contest. As for Zinoviev and Kaminev, they failed to see how ruthless Stalin could be and could never really challenge Stalin in the leadership contest. By the 1930s, both of them were purged.

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