H OW DID S TALIN SUCCEED ?

K EY MNEMONIC TO REMEMBER PILLR P ositions. Stalin had them all : politburo, orgburo, party secy, Komissar of Nationalities Each of these gave him a distinct advantage Ideology: Socialism in one country LUCK: in spades. Funeral and Will are the two that he used very effectively L : First group he eliminated. Trotsky and the Zinoviev and Kamenev. Issue was Scissors Crisis and then NEP R Thisis the group he eliminated in 1928 and his control complete: Bukharin, Rykov etc. This time he ends NEP

2 CANDIDATES THAT SEEMED TO BE THE MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED WERE B UKHARIN AND T ROTSKY. B UKHARIN WAS THE THEORIST AND T ROTSKY THE MAN OF ACTION

S O HOW DID S TALIN TAKE CONTROL 1. Date of the funeral 2. Very public funeral much against the wishes of Nadia Krupskaya 3. Lenin’s Will 4. Lenin Enrolment 5. In Policy debates Stalin would refer to the Factionalism issue. Lenin’s rule: Party over personal view. So promotion of a personal view was bad!! Trotsky frequently accused of Factionalism 6. Trotsky now in open confrontation on Party matters with Zinoviev and Kamenev against him in 1924

H OW DID S TALIN TAKE CONTROL ? th Party Congress in 1925, Trotsky’s anti NEP policy attacked. ‘Socialism in one country appeals more Trotsky loses control of Red Army. Appointed Kommissar to deal with electrification project. Essentially sidelined 7. Trotsky tries to defend himself with K. and Z. while Stalin watches 8.United Opposition against Trotsky, who is now accused of factionalism, all three expelled from the Party by IN 1928 he turns against NEP and advocates a policy of rapid industrialization. 10. Opposition by Bukharin and others useless, Stalin simply has them removed, more new members are introduced, among them Khruschev, Yagoda and Yeshov

B Y 1929 Stalin in control and celebrates his 50 th Birthday in style Volgograd is renamed Stalingrad in his honour. Why was Leningrad or St Petersburg not renamed?

W AS THERE ANY POINT AT WHICH S TALIN COULD BE STOPPED ?

2 ISSUES Will Trotsky’s illness. Was it a sham? Or an acknowledgement of Stalin?

W HY D ID S TALIN SUCCEED ? Grey Blur: Did not push himself forward until So he was seriously underestimated Propaganda : Lenin’s heir Exploited Party rivalries Trotsky v/s Zinoviev and Kamenev Party Positions which taken together gave him enormous power Death of 2 possible rivals : Sverdlov and Dzerzhinski by 1921 Trotsky lacked political acumen. Intellectual. Man of action but not infighting Trotsky a Jew and ex Menshevik

W HY DID S TALIN SUCCEED ? Additional factors Need for peace and stability promised by ‘socialism in one country Fear of a takeover by Trotsky who had seemed very powerful as long as he controlled the Red Army

F ACTORS FOR R ISE TO P OWER External: War since need for peace Stalin had promoted himself and Lenin’s heir Stalin a very shrewd manipulator and used every advantage very effectively No clear heir designate that allowed for the machinations of Stalin