Stalins Emergence as Leader Essay - 1091 Words

Stalins Emergence as Leader Jan 21, 1924 Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin died at age 53 and a major struggle for power in the Soviet Union began. A triumvirate led by Joseph Stalin succeeded Lenin. By 1928, Stalin had assumed absolute power, ruling as an often brutal dictator until his death in 1953. But how is it that Stalin emerged as the new leader of the Soviet Union. In this essay I am going to explore the reasons to how and why this happened. Stalin held a very powerful and very important position, as the general secretary of the party. He was powerful enough to remove or appoint people to a post. He appointed people who supported him and removed people who were likely to†¦show more content†¦Because they did not trust Trotsky to lead them into a better USSR. Stalin was able to outmanouvere his opponents by playing them off one another. This was a grat attribute which stalin had. For example in 1924, Zinoviev and Kamenev mounted a viscous campaign against Trotsky, questioning his loyalty and raisng his opposition to Lenin before 1917. Stalin was happy to stay in the background bwatching the left wing tearing itself apart and continued to build his power base. He emerged as the peacemaker, (which also added support for him) anxious to maintain party unity. However it was not only Stalins political skills that helped him gain power, but his personal characteristics and qualities. For example, unlike Trotsky he was a very loyal member and had proletariat roots, and he was perceived by many to have no real reason to cause splits with in the party. Stalin was also perceived as dull and mediocre the grey blur and so no one saw him as a real threat. This was important and enabled him to rise to power without anyone really noticing. He was tough and ambitious and determined to protect his power base and make sure that it was him who emerged as leader. Stalins control of appointment membership made him a useful ally. As this made other contenders want himShow MoreRelatedThe Soviet Union During World War II1684 Words   |  7 PagesStalin. Through Joseph Stalin’s actions, the shortcomings of the Marxist ideology that the Bolsheviks praised in order to seize power were made apparent. The obvious divergence from these beliefs is shown by the increased bureaucratic hierarchy, and the totalitarian system that Stalin embraced. This seeming contradiction to Bolshevik ideology showed the differences between Lenin and Stalin — the first being more of an idealist, and the second being a harsh pragmatist. Stalin’s to talitarian policiesRead MoreThe Soviet Union And Czechoslovakia Essay1679 Words   |  7 Pagesand resources. An unfortunate result of the success of small businesses was the emergence of Nepmen, private traders who were extremely successful in the quasi capitalistic market. 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