'Stalins rise to Power'
'Stalin's ability to outmanoeuvre Trotsky led to his successful rise to power.' Drawing on your knowledge of all the reasons for Stalin's success, examine the validity of this judgment. Stalin was able to emerge as a solitary leader of the Communists because of many reasons; some were due to his own abilities and strengths whereas others were due to the weaknesses of his opposition, particularly Trotsky.When Lenin died in 1924 Stalin was already in a position of power, he had been appointed General Secretary. Stalin exploited this post and used it to appoint many of his own supporters to high positions. As these members were answerable to Stalin they often remained loyal to him and he managed to build up support for himself throughout Russia. The post was also the only link between the party and government, which meant he got to know the workings of them both. This immense power meant support was often on his side, and 'Lenin Enrolment' helped even more, here the party gained many new members, most of which were poorly educated and seen as 'less questioning members' who would follow the leader and do as they were told. Stalin used his initiative and oratory skills to capitalize on this new membership and gain even more sup
Many of these leaders already saw Trotsky as a threat because of his Military connections and powers; they were concerned that Trotsky would become a solitary military leader like Bonaparte had done in France. In Conclusion I would say that the judgment is valid to a certain extent. Also the decision to not publish 'Lenin's testament' helped Stalin, as in it Lenin suggested that the other Bolshevik leaders should find a way of getting rid of Stalin. As Trotsky was his main opponent it was him he had to 'push down the ladder' the most. It was Trotsky that had ruined his own chances, as he had been too arrogant to consolidate a base of support other that that of the Red Army. Between 1924 and 1929 Stalin had managed to force most of the other leading Bolsheviks out of power. Stalin had expertly followed the cult of Lenin and showed himself to be the natural successor as the leader of Bolshevism. Many incidents such as declining the invitation to give Lenin's main speech, in his absence, at the 12th party congress, and not attending Lenin's funeral may not have had major impacts on the power struggle individually but the accumulation of these many events led to a further decline of support for Trotsky. " whenever he spoke, hence trying to prove that he had the same views as Lenin. We can therefore say that Stalin's rise to power was partly due to his ability to outmanoeuvre Trotsky, and therefore the judgment can be seen as valid. Whilst Stalin was building up his support in the party Trotsky was constantly bickering with the other Bolshevik leaders. Stalin was able to capitalize on the many mistakes made by Trotsky as well use his own political and oratory skills to gain power in his own right. He had sided with one group and then another, gradually isolating the other leading figures. Trotsky's different opinions were also seen as 'factionism' and betrayal of Lenin. Trotsky and Stalin had, by many been seen as the main contenders for the senior post.
Common topics in this essay:
Communism' Stalin's,
Secretary Stalin,
Trotsky Trotsky,
Lenin Stalin,
Trotsky Stalin,
,
France Trotsky's,
Whilst Stalin,
Lenin Trotsky,
Stalin Trotsky,
outmanoeuvre trotsky,
bolshevik leaders,
ability outmanoeuvre,
ability outmanoeuvre trotsky,
oratory skills,
decision publish,
leading figures,
trotsky trotsky,
lack political,
success stalin,
led decline,
|
Acceptance Essays
