Subjects:
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
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Trotsky was seen by many as ‘an arrogant individualist’ who saw the party’s transition towards a bureaucracy as anti-revolutionary. Trotsky seemed to lack political awareness and did not grasp the opportunities granted to him. Whilst Stalin was building up his support in the party Trotsky was constantly bickering with the other Bolshevik leaders.
Trotsky and Stalin had, by many been seen as the main contenders for the senior post. It is factors like these that allowed Stalin to outmanoeuvre Trotsky. In contrast to this Stalin took great care to use the words "as Lenin said…" whenever he spoke, hence trying to prove that he had the same views as Lenin. Between 1924 and 1929 Stalin had managed to force most of the other leading Bolsheviks out of power. 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. The decision to not publish was made by the Bolshevik leaders as it was critical of them all and many of the leading figures did not support Lenin’s view of Trotsky. Having demoted this opposition, Kamenev and Zinoviev attempted to ally with Trotsky against Stalin, but they acted too late and were eventually expelled and exiled. This individualism and lack of political tact led him into trouble on more than one occasion.
In Conclusion I would say that the judgment is valid to a certain extent. 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. To begin with Stalin allied with Kamenev and Zinoviev to eliminate Trotsky from the power struggle, he then switched sides and turned against the ‘Trioka’. Trotsky’s different opinions were also seen as ‘factionism’ and betrayal of Lenin.
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