Section 3 - Stalin's rise to power 1924-29

To what extent was Stalin’s success in the power struggle after Lenin’s death due to Trotsky’s errors of judgement?

• Stalin's rise in power cannot be fully contributed to Trotsky's failures alone 

• Also Lenin's unclear succession, Stalin's popular policies, his control of the party machinery and the mistakes over other bolsheviks played vital roles

For

• Overconfidence; Trotsky assumed that his reputation of being Lenin's likely successor due to his role in leading the oct rev and CW would be enough to secure power

• Opposition; he ignored early signs of opposition which can be seen as early as 1922 where Z, K and S formed a triumvirate, preventing him from gaining dominance. Trotsky failed to act against this alliance due to him underestimating Stalin - this miscalculation allowed stalin to consolidate support and manipulate internal party dynamics unchallenged

• Lenin's testament; Trotsky failed to press for the publication of this. It was filled with criticisms of Stalin, describing him as rude, power hungry and unfit to lead. While it also contained criticisms of him and others, it would have damaged Stalin's position. 

• Lenin's funeral jan 1924; gave Stalin an opportunity to present himself as Lenin's true heir and painted T out to not be suitable. This was a symbolic error during an important period - people were on the lookout for a new leader - but was argued it could have been due to misinformation from stalin (trying to sabotage)

• Views of those lower in rank; Stalin embraced his role as general secretary and used it to build a loyal network of supporters throughout all party levels and ranks. Trotsky viewed these people and administrative tasks as below him which left him isolated

• 1924 party congress; he held back from challenging Stalin directly as he was worried it may create a divide in the party and harm the rev, this was a huge mistake 

• Ideological stance; wanted a permanent rev which clashed with Stalin's more pragmatic socialism in one country that resonated more with the population post war. Therefore his ideas appeared radical and impractical. He also made attacks on NEP and emphasis rapid industrialisation, which was unpopular = looked out of touch and failing to recognise stalin's ability to appeal to the majority 

• United opposition 1926; Z and K now joined T in opposition of S, this looked opportunistic and inconsistent, giving T a bad image due to the fact his former opponents now stood beside him (undermined any credibility). Therefore they failed to gain widespread support and was continuing to underestimate Stalin

• Expulsion from party in 1927; he failed to prevent this from happening despite numerous warning signs. This marked the end of any realistic challenge to Stalin's dominance

Against

• Stalin's political skill; as general secretary he could influence party dynamics and consolidate power allowing him to win and retain party supporters. His position allowed him to manipulate appointments within the party, so he strategically filled the party congress with his own supporters and expelled his opponents, not only from important positions but also from the party all together. This therefore ensured that he had a large amount of loyal allies within the party, increasing the amount of power he held.

• Trotsky's control of the red army; Also capitalised on fears that Trotsky with his control of the red army might attempt a military coup, allowing him to win the support of moderates and conservatives within the party 

• Socialism in one country; stalin's ideology resonated with the party at a time of economic hardship and fit in with the idea of NEP, which was seen as their own route to socialism (allowed him to also gain support from people of russia too)

• Other policies; decision to support collectivisation, which aimed to increase agricultural productivity, ensure food security and eventually improve the economy, as well as rapid economic growth through industrialisation, having an aim of modernising the USSR as quickly as possible, wanting to beat the capitalists at their own game. These were seen as necessary and won stalin a substantial amount of support

• Other opponents also miscalculated; Z + K finally realised their mistake in supporting him but by the time they realised it was too late. Bukhrain, Rykov and Tomsky also miscalculated, initially aligning with Stalin but years later found themselves outmaneuvered. These collectively allowed Stalin to gradually eliminate all rivals and consolidate absolute power 

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