Stalin’s Rise to Power

• Invited to Central Committee of the Bolsh Party
  • Due to shortage of Working Class
  • 1912
  • Structuralist
• Became editor of Pravda (’Truth’)
  • During 1917 February Revolution
  • Directed Bolsh Campaigners in election
  • Lenin took note of Stalin
  • Approved of his activities, speeches and articles
  • Given seat in Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet
  • Commissar of Nationalities
  • Structuralist
• Became in charge of Orgburo
  • May 1919
  • Put by Lenin
  • Controlled aspects of Party Organization
• Elected into the new Politburo
  • 1919
• Ban of Factions
  • 1921
• Became General Secretary
  • 1922
  • In charge of General organization
  • Had access to all personal files and information
• Lenin Suffers from a stroke in December 1922
• Takes control of the Nomenklatura list.
  • 1923
• Krupskaya
  • Feed select information to Lenin as he is suffering from strokes
  • Paints Stalin in a bad Light
  • Suports Trotsky
  • Made Lenin have a bad attitude aginst Stalin
  • Releases Lenin’s ‘Testement’ to congress after his death (March 18, 1924)
• Lenin Dies
  • Jan 21, 1924
  • Paints Trotsky as a Bonaparte Figure
  • Lies to Trot about Lenin Dying
  • Delivers a Eulogy and declairs himself Lenin’s disciple
  • Reserved for people close to the deceased
  • Starts a Lenin Cult
• “Socialism in One Country” policy
  • 1925
• Turn against the NEP
  • 19928
• Undispluted Leader in the USSR
  • December 1929
• Stalin was close to Lenin
• Underestemated
• Very Lucky/Good Timing
• General Secretary
• Failiure of Trotsky
• Party Secretary
  • Info on all members
  • Controlled agendas and papers during meetings
  • Controlled information flow
• Positions in Orgburo and the Secretariat
  • Control of positions and responsibilities
  • Could put his supporters in key positions
  • High power over party secretaries as he would appoint his supporters
• Control of Party organizations
  • Could influence the selection of delegates sent to annual party congresses
  • Major issues of policies decided and central Committee chosen
  • Could rig by packing it with his followers
  • Exemplified in 1924 onwards
• Control of party membership
  • Rid of radical elements that would support Trotsky
  • Students & Soldiers
  • ‘Lenin Enrollment’
  • Appealed to people not interested in ideological debate and would follow what local party organizers told them to do
  • Young Urban Workers
  • Ex-peasants w/ poor education

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