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