Essay on Factors that Helped Stalin in his Rise to Power

Factors that Helped Stalin in his Rise to Power Following the death of Lenin in 1922, it was simply a matter of time before one member of the Politburo, who announced they would be acting as a collective leadership, gained individual power. The successful individual was Stalin, who hailing from humble beginnings, rose up through the ranks to become the brutal and ruthless dictator of the Soviet State. Stalin managed to do this not simply because of his personal strengths or brilliances, neither was it purely down to luck. It was due to a combination of factors, some concerning Stalins actions and his opportunist ways, some to do with his opponents such as Trotsky and their fundamental weaknesses,†¦show more content†¦The post of Commissar for Nationalities gave Stalin little power, but it was the first step in his rise up through the ranks. Lenin remained impressed by Stalins work and continued to promote him further. By 1919 he was the Liaison officer between the Politburo and Orgburo, allowing him to monitor both par ty policy and party personnel. It was here that Stalin first showed signs of taking advantage of the opportunities his positions gave him. He began to build up personal files on all party members, detailing their actions which he later used against people such as Kamenev and Zinoviev in the fight for individual power. This showed how even though Stalin may not have been planning his rise to power, he still took clever, devious steps along the way which assisted him without realising it was at the time. However, before his death, the amount of power Stalin had accumulated began to worry Lenin, who had once described him as That wonderful Georgian. He expressed his concern in his Testament, requesting that after his death, the members of the politburo must find some way to remove Stalin of this position into one with much less power. Stalin, worried by the damning comments within the testament, urged the other members of the Politburo, also criticised to suppress the Testament. The onlyShow MoreRelatedThe Great Purge Of The Cold War1658 Words   |  7 Pagesdetermination greatly affected his leadership and led to the beginnings of the Cold War. His determination allowed him to rise to power and destroy all opposition against his reign. The Great Purge, one of the greatest terrors in history, was also done due to his determination to stay in power. This same determination led to, as well as shaped, a large quantity of the events of World War 2. His leadership was similar to the leadership of Adolf Hitler, yet because of his determination, was quite differentRead MoreStalins Position as General Secretary Was the Main Reason for His Success in Defeating His Rivals in the Years 1924-29. 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