Stalin & his Rivals

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Stalin and his Rivals

Lenin was ill from 1922 and he died in January 1924. This led to a power struggle over who would succeed him. It was not certain that Stalin would be the next leader. Other potential leaders included Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev and Bukharin.

Lenin’s final testament

Because Lenin had so much power within the government and had no single role, it was hard to find someone to replace him.
In Lenin’s final testament, he heavily criticised Stalin and other communist leaders, including Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin.
He feared Stalin’s power, and believed that Stalin didn't have the ability to lead the country.

Joseph Stalin

Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party when Lenin died.
This role seemed to be administrative (involving party membership) but it actually gave Stalin a lot of power.
Stalin was the calmest and most patriotic of the potential successors. His belief in ‘Socialism in One Country’ was particularly important.
Stalin did not think the spread of revolution internationally was necessary for the USSR’s success.

Leon Trotsky

Trotsky was a brilliant speaker and was more charismatic than Stalin.
He had worked very closely with Lenin as commander of the Red Army.
But his previous membership of the Mensheviks was mentioned in Lenin’s final testament.
Trotsky was distracted by his desire for ‘Permanent Revolution’ - the need for revolution in more than one country.
Trotsky was distant and arrogant. He continued to order people around as he had done in the war. This was very unpopular.

Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin

Zinoviev and Kamenev were insightful communists, and they worked together as party bosses in Petrograd and Moscow respectively.
Lenin criticised them both for not supporting the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917.
Bukharin was very popular in the party. He was a respected thinker and writer, but he was too sympathetic towards the NEP. This was not a popular view in the Party before 1924.

1The Leadership Struggle, 1924-1929

1.1Struggle for Power 1924-28

1.1.1Stalin & his Rivals

1.1.2The End of Lenin & Stalin

1.1.3Stalin & the Communist Party

2Five Year Plans & Collectivisation

2.1Changes in Industry

2.1.1Industrialisation & Gosplan

2.2Agriculture & Collectivisation

2.2.1Five Year Plans & Grain Hoarding

2.2.2Collectivisation

2.2.3Kulaks

3Purges, Show Trials & The Cult of Stalin

3.1The Use of Terror in the 1930s

3.1.1Purges

3.1.2NKVD

3.1.3Show Trials

3.1.4Labour Camps

3.2Propaganda & Censorship

3.2.1Art & Religion Under Stalin

3.2.2Media & the Cult of Stalin

3.2.3The Cult of Stalin

3.2.4History

4Life in the Soviet Union, 1924-1941

4.1Life in the Soviet Union

4.1.1Living Conditions & Ethnic Minorities in the USSR

5The Second World War, 1941-1953

5.1USSR in the War

5.1.11941-1942

5.1.21943-1945

5.2Stalin & WW2

5.2.1Stalin's Popularity

5.2.2Post-War Consolidation

5.3Post-War Recovery

5.3.1Economic Recovery

5.3.2The USSR by 1953

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