Stalin's rise: ideology and change

• In December 1922, Lenin decided to dictate his ‘Testament’, in the form of a letter to be read to the Party congress on his death.
• Lenin did not nominate a future leader, but gave his critical opinion of other members of the Politburo, including Kamenev, Zinoviev, Bukharin, Stalin and Trotsky.
• The Politburo was the highest policy-making government authority under Communist rule.
• He particularly criticised Stalin, who had become the Party’s first General Secretary in April 1922, partly because he had insulted Lenin’s wife.
• This Testament was never read in public as Lenin had intended, because the Central Committee decided to suppress it. This played into Stalin’s hands when Lenin died in 1924.
• The Central Committee was elected by the Party Congress, and elected the Politburo.
• Stage one


  • A 'triumverate' alliance formed between Zinoviev, Kamenev and Stalin to help to black Trotsky, who seems most likely to succeed.
  • Stalin gives Trotsky the wrong date to Lenin's funeral, which allows Stalin to do the funeral oration.
• Stage 2

  • Trotsky publishes 'Lessons of October' where he crititicises all the other members, including Zinoviev and Kamenev. Yet he does not mention Stalin, which plays into his favour.
  • Trotsky forced from his position as Commissar of War
  • Bukharin and Stalin temporarily unite while Zinoviev, Trotsky and Kamenev unite.
  • Zinoviev and Trotsly removed from party, causing united opposition to collapse.
• Stage 3

  • Trotsky deported to Contantinople
  • Bukharin is removed from Pravda and Politburo.
• Ideological factors clearly played a part in the leadership struggle. From 1921, the communists had been split over economic policy. Lenin's New Economic Policy' of 1921, which had allowed some private enterprise, had been controversial in that it conflicted with strict Marxist teaching.
• The left, as represented by Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev, favoured abandoning the NEP, the right, led by Bukharin and Rykov supported its continuance.
• Stalin fluctuated from a left to right wing. This could suggest that he was a pure opportunist.
• Additionally, the Soviet Union remained the only Communist State in the 1920s. Nevertheless Trotsky still held to the line that the Russians should be working to stir up revolution elsewhere and that there should be permanent revolution until a truly socialist society was created. 
• But by 1924, Stalin adopted the more pragmatic view that there could be socialism in one country and that efforts should be concentrated on building a workers' paradise' in the Soviet Union as an example to the rest of the world.
• Stalin's less orthodox attitude appealed to those who favoured stability and feared the permanent revolutionary turmoil that Trotsky appeared to be advocating.
• A further ideological issue concerned the nature of the leadership itself. Marx had not envisaged a single leader as necessary in a socialist state and there were elements within the Party who felt it was time to abandon the strong central leadership principle.
• Bolsheviks argued that to win the civil war, there must be a leader but it was no longer necessary after 1924. Instead, they sought collective control, through a committee of equals. This was advanced by those who feared the dominance of Trotsky and, in this way, the argument worked to Stalin's advantage