1924 Leadership Contenders

• Leon Trotsky

  • The obvious front-runner who masterminded the October Revolution, led the Red Army into winning the Civil War and a brilliant speaker.
  • Believed in "Permanent Revolution" and opposed the NEP which gave him strong Marxist credentials.
  • However, many feared he would become a dictator and fight more wars.
• Joseph Stalin

  • His General Secretary position gave him great control over the bureaucracy of the Party.
  • Initially stayed out of debates on the NEP which led to Trotsky describing him as the "grey blur".
  • His idea of "socialism in one country" would prove popular.
• Gregori Zinoviev

  • Founding member of the Bolsheviks and held a strong powerbase in Petrograd.
  • Opposed the timing of the October Revolution.
  • Argued for less harsh treatment of non-Bolshevik socialists.
  • Was on the left of the party meaning he opposed the NEP.
  • Ally of Kamenev and a fierce opponent to Trotsky.
• Lev Kamenev

  • Close to Lenin in the early years of the Bolsheviks but opposed the April Theses and the timing of the October Revolution.
  • An ally of Zinoviev on the left of the party and an opponent of Trotsky.
  • A moderate who wanted to work with other socialist parties.
  • Held a power base in Moscow but possibly had the wrong type of personality to be party leader as he was too quiet and soft.
• Nikolai Bukharin

  • A brilliant young theorist who was considered to be the "golden boy" by Lenin.
  • On the right of the party, he devised the NEP.
  • Highly likeable but lacked the cunning ability his opponents had, particularly Stalin.
  • Even Lenin questioned if he was truly Marxist.