Essay 3.

• Essay Question - Discuss the reasons why stalin was able to become leader of the Soviet union 1929
• • Ascent of Stalin to apex of political power was neither inevitable nor unassisted
  • Facilitated by complex interplay of individual cunning, ideological fervour, and machinations of political undercurrents within communist party
• • Conquest’s portrayal of stalin as master manipulator gains credence when delving into tactical elimination of political opponents
• • Political landscape post Lenin = fractious, key figures Trotsky, Zinoviev, and Kamenev, competition for ideological/political ascendancy
• • Stalin’s initial strat. centred - strategic alliances, Trotsky, Lenin’s apparent heir was initially in a strong position but was isolated due to his intellectual arrogance and emphasis on international rather than Lenin’s testament publications
• • Stalin formed a triumvirate with Zinoviev, Kamenev to marginalise Trotsky, employing subtle tactics like publication of lenin’s testament which was critical of all leading members

  Privy to this information before its general release, used it to coerce his allies against Trotsky
• • After Trotsky's decline, Stalin shifted his alliances/strats. Turning against Zinoviev/Kamenev
• The 1925 party congress illustrated this transition as stalin began socialism in one country (deviation against Lenin’s international perspective
• Stalin’s ideological shift served a dual purpose (appealed to inward focused sentiments in party and provided ideological basis for accusing Zinoviev/Kamenev of deviationism
• Duumvirate with Bukharin enabled stalin to dominate party apparatus culminating in expulsion of Zinoviev/Kamenev from party 1927
• • Stalin’s rise in factional landscape can be understood by his control over party secretariat
  • Had power to appoint individuals to key positions
  • Seed party ranks with loyalists (patronage politics) significant impact on eventual supremacy
• Pipes → substantiates view ^ stalin’s bureaucratic hold provided him with unparalleled powerbase 
• Stalin’s elimination of political rivals was not an exercise in brute force but masterclass in political manoeuvrings replete with shifting alliances, astute tactical decisions
• Ideological adaptability allowed him to align his philosophical stance with the mood of the party
• • Tactical/ideological manoeuvres were paramount, enacted in political climate that was conductive to stalin’s particular brand of leadership
  • Stalin’s “socialism in one country” resonated with the nation wearied by years of war/revolution
• • Soviet populace recovering from ravages of civil war and impact of NEP were receptive to a vision that prioritised internal stability over international revolution
  • Implementation of this through Five Year Plans initiated in 1928 brough change to soviet union’s agrarian society (plans aimed at rapid industrialisation/collectivisation) pillars that promised to elevate ranks of global powers
• • Conquest → socio-economic milieu significantly bolstered Stalin’s rise facilitating his claim that robust internal policies were indispensable for defence of state
• • Disarray that characterised post evolutionary period created longing for stability
  • Conquest → prioritisation of internal policies complemented stalin’s ideological positioning, captured zeitgeist of a nation seeking socio-economic upliftment 
• • Stalin’s vision buttressed by culture of fear, underpinned by secret police and series of purges commenced in early 1930s
• • Manipulation of this climate of insecurity allowed stalin to cultivate a perception of indispensability
• • He was viewed as guardian of soviet ideology and state integrity
• Socio-economic/political milieu of period played a role in his rise, populace exhausted with protracted instability/evolving international scene provided fertile ground for “socialism in one country”
• • Needs of increasingly complex state further underscored necessity for strong leadership, offering tacit enforcement for stalin’s autocratic methods
  • Conquest/Fitzpatrick → both internal/external dimensions that buttressed stalin's rise