Did Stalin come to power in Russia through adapting himself to the system or by adapting the system to him?
Did Stalin come to power in Russia through adapting himself to the system or by adapting the system to him?
When Lenin passed on in 1924, he left behind his legacy to a select few members of the Politburo, namely Stalin, Trotsky, Rykov, Tomsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev. All of whom were earmarked for the possibility of taking over the helm of the Bolshevik party— some more than others. It was in this time that Stalin managed to manoeuvre himself into this key role, strategically sidelining the other candidates along the way. The question remains on whether he was able to come to power through careful treading within the constraints of the bureaucracy or whether he was a master manipulator, puppeteering the system while exploiting any loopholes he could find along the way to ease his ascension. In this essay, we will aim to evaluate Stalin’s actions in order to establish which of the pair of causes mentioned above was the key attribute to his success. We will also consider the circumstances through which Stalin was able to use the abovementioned methods to achieve his aims.
During Lenin’s time as head of the Bolsheviks, Stalin had made immense contributions to the party and his reputation was formed upon his role in the Russian Revolution of 1917 as well as the 1921 Red Army invasion of Georgia. He was part of the first Politburo formed in 1918 ultimately resulting in his appointment as General Secretary in 1922. In his initial days, Stalin was careful not to overstep his authority and eked out a career as a subservient follower. He was consistent in his portrayal of being a ‘Leninist’ who was keen to follow in the footsteps of the great leader. He first supported the denouncement of the Provisional Government for which he was rewarded with the appointment as Commissar of Nationalities. This was also evident as he pointed out in support of the New Economic Policy (NEP) "The New Economic Policy is a special policy of the proletarian state designed to tolerate capitalism but retain the key positions in the hands of the proletarian state." Stalin who was aware of the cult-like status attained by Lenin through his life and chose to portray that continuity immediately after the death of Lenin. He, as leading mourner, delivered the oration at Lenin’s funeral mentioning “We swear to thee, Comrade Lenin, that we will not spare our strength in order to fulfil with honour thy command!” This served to preserve the humble and dedicated servant-like image Stalin had tried through the years to show the people. Stalin was also more aware of public sentiment than the other candidates like Trotsky. While Stalin was pushing for ‘Socialism in one country’, Trotsky strongly believed in ‘Permanent revolution’. Having just achieving some form of peace in the country, Trotsky’s direction did not bode well with the masses that were tired of fighting and were more interested in Stalin’s call to overcome fundamental problems such as agricultural and industrial problems. From this case in point, it could be seen that Stalin was able to portray the image of being a Russian patriot attempting to save the nation from its problems and dangers at a time of great need. Through careful and strategic planning, Stalin was able to show to the people what they wanted to see. He was aware of the needs of the masses and worked well within their conservative hopes. Therein shows the attempts made by him to adapt to the system.
