How and why did Stalin become ruler of the USSR by 1928?

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How and why did Stalin become ruler of the USSR by 1928?

After the October revolution of 1917, Stalin, already a member of the central committee since 1912 entered the Soviet cabinet as peoples commissar for nationalities and began to emerge as a leader of the new regime.  During the civil war from 1918 to 1920 he played an important governmental role on the military fronts and in the capital.  He was elected general secretary of the central committee of the party in 1922, enabling him to control the rank-and-file members and to build an apparatus loyal to him.  Lenin was unsure if Stalin would be capable of using the authority he had with care.  On the other hand, Trotsky seemed to be the most capable man in the CC.  

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Stalin’s significance in the revolutionary movement and his relation to Lenin have been subjects of great controversy. He was highly regarded by Lenin as an administrator but not as a leader.  Towards the end of his illness, Lenin wrote a testament in which he strongly criticised Stalin’s conduct as general secretary and recommended that he be removed.  However, he died before any action could be taken, and the testament was suppressed.  Things were starting to look bright for Stalin.  

On Lenin’s death, Stalin, Kamenev, and Grigori Zinoviev formed allies against Trotsky, who was a strong contender to ...

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