How far does Stalins position as General Secretary explain his success in defeating his rivals in the years 1924-1929?

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How far does Stalin’s position as General Secretary explain his success in defeating his rivals in the years 1924-1929?    Following Lenin’s death in 1924, the Communist leadership of Russia was thrown into disarray. Different ideas for the future of socialism were unveiled, and out of this ideological confusion, various contenders for the party emerged. Throughout the next five years, a turbulent period of struggle in the power vacuum between these contenders ensued, and Stalin eventually emerged as the successful new leader of the USSR. Stalin’s position as General Secretary of the party, among other factors of which I shall explore, contributed to this appointment – a leader which would effectively go on to win WW2, whilst enforcing totalitarianism throughout Russia.   Stalin’s position of General Secretary allowed him to use and abuse Lenin’s systems to get to the top. Stalin had the power to control what was discussed and how politburo decisions were to be carried out, and he had the significant influence of patronage. This allowed him to access every strand of the Communist party – the orgburo, politburo, and secretariat. His power of patronage allowed him to use his authority to place his most reliable supporters in key and enviable positions within the party. As a result, these people were extremely loyal to Stalin since they owed their place to him, and so therefore he could count on their support. These appointed people became known as ‘Stalinist delegates’ since at party congresses they could deliver the votes in Stalin’s favour.   Stalin also had other key positions in the party, rendering his powerbase as ‘bureaucratic’ – one that allowed him to outmanoeuvre his rivals through a series of alliances.  Stalin was head of the Sovnarkom which enabled him to expel party members who disagreed with his views and aims. In removing people seen as more extreme, such as soldiers and students, this eroded Trotsky’s support base (the leading contender), as head of the Red Army. His position as Commissar for Nationalities meant he could gain loyalty from the officials running non- Russian regions – effectively expanding his support base and spreading his ideas. As appointed as Commissar of peasants and workers inspectectorate, Stalin also had the power to expel those from
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the government who disagreed with him. All of these important positions in the party, especially General Secretary, combined meant Stalin had a hugely powerful role within Communism, and it was the way he strategically harnessed the significance of these positions in order to control the party which contributed to his success. None of his rivals had a powerbase similar to his, and so whatever the ability of his rivals, he could always outvote and outmanoeuvre them regardless of talent.   The ideological conflict of the contenders and the way in which Stalin was politically shrewd and carried out a series of ...

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