Stalin and the Modernisation of the USSR

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History Coursework - Stalin and the Modernisation of the USSR1: Select and explain the most important stages in Stalin's rise topower as leader of the USSR.The battle for the leadership of the USSR began with Lenin's death.Four men were fighting for the position of leader: Trotsky, Zinoviev,Kamenev and Stalin. Stalin, who won this battle for leadership, usedmany different stages in his rise to power, the first being takingadvantage of Lenin's death.Trotsky was the young, popular party member who looked like a good betas leader of the USSR, and Stalin recognised this immediate threat tohis campaign. Trotsky was due to give an oration to Lenin at hisfuneral. When the time came around, Stalin told Trotsky a differentdate to the actual date. The result was Trotsky did not come, andStalin took the oration himself, making Trotsky seem disrespectful toLenin, and making Stalin look like a devotee to Lenin, calling himselfLenin's 'disciple'. This plot was particularly effective because itwas a very public event, and people cared, because Lenin was a verypopular leader, and therefore the public disapproved of Trotsky,because he seemed disrespectful of a great leader.Another important stage in Stalin's rise to power was his reaction toLenin's Testament. This was a document that Lenin had written justprior to his death, saying what he thought about the important partymembers, so that the public could make an informed decision about thenew leader of the USSR. Stalin saw that the testament criticised mostof the party members, but in particular him and Trotsky. Stalinpersuaded Trotsky that Lenin was really unimpressed with him, and toldhim that the public would react very badly to this, particularly afterhis missing Lenin's funeral. Trotsky agreed with him, and theyconvinced the rest of the party not to publish the Testament, this wasa particularly important stage as Stalin was criticised more than anyother candidate was so this would hurt Stalin's chances more thananyone else's.Another example of Stalin's rise to power was how he played hisopponents off each other. Trotsky, being the most popular possibleleader, was cast off by Stalin, who got in close with two
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otherpossible leaders, Zinoviev and Kamenev. The three party members becameknown as the 'troika', and with the three of them working againstTrotsky, they destroyed his rank as commissar of war, pretty mucheliminating him from the race for leadership. Then, when Stalin hadsufficient strength, he broke with Zinoviev and Kamenev. RealisingStalin's great advantage over them, they retaliated by joining forceswith their former opponent, Trotsky, but Stalin was ready for this. Heintroduced his theory of 'socialism in one country', saying that theyshould build a socialist country in the USSR, regardless of their poorinternational position. This forced Trotsky into exile, and endedZinoviez's and Kamenev's ...

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