By holding the position of General Secretary he had access to personal files, and was then in a place to appoint people of his choice to positions within the Party and government, which he used to his advantage. He had the authority over 700 officials; even the secret police came under his control. He held such a major amount of power in that title, that he was able to build up local and national support. By doing so, certain people owed their posts to Stalin and dared not oppose him; he had their support and their votes. Settled in his post of General Secretary Stalin then used his cunning and organization skills to defeat his opponent Trotsky in the struggle for power after Lenin’s death. By being able to utilize his influential position as General Secretary he masterfully paved the road to his rise which was to come later on.
This leads to the weaknesses in Trotsky’s approach towards Stalin. He was also quite an adequate organizer, but in the wrong area. While Stalin focused his efforts toward the Party, in gaining control there and doing his hard work ambitiously and concentrated, Trotsky was busy developing the Red Army. This was unfortunate, for the organization in terms of the Party was a leading factor for Stalin’s victory over Trotsky. Although he is described as being among "intellectuals, inspired theoreticians, brilliant writers" Trotsky still lost the battle in the end. Despite these qualities which Trotsky possessed in abundance he failed to apply them correctly, because he did not manage to excel on political terms. Trotsky seemed aware that he was not quite designed for the role of Party leader and the work it demanded. This is where Stalin took advantage, being used to hard work and using his ability, not his intelligence to excel, he was able to take the lead from Trotsky. However, Trotsky hesitated to publish Lenin’s testament until he finally decided to use it as a weapon against Stalin, which turned out to be a big mistake, and it ended up working against him in the end. After Lenin’s death, Trotsky ignored how important public appearance was - his declining of the opportunity to make a major speech at Lenin’s funeral in January 1924 was nothing compared to his actual failure to attend at all. This absence was like a direct insult to Lenin, and the party. Stalin’s oration at the funeral implicated that the people of Russia saw Stalin as a supreme man who was true to Lenin until the bitter end.
This image of loyalty was another major factor Trotsky failed to establish. Stalin though was a master at manipulating the thoughts of the people, using his practicality to relate to the peasants and workers. After Lenin’s death there were many ideas as to what was best for Russia. Trotsky believed that Russia would not be able to recover from their problems without foreign assistance. However, Stalin twisted this idea around and stated that the people only needed to depend on themselves and contribute hard work in order to revive the condition of the state. Therefore, he made people think of Trotsky as a "coward and opportunist" and that he was a man who did not believe in the strength of the soviet population. On the other hand there was Stalin, a model follower of Lenin and Leninism, exactly what the people loved and wanted.
This support from the public was also an important element to the success of Stalin. Coming from a low class family he could easily relate to and understand the needs of the people. Qualities that Trotsky, the son of a well off landowner who showed prevalent signs of great intelligence and outstanding military skills, could not offer. Stalin’s purely political and practical tactics were much more suited to the peasants - in that way Trotsky set himself apart from the majority of the population. With the use of his practical thought he was able to identify with the people of Russia and therefore could better serve them.
However, though there was a steady climb in Stalin’s case it did not go by totally unnoticed. Lenin himself stated that Stalin’s power was alarming "’ I am not sure that he always knows how to use that power with sufficient caution (…). Therefore I suggest to the comrades that they should find a way to remove Stalin from that position’" This letter was not published for public eyes; not even Stalin’s opponents had taken steps toward its publication after Lenin’s death. Nadia Krupskaya, Lenin’s wife, held a lethal weapon in her hands, but decided not reveal its context fearing that it would have led to open conflict and maybe the destruction of the Party.
After concealing Lenin’s testament, nothing and no one could stop Stalin’s rise of power anymore. After drawing all findings together, Stalin’s cunning policy and his careful thought and manipulation of situations by far simply gave him advantage to excel over Trotsky. He was aware of the qualifications and steps required in the gaining of power over the Party and he took those required steps to achieve his goal. This is where Trotsky had failed, with all his intellect and organizational skills. He was an educated man but however, the Party was in need of control, stability and a firm ruler, which Trotsky could not provide. Stalin excelled in his modest, hardworking and reliable appearance in his early year, which allowed him to build up supporters within the Party. Furthermore his loyalty to Lenin and his personality cult put Stalin in the position of trust and support among Russia’s population. Stalin noticed his affect on the majority of the people and utilized it to accomplish his own ideas. These essentials and the fact, that Stalin was in the position of the General Secretary, Stalin managed to excel Trotsky, even though he surpassed with his intellect and military skills. Therefore, it was Stalin, who took control of the entire state and became one of the most significant and feared leader in both world and Russian history.
