Why did Stalin emerge as the leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin - page 1
Keywords: G.C.S.E COURSEWORK, 2006-7
By Teddy on 26/09/2008
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 1 of 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
G.C.S.E. COURSEWORK, 2006-7
EDWARD A. SEYMOUR
25176 UPPINGHAM SCHOOL
Why did Stalin emerge as the leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin?
On the 21st January 1924, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, leader of the Russia’s revolution as well as first head of state, died aged 54. The whole of Russia had been dreading the arrival of the end of their great leader, knowing Lenin would be a hard act to follow. Lenin’s main followers and other significant figures discussed and quarrelled over who would succeed the Bolshevik head. Lenin had been very much central in the formation of the Soviet Union, having become an absolute leader, respected and extremely popular. Therefore, as of 1924, there was a huge power struggle amongst those wanting to replace Lenin as leader of the nation that had been ungovernable for so many years.
As for who would replace Lenin, there were many different potential candidates. In this situation, it was not necessarily an advantage to be an obvious candidate. The majority of Russia did not want an autocracy. It was commonly believed that collective leadership would be an easier way to manage the country. There were two main candidates. One, very obvious was Leon Trotsky. Trotsky was very close to Lenin, probably his favourite member of the party. He was a Marxist theorist, having been outstanding at school and university. He had been a very influential politician in the early days of the Soviet Union, and later became the founder and commander of the Red Army. However, many people feared Trotsky, especially those believing in collective leadership. They hated his snobbery, being brought up from an upper-class family. He was also widely disliked for being Jewish.
The other main candidate was Joseph Stalin, less obvious than Trotsky, and less popular for that reason, which worked nicely to his advantage. Stalin posed little threat to the public, being less well known than Trotsky. He was by no means from an upper class back round. He had merely worked his way from almost nothing, taking on jobs that no other politicians would want. Stalin was always well known for doing the unpopular jobs to become powerful. Despite being a possible candidate for leadership, Stalin had been loathed by Lenin, who thought he was extremely boring, describing him as the “grey man of the party.” Despite this description, Stalin was not in fact dull at all, but ruthless and determined.
The Politburo
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