The following were three reasons for Stalin's victory in the leadership contest:

His position as Secretary-General
His percieved closeness to Lenin
Weaknesses of his rivals

Which was most decisive? Explain your answer. [13]


Introduction:
In 1924, Lenin died, leaving the communist party seeking a new leader. For the next couple of years, there was a power struggle to be the next leader of the USSR, which was eventually won by Stalin.

Main Body:
Firstly, as Secretary-General of the Communist Party, Stalin had the power to give out many jobs in the Communist Party. This gave the opportunity to Stalin to distribute the important posts to those whom he trusted and those who supported him. As the Secretary-General, he was even able to suppress unfavouable information, such as Lenin's notes to recommend Stalin's removal as Secret-General. As Secretary-General, he also managed to build up his power base within the Communist Party, as he was situated in Moscow most of the time.

Another reason that explained Stalin's victory in the leadership contest was his perceived closeness to Lenin. During Lenin's funeral, he was the chief mourner. This gave him the opportunity to demonstrate how close he was to Lenin. On many occasions, he doctored photos and pictures to portray himself as working closely with Lenin. For instance, there were paintings showing him supporting Lenin during the October Revolution, even though he was actually not involved at all. All these actions convinced many party members that Stalin should be Lenin's successor.

The weaknesses of Stalin's rivals also contributed to Stalin's victory. Trotsky's background was a burden to him, as he was not a Bolshevik originally, a fact that was fully exploited by Stalin. Trotsky's absence from Lenin's funeral created a negative image of him, who was perceived as arrogant and disrespectful. His main power base was the Red Army and the youths, which did not allow him to build up his support in the Communist Party, which made all the key decisions in the USSR. As such, it was not difficult for Stalin to oust him from the leadership contest. As for Zinoviev and Kaminev, they underestimated Stalin and failed to see how ruthless Stalin could be. Thus, they could never really challenge Stalin in the leadership contest. By the 1930s, both of them were purged. With all rivals removed, Stalin became the undisputed leader of the party.