Joseph Stalin, a Georgian revolutionary, led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953, consolidating power to become a dictator after initially governing with a collective leadership. His ideology, known as stalinism, was tied to the doctrine of 'socialism in one country,' which justified industrialization and collectivization while appealing to Russian nationalism. Stalin's rise to power involved a complex series of strategic maneuvers, leveraging his position as general secretary and the party's structures, amidst a rivalry with Leon Trotsky following Lenin's death.

1. SOVIET CONTROL
EASTERN EUROPE
JOSEPH STALIN

2. Bibliography – Cambridge Approved
• Allan Todd. The European Dictatorships. Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini (2002).
• Allsopp John. Challenge and Response (1980).
• Andrew Heywood. Politics (1997).
• Ben Walsh. Modern World History (2001).
• Colin Pearce. Representations of 20th Century History (1995).
• John Martell. The Twentieth-Century World (1980).
• Philip Ingram. Russia and the USSR, 1905-1991 (1997).
• Ralph Levering. Debating the Origins of the Cold War. American and Russian Perspectives
(2001).
• Robert Gellately. Lenin, Stalin and Hitler (2008).
• Tony McAleavy. Twentieth Century History. International Relations Since 1919 (2002).
• Steve Phillips. Lenin and the Russian Revolution (2000).

3. Stalin Biography
Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUlwALrh0Ak&ab_channel=TheLifeGuide

4. Stalin
• Stalin was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who
led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953.
• He held power as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the
Soviet Union (1922–1952) and Chairman of the Council of Ministers
of the Soviet Union (1941–1953).
• Initially governing the country as part of a collective leadership, he
consolidated power to become a dictator by the 1930’s.

5. The Man of Steel
• Stalin’s adopted name translates in “man of steel”.
• He was born in Georgia in 1879 and he was the son of a shoemaker.
• He was expelled from the seminary (he wanted to become a priest)
for revolutionary activities.
• He joined the Bolsheviks in 1903.
• Bolsheviks were the radical communists, while Mensheviks were
the moderate one.
• He became the general secretary of the Communist Party in 1922.
• He won the struggle for power with Trotsky, after Lenin’s death.
• He established a brutal totalitarian dictatorship that was supported
by an elaborate cult of personality.

6. Socialism in One Country
• Stalin’s ideological heritage is linked to the doctrine of “Socialism in
One Country”.
• This doctrine justified industrialization and collectivization in terms
of the need to resist capitalist encirclement and the need to
eliminate the KULAKS (rich peasants) as a class.
• Stalin appealed to Russian nationalism.
• The doctrine

7. Stalin’s Ideology
• Ideologically Stalin was a firm believer of Leninist interpretation of
Marxism.
• His own policies are called Stalinism.

8. Trotsky and the Revolution
• Lenin died of a stroke in 1924.
• The battle for succession was
fierce.
• Trotsky was Lenin’s favourite to be
elected as the new leader.
• Trotsky’s role in the 1917
revolution was instrumental. He
was the military mastermind
behind the Bolshevik success.
• He was a powerful speaker, a
talented writer and a highly
original thinker.
• He was the “darling” of the Russian
Communist Party.

9. Stalin and the Revolution
• Stalin played an obscure part in the
Revolution.
• In 1922 he was elected to the position of
General Secretary of the Communist Party.
• This entitled him to be part of the
Politburo.
• Stalin was an excellent administrator, but
he had no charisma.
• He inspired no one and he was called by
his colleagues “Comrade Filling-Card” or
the “Grey Blur”.
A photo-montage, made in 1920, of the leaders
of the revolution. Lenin and Trotsky appear
together in the centre of the picture. Stalin’s
photo has not been included.

10. Stalin and his 8 Steps to Power
• Stalin’s rise to power
was difficult to
explain.
• There was a complex
series of events that
favoured him to
manoeuver for power.
• There are 8 identified
factors that can
explain Stalin’s rise to
power.

11. Step 1: Differences in Personality
• Stalin’s personality was
better suited to the
situation in which the party
leadership found itself after
1924.
• He was a very good
administrator.
• All his rivals were easily
fooled by Stalin: Trotsky,
Kamenev, Zinoviev, Tomsky
and Bukharin.
• Relationships were
especially difficult between
Stalin and Trotsky.
Trotsky (left) and Stalin (right)

12. Step 2: The Situation in 1924
• After Lenin’s death, there was a lot of
confusion and uncertainty.
• Stalin’s advantage was that he had
control over the party structures, as
the General Secretary.

13. Step 3: Stalin’s Position in the Party
• Stalin was able to
influence the
outcome of the
debates because of
his powerful position
as General Secretary.
• In this capacity he
was able to ensure
his supporters were
appointed to key
posts within the
party and could then
outvote his rivals.

14. Step 4: Structural Changes in the Party
• Stalin’s supervision
of the “Lenin
Enrolment” worked
to his advantage.
• Stalin increased the
number of workers
in the party.
• The new members
were poorly
educated and naïve.
• They saw loyalty to
the General
Secretary as a great
step in securing
privileges.

15. Step 5: Lenin’s Funeral
• This event provided
a huge opportunity
for Stalin to ride on
the wave of popular
enthusiasm for Lenin
and his
achievements.
• Stalin was the chief
mourner.
• Trotsky was absent.

16. Step 6: The “Lenin Legacy”
• Stalin was able to manoeuvre himself into a
position as the person most likely to
continue the work of Lenin’s legacy.
• This was to be a very powerful position
given the cult of hero worship that had
developed so quickly around Lenin.

17. Step 7: Trotsky’s Attack on the Party
• Trotsky’s criticism of the
growing power of the
bureaucracy were valid but
they were unpopular with
those party members who
saw their newfound
privileges and status
threatened.
• This highlighted Trotsky’s
lack of popularity and
support within the party and
contrasted with Stalin’s
position as head of
bureaucracy.

18. Step 8: Differences Over Ideology
• Stalin was to defeat
both the left and the
right of the Party
during the 1920’s
over ideological
issues.
• The importance of
ideological
differences
compared to
personality
differences was
confusing because
they were so closely
related.

19. Readings
Stalin vs Trotsky: The Soviet Union at a Crossroads
Link: https://www.thecollector.com/leon-trotsky-joseph-
stalin/
Stalin’s Soviet Dictatorship. Reading to be printed.
Source: John Martell, The Twentieth-Century World (1980).