reasons for the emergence of Stalin as leader of the USSR by the late 1920s Flashcards
Why was Stalin able to emerge as the leader of the USSR by the late 1920s?
Stalin’s emergence as the leader of the USSR by the late 1920s can be attributed to a range of factors, primarily his manipulation of the central organs of the party, his superiority as a political tactician and his ability to exploit policy to gain popular support.
How was his appointment as the General Secretary important to his acquirement of power?
His appointment to the role of General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1922 facilitated his jurisdiction over the the party’s organisation, allowing him to control membership to his own advantage.
How was his skill as a political tactician integral to his rise to power?
This skilful manipulation of the party machinery showcased his skill as a political tactician as it enabled opportunistic shifts in allegiance, to achieve his political goals.
How was Stalin able to employ popular policy in order to facilitate his emergence as the leader of the USSR?
His understanding of the potential of employing popular policy accrued him support from within the Party and the Russian citizens, solidifying his status as the leader of the USSR by the late 1920s.
TP - Party Organs (1)
Stalin’s appointment as General Secretary was integral to his attainment of power, as his control over the Orgburo and Politburo provided him with the power of patronage.
Party Organs (2) How did Stalin acquire the post of General Secretary? What skills of his did it demonstrate? How did the members of the Politburo view these roles? Provide one example of an alternate role he held.
• His appointment in various other bureaucratic roles culminated in his appointment as the General Secretary -> demonstrated his administrative skills and were roles that other members of the Politburo viewed as tedious (People’s Commissar for Nationalities etc)
Party Organs (3)
What was the outline of his role as the General Secretary ie. he supported the Party ____ and the world of the _____ and _____?
In 1922, around how many Party functionaries functioned under the secretariat?
How many leading political positions did he appoint per year?
• An administrative role supporting the Party secretariat and work of Politburo and Orgburo -> only individual in the Party in that position
o 1922 - between 200 000 and 400 000 Party functionaries functioning under secretariat
o appointed more than a thousand leading political positions each year
Party Organs (4)
How was his ability to manipulate the party organs exacerbated? Through the implementation of which system?
How many appointments and promotions of key positions did it centralise throughout the USSR?
How did he gain support from provincial leaders?
When did he implement Lenin’s Levy? Why? Where were the members sourced from? How many new members were manipulated into his support base? How were they manipulated?
• His ability to manipulate positions within the Party was exacerbated by the implementation of the nomenklatura system -> centralised appointments and promotions of over 4000 key positions throughout USSR
o desire for promotion from provincial leaders gained him support
o 1923-25 -> following criticisms of being elitist, implemented Lenin’s Enrolment (“Lenin’s Levy”), a measure to employ more members of the proletariat within the Party -> 240 000 new members who were easily manipulated into Stalin’s support base (lower education, easily impressionable)
Party Organs (5)
What process was overseen by the secretariat and enacted within the Party? How did this enable him to include and prevent individuals from being appointed?
• regular purges were enacted within the Party and the process was overseen by the secretariat
o enabled him to include and prevent individuals from being appointed -> assisted supporters, removed potential threats from supporters of political rivals
Party Organs (6)
How was he able to use Lenin’s band on factionalism? To what purpose in terms of ideology?
How did it quieten discontent against him? What happened to the Workers Truth and when? What happened to T, K, Z in 1927, and what did that mean for Stalin politically?
• His growing control over the Party allowed his use of Lenin’s Ban on Factionalism -> suppress opposing ideologies
o quietened discontent against him as could be accused of being anti-Leninist and factionalist -> expulsion of Workers’ Truth in December 1923
o Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev in 1927 -> prominent political opponents removed -> clear path to leadership
