Stalin's Rise to Power

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History Mind Map on Stalin's Rise to Power, created by Kate Villaflor on 28/09/2014.
Kate Villaflor
Mind Map by Kate Villaflor, updated more than 1 year ago
Kate Villaflor
Created by Kate Villaflor about 10 years ago
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Resource summary

Stalin's Rise to Power
  1. Non-disclosure of Lenin's statement
    1. When Lenin suffered a stroke in 1922, Stalin visited him often and acted as his connection to the rest of the world.
      1. They often quarelled and Lenin became suspicious of Stalin's character. He made it clear in his statement to remove Stalin as Secretary-General of the communist party.
        1. Party decided to ignore Lenin's warning , as Lenin had criticised all of them
          1. Stalin retained his position as Secretary General and used it to great effect during his rise to power.
            1. Established Troika alliance with Kamanev and Zinoviev against Trotsky.
    2. Trotsky's unpopularity in the Politburo
      1. Trotsky was Stalin's strongest competitors: he was seen as Lenin's right-hand man..
        1. The support of the Red Army gave Trotsky a great deal of power and he was seen as the biggest threat by others in the Politburo.
          1. Troika alliance aimed to remove Trotsky from power by discrediting him.
            1. Trotsky seen as disloyal to Lenin and to the Party's decisions. Eg. Trotsky criticised Lenin's New Economic Policy and the increasing control of the Party by the Politburo and Central Executive Committee.
              1. Stalin cleverly made it seem like Trotsky was moving away from the Party's decisions and ideas. Trotsky's credibility within the Party was thus affected.
                1. Trotsky was unable to make his own supporters as he fell very ill, thus unable to deal with Party politics as the other members of the Party excluded him from decision-making and undermined his position within the Party.
      2. Stalin's Manipulations
        1. Pretended to have been close to Lenin
          1. Stalin cleverly made it seem like he was close to Lenin, apart from his frequent visits that Stalin made to Lenin
            1. Gave the public and Party members the impression that Lenin had favoured and trusted Stalin.
              1. Stalin organised Lenin's funeral,making it a grand affair. Ordered Lenin's body to be embalmed and displayed in a mausoleum in the Red Square in Moscow.
                1. Stalin gave the funeral speech and made himself the Chief Mourner, showing himself deeply sorrowful over the loss of Lenin.
                  1. Stalin kept Trotsky from attending Lenin's funeral by giving him the wrong date. To the people, it looked like Stalin was the natural successor of Lenin.
          2. Control over Party organisation
            1. Stalin was made Secretary General of the Party in 1922
              1. Gave Stalin the authority to apppoint and re-assign Party Members. He was thus able to replace allies of his opponents , esp Trotsky , with his own allies.
                1. Stalin also gained control of Cheka.
                  1. Thus, Trotsky's support base shrank. With his reputation destroyed, his ideas discredited and his lack of support within the Party, Trotsky was forced to resign as the head of the Red Army in 1925. Stalin had Trotsky expelled from the Party in 1927.
                    1. Trotsky continued to criticise Stalin through writings that criticised Stalin's control over the Party, his policies and supporters. Stalin thus had Trotsky assassinated in 1940 while he was staying in exile in Mexico.
            2. Exploitation of ideological divisions.
              1. Party was divided between the moderates and the Radicals
                1. Moderates followed Lenin's leadership and ideology closely
                  1. Radicals formed new ideas and challenged the system
                    1. To eliminate his opponents, Stalin took advantage of the ideological divisions in the Party , allying himself with both sides at different times
                      1. Step 1: Expelled Trotsky
                        1. Allied himself with the moderates of the Politburo, who saw Trotsky as a radical. Caused Trotsky to be expelled.
                        2. Step 2: Isolated Kamenev and Zinoviev
                          1. Broke Troika Alliance. Convinced the moderates that Kamenev and Zinoviev were plotting with Trotsky to overthrow the Government. Kameve and Zinoviev discredited and isolated.
                          2. Step 3: Attacked Bukharin and Rykov
                            1. Switched over to win support of Radicals
                              1. Bukharin and Rykov who were moderates , opposed Stalin's measures for Rapid Industrialisation and central control of the economy.
                                1. Rest of Politburo sided with Stalin and removed Bukharin from Politburo in 1929.
                                  1. Rykov removed from the position of Premier in 1930.
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