How Far Was Lenin Responsible for Stalin’s Rise to Power?

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On the other hand, there are factors that do not regard Lenin at all that enabled Stalin’s rise to power, namely Stalin’s concept of ‘Socialism in One Country’. This was a counter-notion to Trotsky’s belief in a ‘Permanent Revolution’. Trotsky believed that there should be a permanent continuous process in which rising tools place from country to country. He did not think individual nations were important and instead, the interests of the international working class should be paramount. Trotsky’s idea stemmed from the fact that he didn't believe the USSR could survive alone in the world. Stalin used Trotsky’s concept to portray him as someone damaging the Soviet Union, damaging his reputation further and simultaneously enhancing his own. Stalin advocated that the USSR had to modernise in order to defend itself against internal and external enemies. He proposed they overcome their present agricultural and industrial problems, and to build a modern state equal to any other nations. He also stressed that the survival of the USSR was an absolute priority, demonstrating his patriotism and loyalty to Communist Party, the people, and most importantly, Lenin. Stalin characterised Trotsky as an enemy of the USSR, causing him to become an isolated figure who threatened the security of the USSR, whereas Stalin was depicted as the opposite. causing him to gain support from the people. historians such as Isaac Deutscher remarked on how Stalin had a great ability to rally support and silence opponents whilst assuming the role of the great Russian patriot concerned to save the nation from the grave dangers threatened by it. Stalin’s idea of ‘Socialism in One Country’ both enhanced his position for leadership whilst weakening that of his greatest opponent. Stalin was supported and Trotsky was isolated. This was a result of the political skill of Stalin, and he is responsible for his rise to power through the concept of ‘Socialism in One Country’.

Additionally, Trotsky’s decreasing popularity enabled Stalin to rise to power. Kamanev and Zinoviev joined Stalin in an unofficial triumvirate within the Politburo. Their aim was to isolate Trotsky and accentuate his unpopularity, exploiting him to both the public, and the large sections of the Party. The new proletarian members of the party that joined with the ‘Lenin Enrolment’ took a liking to Stalin, as he was down-to-earth and he himself grew up a peasant too. The ‘Lenin Enrolment’ enabled him to weaken Trotsky as the people did not relate to the cultured man that he was. The attitude of the party members towards him played a significant role in weakening his position as his colleagues regarded him as dangerously ambitious whereas Stalin was seen as reliably self-effacing. This was because Trotsky was flamboyant whereas Stalin was unspectacular. He was also not trusted as a Bolshevik. As a previous Menshevik, suspicion rose about Trotsky’s loyalty to Bolshevism, causing people to not trust him. Stalin, on the other hand, had demonstrated undeniable loyalty to the party and was highly trusted. Trotsky’s weak character and unpopularity enabled Stalin to manipulate him into gaining support for himself. Trotsky was politically weakened and he was not supported by the people in the same way Stalin was. Both Trotsky’s unpopularity and Stalin’s tactical behaviour are therefore considered highly significant factors in Stalin’s rise to power.

In conclusion, Lenin was not wholly responsible for Stalin’s rise to power and in fact only played a small role in his later success. Although Lenin’s patronage put Stalin in a highly favourable position, gaining him increasing support, the circumstances that occurred after Lenin’s death were more significant than his work when Lenin was alive. Although it can be argued that this would not have been possible had Lenin not granted Stalin with the posts that he did, that isn’t to say that Stalin wouldn’t have found a way to rise to power himself.