Why did Stalin emerge as the sole leader of USSR by 1929?

One of the main reasons why Stalin emerged as sole leader was because of how he used pragmatism to manipulate Lenin’s opinion of him to suggest that he was the most favourable leader to carry on Marxism throughout Russia. This key event that secured Stalin’s public support was around the time of Lenin’s funeral. His role as general secretary gave him the ‘grey blur’ title because of his reputation of being invisible, focusing his time on important paperwork. When Lenin released his testament, Stalin used his reputation to change it, which had previously had influential and opinionated views on Stalin, and if seen by the public, would inevitably have changed the success of Stalin’s emergence to a failure at becoming leader.

Lenin’s real opinion of Stalin was highly negative. He was so concerned about Stalin becoming leader that he made a plea in his testament to do anything to stop this. ‘I suggest that the comrades think about a way of removing Stalin from that post and appointing another man in his stead.’ As well as his view to not see him as leader, Lenin described Stalin as ‘rude’, but more importantly, favored Trotsky to be his successor in the testament, stating that he was ‘most capable’ individual to lead Russia. If it wasn’t for Stalin using his role as secretary of state to keep this document hidden, these opinions of Lenin would have influenced the public hugely, as his death alone attracted millions of people to pay their respects. Stalin not only stopped a negative opinion of him costing leadership, but he completely turned that opinion upside down, persuading the public that he was very close to the much loved Lenin. He did this by changing photographs to show him and Lenin together in different circumstances, as well as removing Trotsky from them, trying to create a backlash towards him, labeling Trotsky ‘an enemy of the people.’ He manipulated Lenin’s opinions further at his funeral, showing up himself to pay his respects, but Trotsky was nowhere to be seen. This was because Stalin told Trotsky the wrong date of the funeral. By the time photographs had been tampered with, and the funeral had passed, Stalin has created a public opinion that Trotsky was no friend of Lenin, and after hiding Lenin’s testament, quickly showed that people, who were now without a leader, that Trotsky was no candidate, and that infect he was the man to carry on Lenin’s leadership in Russia, contributing massively to his emergence as leader.

As well as this, another reason why Stalin emerged as sole leader of USSR by 1929 was because of his work at ruining Trotsky’s reputation and removing the left winged Kamenev and Zinoviev by using them for his advantage before going against them. Firstly, in 1924 Kamenev, Zinoviev and Stalin leaded the party, presenting party policy at the congress. Trotsky criticized the party for becoming less democratic, but despite making brilliant speeches, he was easily defeated in the votes because the congress was packed with ‘well instructed Stalinist delegates’ as well the powerful blocs controlled by Kamenev and Zinoviev. With Trotsky weakened, Stalin turned to the problem of how to deal with the two other key figures, Kamenev and Zinoviev who he now saw as potential rivals, but despite Stalin’s determination to remove them, they created a trap for themselves. In 1925, Kamenev and Zinoviev, worried by the USSR’s economic backwardness, publicly stated that new economic policy had to be abandoned, for restrictions to be reimposed on the peasants and for enforced industrialisation, going against Stalin’s policies of ‘socialism of one country’, which seemed to fit in with NEP, Russia’s own route to socialism. Their viewpoint formed the basis of what was termed the ‘United opposition’ in which Trotsky joined in 1926 to form a strong opposition against Stalin. How he dealt with this attack was exemplary intelligence, using his control of the party machine, and the manipulation of Bukharin, combined with his support to outvote the bloc. Kamenev and Zinoviev were dismissed from their posts as soviet chairmen, and it was little surprise that soon afterwards, Trotsky was expelled from both the Politburo and the central committee. Stalin had killed 3 birds with one stone, his manipulation combined with his organised persona meant that he had completely out maneuvered them in the power struggle. Kamenev and Zinoviev had been used by Stalin, who worked with them and went against them to secure their downfalls and his uprising. This pragmatism that Stalin was using meant that he could get what he wanted and crush enemies in the process, leaving the main candidates for leadership of Russia fallen to their knees, giving Stalin a much easier journey to emerging as leader in 1929.

Furthermore, another contribution to Stalin becoming leader in 1929 was the removing of Bukharin and the right. In 1928, Stalin turned against the new economic policy and attacked the right wing of the party. He now advocated rapid industrialisation and the use of force to make the peasants co-operate, the very policies that the left had ironically smashed. Bukharin mounted a strong defence of the new economic policy but at the congress of 1929 found himself outvoted by Stalin’s supporters. The rights suffered from a number of weaknesses that Stalin was able to exploit. Bukharin and his colleagues wanted to remain good party men, and it was this sense of loyalty that weakened them in their attempts to oppose Stalin, fearful of creating ‘factionalism’ meaning that Bukharin didn’t want to create a minority within his own party in order to defeat Stalin. All this played into Stalin’s hands, since it was largely his supporters who were responsible for drafting and distributing party information, it was not difficult for Stalin to belittle the right as weak and irresponsible. Inevitably Bukharin and other right wing leaders were removed from the politburo. Once again Stalin had used pragmatism to defeat another leader, firstly arguing for them before going against them in order to defeat another candidate.

Overall, Stalin emerges as sole leader of Russia in 1929 because of the use of pragmatism in the way he changed his political beliefs to suit his benefit, and throughout his manipulation in gaining public support. Not only does he hide Lenin’s testament and overturn his opinion of him, he also overturns Trotsky’s reputation and ruins his appeal of becoming leader. But more importantly, the way Stalin uses powerful figures to his advantage is magnificent, with Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin all being shot in the foot by his cunning change in political opinion. By the time 1929 comes about, Stalin has almost wiped out all the candidates to succeed Lenin to leave himself standing solely as the next leader of Russia.