Personalities and powerbases of contenders in the power struggle

- ''no better Communist''

- ''the most able man in the present Central Committee''

- ''too far-reaching self-confidence''

- Member of the Politburo

- Head of Red Army so earned respect of younger members, older members were jealous of attention he received

- Offered position of Deputy of the Chair of the Sovnarkrom in 1922 but refused

- Had ''concentrated an enormous power in his hand'' and did not always use it wisely

- Lenin thought that someone more tolerable, loyal, polite and considerate was needed, so Stalin should be removed from Party

- One of the ''most able'' in Central Committee

- Head of Secretariat so responsible for interpreting and implementing Politburo decisions

- Head of Central Control Commission, power to discipline members of Party and expel if necessary

- Comissar for Nationalities so responsible for over-seeing the affairs of all non-Russians in the USSR and communication with senior officials

- ''the favourite of the whole Party''

- ''the most able force among the youngest''

- ''his theoretical views can only wit the very greatest doubt be regarded as fully Marxist''

- Unofficial role of Party theorist

- Wrote 'The ABC of Communism' which is often seen as the Communism handbook

- From 1917 he was the editor of Pravda and Communist which are the two most important Communism newspapers

- Responsible for all city newspapers so could deny opposition access to the press

- Responsible for Communist educational academies

- Did not serve on Lenin's Sovnarkom

- Lenin remembered Zinoviev's disloyalty and lack of vision

- ''i will only remind you that the October episode of Zinoviev (and Kamenev) was not, of course, accidental''

- Head of Comintern, boosted his status and authority within Party

- Head of local Party branch in Petrograd

- Did not serve on Lenin's Sovnarkom

- ''i will only remind you that the October episode of (Zinoviev and) Kamenev was not, of course, accidental''

- Head of local Party branch in Moscow but was a poor administrator so failed to earn respect of Moscow Party

- After Lenin's death, became Chairman of the Central Committee which was a potentially influential role as the CC elected members of Politburo

- Initially served as Deputy Chair of the Sovnarkom

- Acting Chair of the Sovnarkom during Lenin's illness