The key to Stalin's power was his position as General Secretary - he was able to fill party positions with his supporters
He also dealt with the day-to-day running of the party.
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Lenin's Last Will
Lenin opposed Stalin's extension of power but Stalin was helped by general dislike of Trotsky by other party members
Lenin never specified who he wanted to take over as leader of the party when he died.
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Stalin sided with the Right over the New Economic
Few members of the party felt that the New Economic Policy (hereafter this will be referred ot as NEP) was a permanant solution
Unexpected industrial growth in 1924-5 persuaded the Lefts that the NEP could be ditched more quickly
However, abandonment of the NEP could have been seen as betrayal, of Lenin's work and legacy
Trotsky was calling for a Permanant Revolution, whereas Stalin argued for Socialism in One Country - this was little more than a debate over priorities, rather than irreconcilable divisions
The party supported Stalin over Trotsky though.
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Triumph of "Socialism in One Country"
Having gotten rid of Left (those expelled from the Politburo were replaced by his men) he now turned on the Right
The NEP was to go, as it did not fit in with Stalin's new policy
In 1928, Stalin introduced the Five Year Plans to bring Russia up to the economic level of Western powers within ten years.
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Authority cemented by economic policies
Centralised control was very much a feature of "Socialism in One Country"
This, in turn, strengthened Stalin's grip on power.
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The Cult of Personality - Importance of propaganda
After his death, Lenin was raised to an almost God-like status, and Stalin was trying hard to show the people that he was Lenin's heir
Posters, paintings and films were used to project the image as kindly "Little Father"
These photos were heavily edited to improve chances of Stalin's popularity, by altering his face (as he had a pock-marked face) and men like Trotsky were removed from the pictures.
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The Purges
There was growing criticism from older Bolsheviks, concerning Stalin's economic policies and from 1933, Nazi Germany was a growing threat
The Death of Sergey Kirov (possibly an assassination under orders from Stalin) in 1934 gave Stalin an excuse for this
From 1934, various groups were targeted - old Bolsheviks, any party member who could have been seen as a rival, Army officers, and thousands of ordinary citizens
Initially, around one million people were executed, and a further ten million sent to Gulags (forced labour camps)
Estimates put the total deaths at nearly twenty million, with a further thirty million deported.
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