High Stalinism: rivalries, the Party and the cult of personality

Rivalries

• During this period, Stalin created rivalries between the leading figures of the regime
• Stalin liked that people were in a permanent state of fear, as they were afraid of making him angry and afraid of others being closer to him than they were - it stopped people uniting against him

The Communist Party

• No Party Congresses were held between 1939 and 1952
• The Central Committee and Politburo met regularly, but Stalin often bypassed both to exert direct central authority
• The Politburo was reduced to an advisory body, waiting to be told what to do by Stalin 
• Big decisions were taken in ad hoc gatherings of Stalin's closest advisors
• Membership of the Party remained high; however, members…