Assignment on Russia & the Soviet Union 1917–1941

Resource Description

To what extent does Stalin’s domination of the party structure account for his ultimate success in the post-Lenin struggle for power? Intro: The party’s highly bureaucratic and centralised structure was crucial in providing the ideal mechanisms for Stalin to succeed in the post-Lenin struggle for power, enabling him to gain substantial control through accumulating a range of bureaucratic powers which would allow him to dominate intra-party conflicts. However, the role of Stalin’s favourability in contrast to that of Trotsky cannot be discredited as a considerable contributing factor in heightening the ease with which Stalin was able to outflank his party colleagues and emerge as party leader by 1929.