Group+8-+Power+Struggle+for+Leadership

** Lenin’s Death **
=== Vladimir Ll’ich Lenin, Russian revolutionary and communist who’s biggest political movement was spearheading the October Revolution of 1917. Lenin was with the Soviet state throughout its most important years, while it struggled to establish control of Russia as well as a socialist economic system. After many years of loyal service and aid towards Russia Lenin was finally taken down on January 21st 1924, by illness and complications from 3 strokes. Before Lenin died he wrote a letter that he intended to be read out at the XII Party Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, however when Lenin’s health seemed to be getting worse, his wife decided to keep the letter secret until after his death. The letter included criticism on how the government has been run and who he thinks should be its next leader. This testament would lead to the biggest power struggle Russia had ever seen. === === After 44 years of life, most of those devoted to helping the Soviet state, Vladimir ll’ich Lenin, passed away on January 21st, 1924. In the few years before his death, Lenin’s illness had been on an uproar. He suffered from insomnia, headaches, speech impairments, memory loss and many other symptoms that drove those closest to him to believe something was seriously wrong. Lenin had been through three strokes that later on forced him to surrender his life due to complications. His death was not only a shocking blow to the Soviet state but the beginning of a cult like behavior towards the deceased leader. When Lenin first passed the Soviet state was at a block as to how to react to death. Inspired by loyalty and adoration as well as the political desire to group together the people of a state around a political symbol, The Soviet state had decided to create a “shrine” typed monument for Lenin. His body would be placed on display for the whole Soviet state to see. It would be called Lenin’s Mausoleum. The deceased leader’s corps would be embalmed then placed in a sarcophagus then placed in a cubed structure made of glass and red granite. The cube mausoleum would be placed in a pyramid type building on Red square for the publics viewing. This was main piece of the puzzle that would be the cult like following towards the leaders after life. Every year on the anniversary of the October Revolution strong military and government leaders would all assemble at the Mausoleum as parades would pass by. Lenin’s name and face would crowd any media outlet In Russia for years to come. === === After Lenin’s death, the letter he wrote was handed over to the Communist Party Central Committee Secretariat. When it was read out at the XII party congress, if was understood what Lenin thought of the present Soviet government and what he wanted for the future. This included but was not limited to; increasing the size of the Party’s Central Committee, giving the State Planning Committee legislative powers and changing the national policies which Stalin had enabled. Lenin had strong opinions towards the leaders and main political players in the Soviet government including Trotsky and Stalin. His comments of Stalin becoming Secretary-General had Lenin worried and wondering if Stalin could handle all that authority and if he would make decisions with enough caution. However his views on Trotsky were far more optimistic. “Comrade Trotsky, on the other hand, as his struggle against the C.C. on the question of the People's Commissariat of Communications has already proved, is distinguished not only by outstanding ability. He is personally perhaps the most capable man in the present C.C., but he has displayed excessive self-assurance and shown excessive preoccupation with the purely administrative side of the work.” All in all Lenin’s main opinion was that Stalin would be given more authority then he could deal with and that he should be removed as Secretary-General. With Lenin’s widowed wife insisting of the use of her late husband’s choices, and the fact that Lenin had just passed away the Soviet state was faced with a difficult decision. In the end the document was not taken into full account and Stalin kept his position as Secretary-General. Looking onto Russia’s history after Lenin’s death and the testament being a key player, it is inevitable one will wonder how different its history could have been if the testament had been followed. Both leaders having different types of leadership would have greatly affected the events that would occur throughout the years. If Trotsky had been the successor of Lenin, he would led towards a more international approach to communism, he believed in more of a world wide communism that relies on other countries to survive. In contrast to Stalin, who believed communism could be achieved without the support and conformity of their government. ===

[[image:stalin.jpg width="157" height="148"]] ** Rise of Stalin **
=== Joseph Stalin was a member of the Bolshevik Party created after the Social Democratic Labour Party split into two factions, Vladimir Lenin’s Bolshevik Party and Julius Martov’s Menshevik Party. Stalin became one of Lenin’s trusted allies in the Bolshevik Party and quickly rose up to high power, being appointed Commissar of Nationalities. Stalin’s view that one country could achieve socialism successfully contradicted the high-rising intelligent Leon Trotsky’s view that foreign powers must achieve socialism as well in order to create an international socialist world. Stalin used manipulation and political maneuvers to edge out Trotsky for political positions. === === After Lenin’s stroke left him debilitated and weak, Stalin began edging out Lenin’s wills and his contact with the Bolsheviks. Many believed Trotsky would become the leader of the Bolsheviks and be Lenin’s successor, but Stalin showed his determination and aggressive political decisions would prevent Trotsky from leadership and help him rise to power. His authority as General Secretary was used and exercised to eliminate political competition. Supporters of Trotsky were ridden from the party, while supporters of Stalin were given important positions in government. Lenin and Stalin fought over the future of the party until Lenin had enough and wrote to Trotsky for help. Stalin was furious that the letter was sent as he had tried to isolate Lenin and prevent him from communicating to other party members, especially Trotsky. === === Lenin’s Testament was sent out, as his final wishes, suggesting Stalin be removed from his post as General Secretary. Before the testament could gain any ground or be recognized, Lenin died. Stalin made it so reading the testament and agreeing with it would be anti-government and a crime. His political doings helped him create a safe bubble of power around him, never letting any person hold an amount of power that could compromise his leadership. Stalin aligned himself with Gregory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev to prevent Trotsky’s ascent to power and to keep Lenin’s Testament secret and undisclosed. === === In 1925, Stalin had Trotsky removed from government. Once his goal of fending off Trotsky’s political advances was met, Stalin turned on Zinoviev and Kamenev. They had sided with Trotsky with their belief that international communist revolutions must occur in order for the USSR to prosper. Zinoviev and Kamenev were forced to sign agreements that said they would not disrupt government any more. When Trotsky refused to sign, he was exiled to Kazahkstan in January of 1928 and from The Soviet Union altogether in February of 1929. === === With Zinoviev and Kamenev still arguing Stalin’s policies and backing up Trotsky, Stalin had them removed from the Central Committee. Stalin continued to use political influence, negative slander, and brute force to ensure a stable leadership. === === Stalin’s leadership style wasn’t the strongest politically or diplomatically, but he used political maneuvers and exercised his control to strangle his commands out of his opponents and the government. Trotsky’s leadership was more diplomatic and reasonable for Russia, yet Stalin’s ruthless tactics and harsh betrayals overpowered Trotsky’s defenses. Trotsky would have been a better leader for Russia and led them to a more true form of communism, but Stalin’s leadership style was better for gaining control of government and forcing out potential threats of his power. Trotsky was devoted to politics while Stalin was consumed by power. ===

__Who is Leon Trotsky?__
=== His name at birth was actually Lev Davidovich Bronstein, and would change to Leon Trotsky in 1902 as he escaped from a Siberia prison. Leon Trotsky was born in Yanovka, Russia, on November 7th, 1879. He was a key figure in the creation of the Soviet Union but later was unseated and expelled by Joseph Stalin. In his younger days, Trotsky became a disciple of Karl Marx and a friend of future Bolshevik leader V.I. Lenin. A powerful writer and political thinker, Trotsky used his pen to oppose the rule of Czar Nicholas II and so spent much of his adult life in prison or in foreign exile, writing for communist newspapers and journals. During the Russian Revolution, Trotsky would become Lenin’s right hand man, became commissar of war (1918-1925) and organized the victorious Red Army in the civil war that followed. After the formation of the Soviet Union, Trotsky lost out in the power struggle to Stalin as Lenin passed away in 1924. ===

__Trotsky’s Childhood__
=== Lev Davidovich Bronstein was the fifth child and also the favourite of the farmer David Leontyevich Bronstein (1847-1922) and his wife, Anna Bronstein (1850-1910). The family was Jewish, although not religious. The languages spoken in his home were Russian and Ukrainian instead of Yiddish. When Trotsky turned nine, his father sent him to Odessa to be educated and he was enrolled in a historically German school, which became under the control of Russia during his past years in Odessa. This environment Trotsky grew up in was suppose to contribute to the development of the young man’s international outlook. ===

**__Revolution Activity and First Exile__**
=== Trotsky became involved in revolutionary activities in 1896 after moving to Nikolayev, now known as Mykolaiv. He was first a narodink, revolutionary populist, as he helped organize the South Russian Workers’ Union in Nikolayev in the early 1897 instead of pursing a mathematical degree. Using the name Lvov he wrote and printed leaflets and proclamations, distributed revolutionary pamphlets and popularized socialist ideas among industrial workers and revolutionary students. In January 1898, over 200 members of the union, including Trotsky, were arrested, and he spent the next two years in prison waiting for his trial. While in prison, he married a Marxist, Aleksandra Sokolovskaya. Trotsky began to become a Marxist as well, before he was opposed to this idea. During his years in prison, he studied philosophy and in 1900, he was sentenced to 4 years in exile in Ust-Kut and Vekholensk. In Siberia, Trotsky became aware of the differences within the party, which had been decimated by arrests in 1898 and 1899. Some social democrats known as "economists" argued that the party should focus on helping industrial workers improve their life. Others argued that overthrowing the monarchy was more important and that a well organized and disciplined revolutionary party was essential. The latter were led by the London-based newspaper Iskra, or in English, Spark, which was founded in 1900. Trotsky quickly sided with the Iskra position. ===

__United Opposition__
=== During a downtime in the intra-party fighting in the spring of 1926, Zinoviev, Kamenev and their supporters in the “New Opposition” approached closer to Trotsky’s supporters and the two groups soon formed an alliance. This group became known as the United Opposition. The United Opposition was continuously threatened with sanctions by the Stalinst leadership of the Communist Party and Trotsky had to agree to tactical retreats. The opposition remained united against Stalin throughout 1926 and 1927. The methods used by the Stalinists against the Opposition became more and more extreme. At the XVth Party Conference in October 1926, Trotsky could barely speak because of interruptions and at the end of the Conference he lost his Politburo seat. In 1927 Stalin started using the GPU (Soviet secret police) to infiltrate and discredit the opposition. Rank and file oppositionists were increasingly harassed, sometimes expelled from the Party and even arrested. ===

__Defeat__
=== In October 1927, Trotsky and Zinoviev were expelled from the Central Committee. When the United Opposition tried to organize independent demonstrations commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Bolshevik seizure of power in November 1927, the demonstrators were dissolved by force and Trotsky and Zinoviev were expelled from the Communist Party on 12 November. Their leading supporters were expelled in December 1927 by the XVth Party Congress, which opened the way for mass expulsions of rank and file oppositionists as well as internal exile of opposition leaders in early 1928. When the XVth Party Congress made Opposition views incompatible with the membership in the Communist Party, Zinoviev, Kamenev and their supporters gave in and renounced their alliance with the Left Opposition. However, Trotsky and most of his followers refused to surrender and stayed. Trotsky was exiled to Alma Ata, Kazakhstan on 31 January 1928. He was expelled from the Soviet Union to Turkey in February 1929. After Trotsky's expulsion from the country, exiled Trotskyists began to be undeceived and, between 1929 and 1934, most of the leading members of the Opposition surrendered to Stalin, "admitted their mistakes" and were reinstated in the Communist Party. Christian Rakovsky, who served as an inspiration for Trotsky between 1929 and 1934 while he was in Siberian exile, was the last prominent Trotskyist to give up. Almost all of them perished in the Great Purges just a few years later. ===

**__Second Exile (1929-1940)__**
=== Trotsky was deported from the Soviet Union in February 1929. His first station in exile was at Büyükada, Turkey where he stayed for the next four years. There were many former White Army officers in Istanbul, off the coast Büyükada, of which put Trotsky's life in danger. Thankfully, a number of Trotsky's European supporters volunteered to serve as bodyguards and assured his safety. In 1933, Prime Minister Édouard Daladier offered Trotsky refuge in France. He stayed first at Royan, then at Barbizon as he was not allowed to visit Paris. In 1935, he was no longer welcomed in France. After thinking of different alternatives, he moved to Norway. Having obtained permission to enter the country, Trotsky became a guest of Konrad Knudsen near Oslo. After two years – allegedly under influence from the Soviet Union – he was put under house arrest. His transfer to Mexico on a freighter was arranged after consultations with Norwegian officials. Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas welcomed him warmly, even arranging for a special train to bring him to Mexico City. Trotsky lived in the Coyoacán area of Mexico City at the home (The Blue House) of the painter Diego Rivera and Rivera's wife and fellow painter, Frida Kahlo (with whom he had an affair). His final move was a few blocks away to a residence on Avenida Viena in May 1939. He remained a prolific writer in exile, writing several key works, including his History of the Russian Revolution (1930) and The Revolution Betrayed (1936). Trotsky argued that the Soviet state had become a “degenerated workers' state” controlled by an undemocratic bureaucracy, which would eventually either be overthrown via a political revolution establishing workers' democracy, or degenerate into a capitalist class. While in Mexico, Trotsky also worked closely with James P. Cannon, Joseph Hansen, and Farrell Dobbs of the Socialist Workers Party of the United States. === === In August 1936, the first Moscow show trial was staged in front of an international audience. During the trial, Zinoviev, Kamenev and 14 other accused, most of them prominent Old Bolsheviks, confessed to having plotted with Trotsky to kill Stalin and other members of the Soviet leadership. The court found everybody guilty and sentenced the defendants to death. The second show trial of Karl Radek, Grigory Sokolnikov, Yuri Pyatakov and 14 others took place in January 1937, with even more alleged conspiracies and crimes linked to Trotsky. In April 1937, an independent "Commission of Inquiry" into the charges made against Trotsky and others at the Moscow Trials was held in Coyoacán. The findings were published in the book Not Guilty. === === At first Trotsky was opposed to the idea of establishing parallel Communist parties or a parallel international Communist organization, which would compete with the Third International, for fear of splitting the Communist movement. However, he changed his mind in mid 1933 after the Nazi takeover in Germany and the Comintern's response to it. He proclaimed that “An organization which was not roused by the thunder of fascism and which submits docilely to such outrageous acts of the bureaucracy demonstrates thereby that it is dead and that nothing can ever revive it.” In 1938, Trotsky and his supporters founded the Fourth International, which was intended to be a revolutionary and internationalist alternative to the Stalinist Comintern. === === After an argument with Diego Rivera, Trotsky moved to his final residence on Avenida Viena. As he aged, he became ill, suffered from high blood pressure, and feared that he would suffer a cerebral hemorrhage. He even prepared himself for the possibility of ending his life through suicide. On 27 February 1940, Trotsky wrote a document known as "Trotsky's Testament", in which he expressed his final thoughts and feelings for future generations. After forcefully denying Stalin's accusations that he had betrayed the working class, he thanked his friends, and above all his wife and dear companion, Natalia Sedova, for their loyal support: === === //"In addition to the happiness of being a fighter for the cause of socialism, fate gave me the happiness of being her husband. During the almost forty years of our life together she remained an inexhaustible source of love, magnanimity, and tenderness. She underwent great sufferings, especially in the last period of our lives. But I find some comfort in the fact that she also knew days of happiness. For forty-three years of my conscious life I have remained a revolutionist; for forty-two of them I have fought under the banner of Marxism. If I had to begin all over again I would of course try to avoid this or that mistake, but the main course of my life would remain unchanged. I shall die a proletarian revolutionist, a Marxist, a dialectical materialist, and, consequently, an irreconcilable atheist. My faith in the communist future of mankind is not less ardent, indeed it is firmer today, than it was in the days of my youth. Natasha has just come up to the window from the courtyard and opened it wider so that the air may enter more freely into my room. I can see the bright green strip of grass beneath the wall, and the clear blue sky above the wall, and sunlight everywhere. Life is beautiful. Let the future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full."// L. Trotsky ===

__Assassination__
=== On 24 May 1940, Trotsky survived a raid on his home by Stalinist assassins led by GPU agent Iosif Grigulevich, Mexican painter and Stalinist David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Vittorio Vidale. In this attack a young assistant and bodyguard of Trotsky, Robert Sheldon Harte, was abducted and later murdered. On 20 August 1940, an undercover NKVD agent, Ramón Mercader, attacked Trotsky in his home in Mexico with an ice axe. The blow was poorly delivered and failed to kill Trotsky instantly, as Mercader had intended. Witnesses stated that Trotsky spat on Mercader and began struggling fiercely with him. Hearing the commotion, Trotsky's bodyguards burst into the room and nearly killed Mercader, but Trotsky stopped them, stating that the assassin should survive to answer questions. Trotsky was taken to a hospital, operated on, and survived for more than a day, dying at the age of 60 on 21 August 1940 as a result of severe brain damage. Mercader later testified at his trial: === ===// "I laid my raincoat on the table in such a way as to be able to remove the ice axe that was in the pocket. I decided not to miss the wonderful opportunity that presented itself. The moment Trotsky began reading the article, he gave me my chance; I took out the ice axe from the raincoat, gripped it in my hand and, with my eyes closed, dealt him a terrible blow on the head." //=== === According to James P. Cannon, the secretary of the Socialist Workers Party (USA), Trotsky's last words were "I will not survive this attack. Stalin has finally accomplished the task he attempted unsuccessfully before.” ===

Summing up the Power Struggle
=== Before Lenin died, already there were two contenders for his place, Leon Trotsky and the Joseph Stalin. The most obvious choice would have been Trotsky, with his quick mind and intelligent speeches. His military skill during the civil war had gained him a lot of support as well. Stalin on the other hand, had been quite an insignificant figure during that time, being only the editor of the propaganda newspaper Pravda. He did, however, make many wise moves, by getting to know the more powerful and influential people in the party. === === The sick Lenin knew he was dying soon. After suffering two strokes, it was time to decide on a new leader for the country. He had more faith in Trotsky than in Stalin, describing Stalin's motives as evil, and wanting Trotsky to carry on his legacy. He wrote a letter saying that Trotsky should be named as his successor, while Stalin should be gotten rid of. Stalin naturally hid this letter from the parliament to protect him, but feared that Trotsky might show it to them at the next meeting, where he would be powerless to stop him. Luckily, Trotsky did not have enough time and Stalin's position was consolidated. === === In the meantime, the power struggle was still going on between Trotsky and Stalin. Trotsky was gathering a lot of support with his fluent and brilliant speeches while Stalin was scheming plots to defeat his opponents and bring himself to power. Trotsky was succeeding with his ability to lead, while Stalin's public appearances were strong but not as lasting. Trotsky was skilled in the areas of theories and policies, while Stalin was clearly lacking in these areas. Trotsky seemed to be heading towards an undeniable victory. However, things started to change. Stalin teamed up with Politburo members Kamenev and Zinoviev. They began to slam Trotsky, picking up all minor faults of his and digging up his past. They emphasized clearly on his Menshevik past and how he was but a newcomer to the party. ===

Bibliography:

 * Lenin’s death Bibliography **


 * Kubilius, Kerry . "Lenin's Death: The Final Years of this Soviet Leader Were Marked with Illness." //Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers' Network//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. .


 * "SparkNotes: Vladimir Lenin: Timeline." //SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides//. spark notes, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. .


 * "Lenin Mausoleum on Red Square in Moscow." //Moscow.Info - Complete travel guide featuring tourist and business information for Moscow, Russia.//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. .


 * "Vladimir Lenin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. .


 * Stalin’s Power bibliography **


 * E. Smitha, Frank . "Civil War, Lenin and Rise of Stalin." //MacroHistory : World History//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. .


 * Simkin, John . "Joseph Stalin : Biography." //Spartacus Educational - Home Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. .


 * "Rise of Joseph Stalin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. spark notes, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. .


 * "Stalin Takes Power." //GCSE Modern World History Revision Site//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. < http://www.johndclare.net/Russ9.htm>


 * Exile of Trotsky **


 * BBC - History - Historic Figures: Leon Trotsky (1879 - 1940)." //BBC - Homepage//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. .

· "Leon Trotsky (Russian revolutionary) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." //Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. . http://kirjasto.sci.fi/trotsky.htm

· "Leon Trotsky: In Power — Infoplease.com." //Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. — Infoplease.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. [].