‘Stalin’s ability to outmanoeuvre Trotsky led to his successful rise to power.’ Drawing on your knowledge of all the reasons for Stalin’s success, examine the validity of this judgment. Stalin was able to emerge as a solitary leader of the Communists because of many reasons; some were due to his own abilities and strengths whereas others were due to the weaknesses of his opposition, particularly Trotsky. When Lenin died in 1924 Stalin was already …showed first 75 words of 1026 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1026 total…own right. Stalin’s seizure of power was simply a testament to his ruthless ambition and brilliant political skill. It was Trotsky that had ruined his own chances, as he had been too arrogant to consolidate a base of support other that that of the Red Army. We can therefore say that Stalin’s rise to power was partly due to his ability to outmanoeuvre Trotsky, and therefore the judgment can be seen as valid.