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The debate over modernisation was a critical factor in the struggle for
party leadership after the death of Lenin in 1924
To what extent is this statement true?
institution described as a puppet- organisation. In contrast, Trotskys idealist
nature and factionalist tendencies alienated him from the party core which
proved a hindrance to his political motivations. He failed to understand the
practicalities of politics and was outmanoeuvred by Stalin. As factions were
removed, Trotsky was left without supporters in the Sovnarkom which alienated
the efficacy of his ideas. As a result of Stalins manipulation, Trotsky gradually
lost the admiration
and power that he had gained prior to the death of Lenin and was no longer a
member of the Bolshevik Party. Although it was the need to modernise Russia
that, to some extent, determined Lenins successor, Stalin emerged as his
successor as a result of his political manipulation, which was of greater
significance than the need for modernisation.
A critical factor which determined the leadership of the Bolshevik Party was the
forging of a strategic political alliance. Stalin used the failure of the German
Revolution in 1919 to discredit Trotskys World Revolution theory. Hence, his
alliance with far left members Zinoviev and Kamenev who wanted limited
capitalist influence in Russia. This demonstrates that it was not just
modernisation that played a role in determining Lenins successor. However, as a
result of the grain shortage in 1927, Stalin then aligned himself with Rykov and
Bukharin who supported a rapid program of collectivisation and industrialisation.
It can be seen that political alliances were crucial in determining the outcome of
the struggle for party leadership. Hence, rather than the sole need to modernise,
it was a combination of many critical factors which determined the result of the
struggle for party leadership after the death of Lenin in 1924.
In conclusion, only to an extent can it be said that modernisation was a key
factor in determining the outcome of the struggle for party leadership after
Lenins death. Equally, or more importantly, the clashing ideologies of Stalin and
Trotsky, the control of the Politburo and Sovnarkom, and the forming of strategic
alliances were all critical factors in the struggle for party leadership.