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{{Contributors}} [[File: Stalin in exile 1915.jpg |thumbnail|275pxleft|200px|Stalin in Siberia]]On April 3, 1922, Joseph Stalin is remembered as took over control of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and by 1927, he had absolute power over the USSR and was its unquestioned ruler. How did Stalin rise to power so quickly after Lenin's death and usurp all of his challengers? Stalin was one of the bloodiest tyrants in the world history of the world. He was the absolute ruler of the Soviet Union and later of the Communist bloc in Easter Eastern Europe. He rose to this unprecedented level of power as a result of his own personal capabilities and his understanding of the workings of the Communist Power that had Party. Stalin translated these strengths into total control of the Soviet Union after the Russian Civil War (1917-1920). Stalin was not the natural successor of [[How did Vladimir LeninRise To Power?|Vladimir Lenin]], but he was able to use his position within the Soviet Communist Party to become the undisputed leader of the Soviet Union.<ref>Boobbyer, Phillip. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415182980/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0415182980&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=10976fbde66cefcc9a2808e5d094f993 The Stalin Era]'' (Routledge, London, 2000), p. 78</ref> ====Stalin’s Early Life====Joseph Stalin, the future leader of the Soviet Union, often referred to as the ‘Red Tsar,' was born on 18 December 1878 to a Georgian cobbler in Gori, Georgia and his wife in a small, impoverished village. His real name was Josef Besarionis de Jughashvili. <ref> Boobyear, p. 111</ref> He was ethnically Georgian, but Georgia was part of the Tsarist Russian Empire. After leaving school, Stalin went to a seminary. Instead of studying theology and the Bible, he embraced Marxism and became a follower of Vladimir Lenin, leader of the revolutionary Bolshevik Party.<ref> Conquest, Robert. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140169539/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0140169539&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=78415985f069f734b98307b00183a2dd Stalin: Breaker of Nations]''. (Viking-Penguin, Hammondsworth, 1999), p. 112</ref> Stalin soon joined the Bolshevik movement and was very active in violent attacks on the Tsarist government. He was a notorious bank robber, and he committed these robberies to subvert the Tsarist government and fund the revolution. After being placed under surveillance by Russian secret police, the Ohrakan, for his activities, he went underground.<ref>Conquest, p. 78</ref> He became one of the Bolsheviks' leaders in the Caucasus, organizing paramilitaries, and taking part in a terrorist campaign in the region. He was involved in the notorious Tiflis bank robbery where 40 people were killed. This robbery raised his standing among the Bolshevik leadership.<ref>Conquest, p. 87 </ref> Stalin was captured and exiled to Siberia numerous times, but usually, he escaped. He eventually became one of Vladimir Lenin's closest associates, or so he was later to vigorously claim which helped him rise to the heights of power after the Russian Revolution. In 1910 he changed his name to Stalin, meaning in Russian ‘Man of Steel’ supposedly adopted to protect his real identity from the police and perhaps also to create a public image as a true revolutionary. <ref>Boobyear, p. 134</ref>
==Stalin’s Early Life==October Revolution and the Russian Civil War====[[File:Russian_Revolution_of_1917.jpg|thumbnail|left|300px|Bolshevik troops in Red Square]]Joseph By 1917, Stalinwas in St. Petersburg, which was soon to be renamed Petrograd. This city was the future leader capital of the Soviet Union, often referred to as revolutionary government that had seized power from [[Why did the Russian Romanov Dynasty collapse in 1917?|the ‘Red Tsar, was born on 18 December 1878 to a Georgian cobbler in Gori, Georgia ]] and his wife government in a small impoverished villageFebruary 1917. His real name The Provisional Government under Alexander Kerensky was Josef Besarionis de Jughashvili. <ref> Boobyear, p. 111</ref> He was ethnically Georgian, but Georgia was part becoming unpopular despite ending the rule of the Tsarist Russian EmpireRomanov’s. After leaving school, he was sent They had failed to a seminary. Instead of studying theology and end the bible he embraced Marxism war and became a follower of Vladimir Lenin, leader of to redistributed land to the revolutionary Bolshevik PartyRussian peasants.<ref> ConquestMontefiore, RobertSimon Sebag. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/01401695391400076781/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=01401695391400076781&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=78415985f069f734b98307b00183a2dd 8d302940930c5b356ba181d00bc19d29 Stalin: Breaker The Court of Nationsthe Red Tsar]''. Viking-PenguinLondon: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Hammondsworth, 19992003), p. 112117</ref> Stalin soon joined the Bolshevik movement The Bolsheviks skillfully adopted a policy of promising peace and was very active in violent attacks on the Tsarist government. He was noted as a bank robber, these were undertaken in order land to subvert the system war-weary and gain funds for the revolutionstarving population. After being placed under surveillance by Russian secret policeTheir message made them very popular, the Ohrakanand in October 1917, for his activities, he went underground <ref>Conquest, p. 78</ref>. He became one of the Bolsheviks' leaders in they stormed the Caucasus, organizing paramilitaries, Winter Place and helped to organize a terrorist campaign in declared that the region. He Russian Empire was involved in now the notorious Tiflis bank robbery, during which 40 people were killed. This led to him being rated very highly by the Bolshevik leadershipSoviet Union.<ref>ConquestMontefiore, p. 87 111</ref> Stalin was captured and exiled to Siberia numerous times, but usually escaped. He eventually became one of Vladimir Lenin's closest associates, or so he was later to vigorously claim which helped him rise to role in the heights of power after the Russian Bolshevik Revolutionis unknown. In 1910 he changed his name to later propaganda, Stalin, meaning was presented in Russian ‘Man of Steel’ supposedly adopted in an effort to protect his real identity from posters and other images as being by Lenin’s side during the police and perhaps also Revolution, but Stalin appears to create have played only a public image as a true revolutionaryminor role in the Revolution. <ref>BoobyearMontefiore, p. 134113</ref>
However, Stalin made his reputation during the Russian Civil War. He was appointed as a Political Commissar to several Generals and ensured that they were loyal to the Bolsheviks. Eventually, he was given a military command and brutally suppressed White Counter-Revolutionaries and bandits. He was also instrumental in conquering his native Georgia, which had declared itself to be independent. Stalin was later appointed to the army in Ukraine, and he helped to push back a Polish invasion. However, he was criticized for not routing the Poles and exporting the revolution to that country and elsewhere in Europe.<ref>Montefiore, p. 118</ref>
==October revolution and Russian Civil War==[[File:Russian_Revolution_of_1917.jpg|thumbnail|300px|Stalin as General Secretary of the Bolshevik troops in red Square]]Party====By 1917, Stalin Historians have often argued that the Russian Civil War was in Stwon for the Bolsheviks by the revolutionary Leo Trotsky. Petersburg, which was soon This interpretation is now believed to be renamed Petrogradan exaggeration of Trotsky's role. This was However, Trotsky did play a significant role in the Soviet's victory over the capital of White's in the revolutionary government that had seized power from Civil War and was a significant figure in the Tsar Communist PARTY and his government rivaled Lenin in February 1917prestige. The Provisional Government under Alexander Kerensky Lenin was becoming unpopular despite ending worried about the rule influence of the Romanov’sTrotsky, and he employed Stalin to build up a base of support for him. They had failed to end Stalin did this but also at the war and to redistributed land same time, built up a body of supporters that were loyal to him in the Russian peasantsParty. <ref> MontefioreIn 1921, Simon SebagStalin was appointed to the position of General Secretary. ''[https://wwwThis position gave him great power in the Party.amazon.com/gp/product/1400076781/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1400076781&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=8d302940930c5b356ba181d00bc19d29 Stalin: The Court created a network of supporters in the Red Tsar]''Party. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003), p. 117</ref> Lenin had returned from exile in Switzerland became suspicious of Stalin and was beginning to Russiamistrust his former protégée. In particular, with Lenin disliked the aid brutal methods of the German secret serviceStalin in his native Georgia, where he brutally repressed those who opposed Bolshevism. He along with the other Bolsheviks Despite Lenin’s doubts, Stalin began planning to overthrow grow popular with the Provisional Government rank and file Party members. Unlike Lenin and install in its place Trotsky, he was not an intellectual and had the world’s first communist countrycommon touch, and he was well-liked by many. <ref> Conquest, p. 114</ref>
====Stalin’s Rise to Power====
Stalin was officially the leader of the Communist party, but to many in the Party, he was only a figurehead. Many dismissed him as a nonentity and a political figure of no real substance. Many prominent Bolsheviks had always underestimated Stalin because he was not well educated. Trotsky, Kamenev, and Zinoviev all saw themselves as the logical choice as the successor of Lenin. However, they were not as popular as they believed and that Stalin was very popular with the ordinary Party member. Stalin was shrewd enough not to appear to be seeking the leadership of the Party. Furthermore, Stalin publically denounced Kamenev and Zinoviev, when they tried to involve him in a conspiracy against Trotsky in 1925. Only Stalin and Trotsky as the sole contenders for the leadership role.<ref> Felshtinsky, Yuri. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1929631952/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1929631952&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=8e5c4b8740fbfc8f691fb6ae90aae02b Lenin and His Comrades: The Bolsheviks Take Over Russia 1917–1924]</i>. Enigma Books, 2000), p. 201</ref>
==Stalin’s rise to Power==Socialism in One Country====[[File:Stalin was officially the leader of the Communist party, but to many -Bukharin.jpg|left|thumbnail|250px|Stalin and Bukharin in the Party, he was only a figurehead. Many dismissed him as a nonentity 1928]]The rivalry between Trotsky and that he Stalin was not only a political figure personal because both men had radically different views on the nature of real substance. Stalin had always been underestimated by many prominent Bolsheviks because he was not well educatedCommunism. TrotskyMore importantly, Kamenev, and Zinoviev all saw themselves as they held antithetical ideas on the logical choice as future of the successor of Leninworldwide Communist revolt. HoweverInfluenced by Marx, the Bolsheviks, they were not as popular as they believed and that Stalin there was very popular with the ordinary Party membergoing to be a world-wide Communist Revolution. Stalin was shrewd enough not to appear to be seeking began advocating "Socialism in One Country," which says that the Bolsheviks should focus building communism in the leadership of countries they already controlled rather than spreading the Partyrevolution. FurthermoreThis view drew many like-minded Party members to Stalin, he publically denounced Kamenev especially the rank and Zinoviev, when they tried to involve him in a conspiracy against Trotsky in 1925file. This only left Stalin and placed himself in ideological opposition to Trotsky as the sole contenders for the leadership role.<ref> Felshtinsky, Yuri. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1929631952/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1929631952&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=8e5c4b8740fbfc8f691fb6ae90aae02b Lenin and His Comrades: The Bolsheviks Take Over Russia 1917–1924]</i>. Enigma Books, 2000), p. 201202</ref>
====Conclusion====By 1928, Stalin was the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union. In 1920, he managed to achieve this despite the opposition of Lenin and many of the senior leaders in the Party. He was widely seen as an uneducated peasant. However, he managed to turn this to his advantage and in his role as General Secretary, he built up his a power base in the country. Stalin was also generally popular among the ordinary Party Members , and this was crucialto his success. This meant that he had Stalin effectively built a powerful and influential following and this which allowed him to build up his power and influence until he was in gradually take total control of the partySoviet Union.
====Suggested Readings====* Boobbyer, Phillip. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415182980/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0415182980&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=10976fbde66cefcc9a2808e5d094f993 The Stalin Era]'' (Routledge, London, 2000)* Conquest, Robert. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140169539/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0140169539&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=78415985f069f734b98307b00183a2dd Stalin: Breaker of Nations]''. (Viking-Penguin, Hammondsworth, 1999)* Felshtinsky, Yuri. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1929631952/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1929631952&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=8e5c4b8740fbfc8f691fb6ae90aae02b Lenin and His Comrades: The Bolsheviks Take Over Russia 1917–1924]</i>. Enigma Books, 2000) * Montefiore, Simon Sebag. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400076781/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1400076781&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=8d302940930c5b356ba181d00bc19d29 Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar]''. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003)* Read, Christopher. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415206499/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0415206499&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=d05be7a646c17cc922f1ffe49958037b Lenin: A Revolutionary Life]</i> (London: Routledge, 2005)====References====
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