“THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON FOR STALIN’S RISE TO POWER WAS THE WEAKNESS OF HIS OPPONENTS.” TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT?

The most significant reason for Stalin’s rise to power was his political and ideological strengths. The weakness of Stalin’s opponents also played a significant role however only aided Stalin’s rise because of his ability to manipulate his opponents and exploit their mistakes. The bureaucratic nature of the Russian state allowed Stalin to rise to power but it was thanks to Stalin’s determination and political skill that he was able to create a ‘power of patronage’ that he used to gain control over the party.Stalin’s political ability to manipulate, take advantage of situations and adapt his policies was essential to his rise to power. It was only thanks to Stalin’s strengths that he was able to exploit the opportunities provided by other factors such as the weakness of his opponents or the structure of the State. Stalin was a practical politician who adapted his policies in order to gain support. An example of this was his theory of socialism in one country, which contrasted Trotsky’s idea of a permanent revolution. As Liberal historian Robert Conquest argues, Stalin’s determination, manipulative skills and ruthlessness were essential to his rise to power. Stalin was able to manipulate and exploit Trotsky’s insecurities to portray him as a rival to Russia since his theory of permanent revolution prioritized the spreading of communism abroad rather than consolidate it at home, which is what Stalin and the Russian people believed. Stalin was able to take advantage of his opponent’s weaknesses when he delivered a speech at Lenin’s funeral which made him seem close to Lenin and the natural successor. He persuaded members of the Politburo to keep Lenin’s testament secret as it strongly criticized Stalin and other politicians and would have damaged his reputation as the leader chosen by Lenin. Structuralist historians such as E.H. Carr argue that Stalin’s skill and personality was not as important as the structure of the party and the positions Stalin took. However it was only thanks to Stalin’s skill that he was able to gain powerful position and exploit the structure of the party to gain more power. Overall, Stalin’s practical political skills and ability to manipulate facts and other politicians allowed him to portray himself as a Leninist and his natural successor, therefore gaining more support. Stalin’s strengths played a larger role than his opponent’s weaknesses because it was only thanks to Stalin’s political ruthlessness that he was able to exploit mistakes made by other members of the Politburo.