History in the Soviet Union. Term Paper

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They began to worship Lenin, and Stalin encouraged this by playing a prominent role at Lenin's funeral and encouraging the Party to collect and display some of Lenin's personal belongings and important documents. He made the people believe that he had supported Lenin and Lenin supported him, even though that was not true. While publicly he seemed humble and meek, in reality he was now waging war against Trotsky. Because he had so much power within the Party, he began to speak out against Trotsky, and people were afraid of their own positions, so they listened and they began to support Stalin. He always used his power to put fear into the people around him.

Trotsky's power was in his leadership of the Red army, and Stalin began to work against him to replace him with someone of his own choosing. Stalin kept index cards with information on all the people surrounding him in government. He liked to know who his enemies were, and he liked to get rid of them. He used to listen to phone conversations in the Kremlin, and he used this information against people or to make them fear him. Stalin was always feared by the people who knew him the best, and underestimated by those who did not, such as Lenin. Stalin used his power and information to begin to turn people against Trotsky, both inside the Party and with the Russian people.

By the end of 1924, people were calling for Trotsky's resignation, and by 1925, he had resigned as the leader of the Red army. Another of his cohorts took over the duties, but Stalin then began to work to get his own supporters into power. After he accomplished this, he had the two men that he had formed an alliance with, Zinoviev and Kamenev, removed from the Politburo, along with Trotsky. Stalin had accomplished what many people thought he did not want; he had used his power, his wits, and sheer cruelty to rise to leader of the Soviet Union.

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The people were not always happy with Stalin's rule, and at first, they demonstrated against him. In 1927, "Trotsky and Zinoviev called for street demonstrations in Leningrad and Moscow in protest against Stalinist policies. They were broken up by secret police" (Moynahan 104). The people that has supported and even helped Stalin in his rise to power now were against him, but he had too much control and too much power. If people disagreed with his policies and his power, he simply had them exiled or executed. Moynihan writes, "Soon members were to fall like snowflakes" (Moynahan 104). Stalin was ruthless in his quest for power and ruthless when it came to the people that disagreed with him.

Stalin led Russia through World War II and into the modernization beyond. He died in 1953 of a cerebral hemorrhage, and in 1956, Soviet dictator Nikita Khrushchev denounced Stalin and told the people about many of his cruelties and "self-glorification." Stalingrad eventually reverted to the pre-Stalin name of St. Petersburg, and today, Stalin is usually thought of as a cruel and vindictive leader who hungered for power and absolute control over everyone around him ("Denunciation").

In conclusion, Stalin's rise to power shows what a man obsessed with power can do if he has the chance. Stalin worked his way up through the Party by seeming to be loyal, meek, and mild. In reality, he was cruel, ruthless, and only wanted to rule Russia with an iron hand. His rise to power would bring great changes to Russia and the Russian people. The October Revolution began as a way for the people to gain control of their lives and their economy. It ended as one of the most repressive and controlling times in Russian history with Stalin as leader. Stalin may have been a good leader, but he was also power hungry, fearful of anyone who disagreed with him, and vindictive. His rise to power was a dark time in Russian history......

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