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 in a position of power, he had been appointed General Secretary. Stalin exploited this post and used it to appoint many of his own supporters to high positions. As these members were answerable to Stalin they often remained loyal to him and he managed to build up support for himself throughout Russia. The post was also the only link between the party and government, which meant he got to know the workings of them both. This immense power meant support was often on his side, and 'Lenin Enrolment' helped even more, here the party gained many new members, most of which were poorly educated and seen as 'less questioning members' who would follow the leader and do as they were told. Stalin used his initiative and oratory skills to capitalize on this new membership and gain even more sup

Trotsky and Stalin had, by many been seen as the main contenders for the senior post. They both tried to gain this high position but it was obvious that it was Stalin that had the ability to cease power over Trotsky. Trotsky seemed to lack political awareness and did not grasp the opportunities granted to him. Many incidents such as declining the invitation to give Lenin's main speech, in his absence, at the 12th party congress, and not attending Lenin's funeral may not have had major impacts on the power struggle individually but the accumulation of these many events led to a further decline of support for Trotsky.

Trotsky was seen by many as 'an arrogant individualist' who saw the party's transition towards a bureaucracy as anti-revolutionary. This individualism and lack of political tact led him into trouble on more than one occasion. Whilst Stalin was building up his support in the party Trotsky was constantly bickering with the other Bolshevik leaders. Many of these leaders already saw Trotsky as a threat because of his Military connections and powers; they were concerned that Trotsky would become a solitary military leader like Bonaparte had done in France. Trotsky's different opinions were also seen as 'factionism' and betrayal of Lenin. Again this led to a decline in his own support. In contrast to this Stalin took great care to use the words "as Lenin said..." whenever he spoke, hence trying to prove that he had the same views as Lenin. Stalin had expertly followed the cult of L

Some common words found in the essay are:
Communism' Stalin's, Secretary Stalin, Trotsky Trotsky, Lenin Stalin, Trotsky Stalin, , France Trotsky's, Whilst Stalin, Lenin Trotsky, Stalin Trotsky, outmanoeuvre trotsky, bolshevik leaders, ability outmanoeuvre, ability outmanoeuvre trotsky, oratory skills, decision publish, leading figures, trotsky trotsky, lack political, success stalin, led decline,
Approximate Word count = 1010
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)