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The rise of Stalin |
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Source 6: Extract from European History
1848-1945 by TA Morris
'In 1924 it was widely assumed that the
death of Lenin would result in a collective leadership
of the Soviet Union. The reasons for the steady decline
of that form of political authority, and the emergence
of Stalin's undisputed leadership are complex.
Neither the Stalinist explanation, that he offered
the only correct analysis of the future course of the
Soviet Union, nor Trotsky's bitter reflection that Stalin
rode to power on a wave of war-weariness and reaction,
is fully satisfactory. In large part, the phenomenon
must be explained by Stalin's consummate political skill,
and by his shrewd handling of the weapons at his disposal'.
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