Why Did Joseph Stalin Rise To Power

Abstract
The research question for the following investigation is: Was Joseph Stalin’s rise to power in 1924 the result of a calculated plan or a stroke of luck? The investigation was undertaken by first obtaining research materials such as books, academic journals and scholarly articles. The online database website questia was utilized to obtain relevant academic journals and scholarly articles while local libraries were visited to obtain the books and biographical materials. The first component of the essay to be researched was the steps that Stalin took to rise to power. Then the historiography behind each of the steps was looked into. The intentionalists and functionalists were the main schools of thought. Originally the conclusion reached
The cult of personality is defined as someone using propaganda, the media and other means of communication to establish an image that is idealized and almost god-like (Kotkin 13). This image is often faced with unwavering praise and flattery towards anything the individual does whether it is bad or good (Kotkin 15). For Stalin the cult of personality was crucial in his rise to power. “Stalin could be rude to his colleagues, not to mention brutal and vengeful, but what is remarkable is that in light of the millions of murders for which he was responsible, is that Stalin could and often did give the impression of being benign toward his colleagues and the general public” (Pauley 52). Stalin’s cult of personality can be traced back to his eulogy to Lenin at Lenin’s funeral in 1924 (Pauley 53). Stalin made Lenin’s death a national day for mourning and renamed Petrograd to Leningrad (Pauley 53). Stalin mummified Lenin’s body and placed t in a huge mausoleum in Moscow as well (Pauley 53). Stalin began the first of what is now called the cult of personality. He was able to claim the status as Lenin’s most trusted and faithful disciple and his chosen successor (Pauley 53). Stalin was able to jumpstart his rise to power by bestowing Lenin the title of superhuman and more importantly giving himself a demigod title (Pauley 53). Obviously there was no way for Stalin to guarantee that he would become a god-like figure so the functionalists view the cult of personality as something that Stalin was lucky enough to stumble upon (Montefiore 78). Stalin took a chance by idolizing Lenin and by doing so he hit the jackpot. No one could have anticipated the kind of following Stalin could have gained by doing so not even Stalin