Stalin

• Most leading Communists thought that Trotsky would rule after Lenin because he had organised the Red army in the Civil War, he had appeared to be Lenin's right hand man and he had led and organised the October Revolution
• Stalin became General Secretary of the Communist party which was a boring job that nobody wanted. It enabled him to build up the supporters in the party
• Lenin did not like Stalin, "He is too rude and he does not know how to handle power,"
• Lenin recommended Trotsky ruled next because Stalin was too rude

• The attitudes of leading Communists to Lenin's will. Trotsky was too arrogant and was not Russian. They were jealous of Trotsky
• Trotsky's ideas were not Russian enough and he was not religious
• Trotsky was ill in 1924 and missed Lenin's funeral. Stalin also tricked him into not going by giving him the wrong date. As Trotsky was not in Moscow, Stalin appeared as the leader
• Trotsky was later expelled from the Communist cabinet, party and from Russia. He was then killed by Secret Police in 1940

• The modernisation was to be achieved through a series of five years
• Gosplan was Stalin's method of modernising Russia through a series of five year plans

How the five year targets were met:

• Peasants had to become industrial workers
• Farming would have to change
• Stalin used terror and bribes

Industrialisation:

• New cities were able to increase Russia's industrial output
• Encouragement. Posters were used to motivate and inspire and this increased the enthusiasm of the workers
• Prison labour was used (Gulags) which Stalin greatly expanded
• Heroes like Alexi Stakhanov were held up as examples of great work (shovelled coal 102 times in one shift)

• 1935 onwards lots of Russians worked hard because they were afraid of being accused of not being loyal
• If they were accused of not being loyal then they would be sentenced to death

Had Stalin's modernisation plans worked:

• It produced more coal
• There was a production increased
• More people were living in cities