Stalin's Rise to Power: Political Maneuvering and the Construction of Soviet Totalitarianism, 1922–1929

Abstract

The emergence of Joseph Stalin as the undisputed leader of the Soviet Union was neither inevitable nor solely the consequence of ideological commitment. Rather, it resulted from a complex process of political maneuvering, institutional control, and strategic exploitation of the Communist Party's organizational structure during the years following the Bolshevik Revolution. This article examines Stalin's rise to power between 1922 and 1929, emphasizing how his appointment as General Secretary enabled him to consolidate authority through bureaucratic expansion, patronage networks, and the systematic marginalization of political rivals. It argues that the succession crisis following Vladimir Lenin's declining health provided Stalin with unprecedented opportunities to transform an administrative office into the principal instrument of political domination. By analysing the interaction between party institutions, factional politics, and the legacy of the New Economic Policy, the study demonstrates that Stalin's dictatorship emerged through the gradual concentration of institutional power rather than through a sudden seizure of authority. The article contributes to broader debates on authoritarian state formation by highlighting the relationship between bureaucratic control, political succession, and the consolidation of totalitarian rule in the Soviet Union.