FUK.FUK.FUK.FUK.FUK. FUK.

Even though Trotsky was not the man to succeed Lenin, he was a man of great talent who possessed numerous qualities- all of which Stalin had to overcome in order to take the lead. Having always lived comfortably (as suggests source A), he benefited from a good level of education. These privileges he had access to enabled him to become a man of intellect, a « thinker »: someone who was capable of forging his own thoughts and opinions. On the other hand, Stalin had been born into « utter poverty » and never benefited from such luxuries, receiving only a fraction of his education. Trotsky, perhaps more able when it came to political strategic or administrative work, therefore had the upper hand in this domain; whereas his rival's success may have depended more on his lucky strategic position in the Party (as General Secretary), and therefore his outstanding number of allies, who were there to 'back him up'.
Linked with Trotsky's intellect came his gift for speaking: This man was an incredible orator. If he had been the one to succeed Lenin, he would have undoubtedly impressed and inspired many. The key to being a true politician might be the possession of a certain sly wit ( to be able to exceed your rivals...), but he must also possess a talent in orating in order to influence and play with people's opinions, get their support and call them to action. Words can be very powerful, and in the past several famous dictators have won the support of their nation by simply feeding them encouraging, nationalist phrases.
Trotsky had a key role in many important historical events surrounding this period. This was a way to prove to the world his faith in a communist Russia, and his faith in Lenin (who was an adored figure by the nation, her 'saviour'). Source A confirms this: In October of 1917, he was the one to organize the military strategic uprising of the people (« leading the Military Revolutionary Committee »). During the Civil War between 1919 and 1921 he « inspired the Reds to victory », and later in time was « chief negotiator » in the peace treaty with Germany at Brest-Litovsk. The fact that he was present and possessed an important role in all of Russia's crucial moments also ensured that he was always current on affairs, always 'there' to demonstrate his high status and to make an impression.
Although this was soon forgotten as Stalin did a great deal to cover it up (for example delaying the reading of Lenin's will), Trotsky had all of Lenin's support on his side. The deceased's testament was greatly in favour of Stalin's rival, stating that: « Comrade Trotsky (...) has already proved that he is distinguished not only by outstanding ability. He is personally perhaps the most capable man in the present (to succeed him) ». Having Lenin on his side was like having the whole of Russia at his feet. Unfortunately, Stalin did a good job of pretending that he too possessed Lenin's full support of his endeavours...

We can assume that if Stalin was took the lead in the struggle for power between 1924 and 1926, Trotsky must also have possessed certain weaknesses which allowed his rival to use to his advantage. To begin with, Trotsky - along with everyone else in the Party - underestimated Stalin's power. He was seen by all as « nothing more than a vague, grey blur » (Mastering Modern World History, Norman Lowe, p.362). It seemed totally unlikely that Stalin, who had been very clever so as to not have appeared a threat, would ever rise up to become such a harsh and imposing figure. Trotsky, in underestimating his rival, had not prepared himself adequately for the future competition and was taken aback by Stalin's sudden powerful position after Lenin's death.
Despite the fact he was an intellect, Trotsky was not so wise in taking a strongly opinionated point of view on the very controversial matter of the New Economic Policy (NEP) installed by Lenin. Trotsky was not in favour of the policy: Source N declares that he wanted to « return to Marxist principles and the pursuit of the revolution abroad ». Two mistakes here: First, going against the NEP was going against one of Lenin's wishes, and this would not be highly regarded. Second, Trotsky's desire to « pursue revolution abroad » (source B) was not as appealing to the people as Stalin's, which was to concentrate all efforts on Russia only and to maintain « socialism in one country ». Interestingly, Trotsky was alone in his views on the NEP not because the policy was regarded as positive to Russia's development, but because of his own isolation within the Party. Here all the other members (for reasons which had nothing to do with the economic policy) « found that opposition to Trotsky was more important that economic principles and, regardless of their feelings about the NEP, they joined the Right ». Although unsupported, Trotsky was in fact shown to be correct in his views on the NEP as it led to the enrichment of the kulaks, which was contrary to the communist ideals. This became clear in later years when some key figures, including Kamenev and Zinoviev, joined Trotsky's side when Stalin's threat was apparent.
Why was Trotsky isolated in the Party? Several factors had made him lose popularity with the other members of the Politburo (Communist political bureau). To begin with, many people did not consider him as 'true' Bolshevik, having only joined their Party shortly before the November Revolution when their ascension to power was inevitable. He was also intellectually and personally vain to an astonishingly high degree: a man who made enemies far more easily than friends. As reveals source N, « the clear favouritism Lenin showed him » also made him extremely unpopular with many of the other members of the Party who « resented his sudden success and authority ». Almost all of his support had disappeared by the end of 1924, as they had all « worked together, doing all they could to prevent Trotsky from becoming leader » (Norman Lowe, Mastering Modern World History, p. 363).
Unfortunately, Trotsky seemed to have absolutely everything against him, including luck. In 1923, at a « vital moment » (as states source J) he suddenly came down with a malarial infection and fell gravely ill. Thereafter he not only had to fight his rivals and defend his sole views on matters, but also had to fight his physical weakness...

Stalin emerged as the leader of the Bolshevik party in 1929 due to a variety of fortunate events as well as carefully considered political decisions that caused him to eliminate all his opponents, including his most significant rival, Trotsky. To begin with, after Lenin's death Stalin made himself appear as a previously close friend and follower of this man. To this day, historians are still unsure whether Stalin's published pictures of him and Lenin looking extremely friendly were falsified or not, used as simple means of propaganda... He organized Lenin's funeral, a massive ceremony held place in Moscow in 1924 (source R). Making the most of Trotsky's weakness (the fact that he was ill at home and not aware of all current events) he was sly enough to provide him with the wrong funeral date - Trotsky therefore did not attend the event, which was obviously taken as a sign of disrespect by all. This was only one of the many acts Stalin performed to rid himself of his opponent.
Lenin had foreseen what might happen. In his testament, he declared that « Comrade Stalin, having become Secretary General, has unlimited authority concentrated in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be capable of using that authority with sufficient caution ». However, Stalin had fully secured his position before having Lenin's will read at Party Congress on 23rd May 1923: He also delayed the circulation of the document which should have happened a month or so earlier. Source O reveals that Lenin's will explicitly revealed the potential danger of giving Stalin a strong position amidst the Party (saying that he had « dictatorial tendencies » and should be removed from his role as General Secretary). However, by then the opposition to Trotsky had already begun and the members of the Party preferred to keep Stalin as an ally against him.
Stalin's success thrived on the weaknesses of others: He was manipulative, having cleverly planned his way to power. His opportunism can be studied in several situations, such as the clever use of his position as General Secretary (as Lenin had warned). From April 1922, when he was attributed this role in the Party, he had the power to promote any one he liked to important jobs around the country. As states Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe (p.363), he « quietly filled high positions with his own supporters, while at the same time removing supporters of other to distant parts of the country (...) ; Thus by 1928 all the top bodies and congresses were packed with Stalinites, and he was unassailable ».
Stalin was also clever in using the Party members' disagreements to his advantage. The NEP was a matter which enabled him to isolate many more of his rivals and eliminate them one by one. In later years, Kamenev and Zinoviev (when beginning to notice Stalin's uprising power) split from Bukharin, who wanted to continue the gradual industrialization with NEP. Those two joined Trotsky. In 1927, both men were expelled from the Party; soon after, Trotsky was exiled to Istanbul in Turkey. Bukharin later too realised that the NEP had begun to falter with the kulaks who were holding up agricultural progress: He protested, and in 1929 was voted off the Politburo. Stalin was hereon left supreme.

Exercice 1 .

Tu construit un repere, avec un pas de 2 en X, et un pas de 10 en Y
Y1 = courbe de F
Y2= courbe de G


X = - 10 Y1 = 146 Y2= 81
X= - 8 Y1= 66 Y2=25
X= -6 Y1=38 Y2=9
X=-4 Y1=18 Y2 =1
X=-2 Y1=6 Y2=1
0 2 9
2 6 25
4 18 49
6 38 81
8 66 121
10 102 169


Exercice 2

f( x )=(x+2)²-2
et g(x )=1/(x-1) +3

Les valeurs qui annulent F sont :
(X+2)^2 – 2 = 0
(X+2)^2 = 2
X+2 = racine de 2
X = racine de 2 – 2

Donc f(x) = 0 pour x = racine de 2 – 2 et x= -racine de 2 – 2

Les valeurs qui annulent G sont :

1/x-1 + 3 = 0
1/x-1 = -3
1/ 3 = x – 1
1/3 + 1 =x
4/3 = x

Apres ta just a faire le tableau.


Exercice 3

Pour F(x) = u(x) + «3

x -4 0 1 3

f(x) 3 up 6 d 1 up 4
Pour F(x) = U(x+3) - 1