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Rise of Stalin

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of the following was a reason for the Central Executive Committee (CEC)'s decision not to disclose Lenin's Testament?

a)

Lenin wanted to remove Stalin as the Secretary-General

b)

Stalin told the CEC not to make Lenin's Testament public

c)

Lenin had criticised all the potential successors

d)

Stalin was a bigger threat and more powerful than Trotsky

2.

What was Lenin's advice in his Testament?

a)

Stalin should be promoted to be the Secretary-General

b)

Stalin should be removed as the Secretary-General

c)

Trotsky should be promoted to be the head of the Red Army

d)

Trotsky should be removed as the head of the Red Army

3.

Which of the following 2 Communist Party members were part of the troika alliance with Stalin? (Hint on p.38)

a)

Nikolai Bukharin

b)

Lev Kamenev

c)

Alexei Rykov

d)

Grigory Zinoviev

4.

Why was the non-disclosure of Lenin's Testament favourable to Stalin's rise?

a)

Stalin was able to retain his position as the Secretary-General

b)

Stalin's reputation was enhanced

c)

Stalin was able to get rid of his main rival, Trotsky

d)

Stalin was able to gain the support of the members of the Communist Party

5.

Trotsky was unpopular among the members in the Politburo. Which of the following 2 statements are TRUE of his unpopularity?

a)

Trotsky was never present for Politburo meetings

b)

Trotsky was outspoken and often criticised the organisation and policies of the Communist Party.

c)

Trotsky's "Permanent Revolution" proposed that the Soviet Union continued to promote and support communist revolutions in other countries

d)

Trotsky had insulted Stalin consistently

e)

Trotsky had criticised Lenin's Testament

6.

Trotsky was seen as powerful and regarded as a threat by the other potential successors because he held the position as the head of the (a)   .

7.

Why was Trotsky's unpopularity advantageous to Stalin in the power struggle?

a)

Trotsky would have a lot more support than Stalin

b)

Stalin would be able to retain his position as Secretary-General

c)

The potential successors would focus on getting rid of Trotsky rather than Stalin

d)

Stalin would be able to ally with Trotsky and get Trotsky to support him

8.

Which of the following is NOT an example of Stalin's manipulations?

a)

Pretended to be close to Lenin

b)

Making use of his power as the Secretary-General

c)

Promoting "Permanent Revolution" in Soviet Union

d)

Exploited the ideological division within the party

9.

Which of the following actions helped Stalin to create the impression that he was close to Lenin? (Choose 3 actions)

a)

Stalin appointed himself as the chief mourner

b)

Stalin renamed Stalingrad as Leningrad

c)

Stalin embalmed Lenin's body and displayed it in a mausoleum in the Red Square

d)

Stalin scolded Trotsky for criticising Lenin's policies

e)

Stalin gave Trotsky the wrong date of the funeral so that he would miss the funeral

10.

How did Stalin's pretense to be close to Lenin help him in the power struggle to be the next leader of the Party?

a)

He was seen as a natural successor to Lenin

b)

He was able to amass a huge following to vote for him during the country's elections

c)

He was able to eliminate all his rivals

d)

He was regarded as the face of Communism

11.

What was the power that Stalin had as the Secretary-General?

a)

He was able to come up with policies of the Party

b)

He published all Party newspapers

c)

He had the authority to appoint and reassign Party members

d)

He controlled the Party

12.

How did Stalin make use of the power as Secretary-General against Trotsky?

a)

He sacked Trotsky as the head of Cheka

b)

He replaced the allies of Trotsky with his own within the Party

c)

He gave Trotsky the wrong date for Lenin's funeral

d)

He demoted Trotsky to become a normal member within the Party

13.

Why was Stalin's use of his power as Secretary-General significant in the race to be the leader of the Communist Party?

a)

He was able to amass a huge following to vote for him during the country's elections

b)

He was able to increase his support base and influence within the Party

c)

He was able to control the army

d)

He would be seen as the natural successor to Lenin

14.

Which of the following correctly show the process that Stalin took to exploit the division within the Party to gain power? (Hint in TB p.43)

a)

Formed troika alliance to expel Trotsky; Allied with Radicals to eliminate Kamenev and Zinoviev; Allied with Moderates to eliminate Bukharin and Rykov

b)

Allied with Radicals to eliminate Moderates, Allied with Moderates to eliminate Kamenev and Zinoviev, Formed troika alliance to expel Trotsky

c)

Formed troika alliance to expel Trotsky; Allied with Moderates to eliminate Kamenev and Zinoviev, Allied with Radicals to eliminate Bukharin and Rykov

d)

Allied with Moderates to eliminate Kamenev and Zinoviev, Formed troika alliance to expel Trotsky; Allied with Radicals to eliminate Bukharin and Rykov

15.

How did Stalin's exploitation of the ideological division within the Party help him to rise to power?

a)

He was able to gain supporters within the Party

b)

He was able to show his was Lenin's choice to be successor

c)

He was able to get rid of Trotsky

d)

He was able to eliminate all his rivals