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The New Leadership
General Secretary Vyacheslav Molotov, leader of Soviet Union at 38
At the 15th All-Union Party Congress in December 1927 the Central Committee elected the senior-most Stalinist in the Politburo: Vyacheslav Molotov to be new General Secretary and Party leader. With the Central Committee so packed full of Stalinists, it is difficult NOT to have one of their party "bosses" being elected to party leader. A.I Rykov retained his premiership, making a rightist head of government to balance out Stalinist hegemony over the party. [1]
However, the position of general secretary itself was weakened, with the addition of senior rightist Mikhail Tomsky to the secretariat as an additional Politburo member to balance out the Stalinist's control over that key body. Several high ranking rightists was also elected to the Orgburo as part of an effective power sharing agreement, giving the rightists significant opportunities to build their own party machine both at the center and in the provinces.
The congress also divided the spoils from the fall of the leftists: Bukharin became the new head of the Comintern taking over from Zinoviev. Nikolai Bryukhanov was promoted to deputy premier taking over from Kamenev. While Grigori Sokolnikov, the talented economist responsible for stabilizing Soviet government finances after the Civil War, was elected once again [2] to be a candidate Politburo member and took over his old post as Finance Commissar. This posting in particular is have dramatic consequences for the fate of Soviet socialism in the near future.
-Sheila Fitzpatrick, A History of the Soviet Union (2003), Cambridge University Press.
*[1] Similar to the Malenkov-Khrushchev relationship after Stalin's death in which Khrushchev was party head while Malenkov was premier
*[2] In otl Sokolnikov was a politburo member ousted for a brief stint of support for the left opposition against Stalin. With Stalin's death, he has recanted and brought back for his talent.
General Secretary Vyacheslav Molotov, leader of Soviet Union at 38
At the 15th All-Union Party Congress in December 1927 the Central Committee elected the senior-most Stalinist in the Politburo: Vyacheslav Molotov to be new General Secretary and Party leader. With the Central Committee so packed full of Stalinists, it is difficult NOT to have one of their party "bosses" being elected to party leader. A.I Rykov retained his premiership, making a rightist head of government to balance out Stalinist hegemony over the party. [1]
However, the position of general secretary itself was weakened, with the addition of senior rightist Mikhail Tomsky to the secretariat as an additional Politburo member to balance out the Stalinist's control over that key body. Several high ranking rightists was also elected to the Orgburo as part of an effective power sharing agreement, giving the rightists significant opportunities to build their own party machine both at the center and in the provinces.
The congress also divided the spoils from the fall of the leftists: Bukharin became the new head of the Comintern taking over from Zinoviev. Nikolai Bryukhanov was promoted to deputy premier taking over from Kamenev. While Grigori Sokolnikov, the talented economist responsible for stabilizing Soviet government finances after the Civil War, was elected once again [2] to be a candidate Politburo member and took over his old post as Finance Commissar. This posting in particular is have dramatic consequences for the fate of Soviet socialism in the near future.
-Sheila Fitzpatrick, A History of the Soviet Union (2003), Cambridge University Press.
*[1] Similar to the Malenkov-Khrushchev relationship after Stalin's death in which Khrushchev was party head while Malenkov was premier
*[2] In otl Sokolnikov was a politburo member ousted for a brief stint of support for the left opposition against Stalin. With Stalin's death, he has recanted and brought back for his talent.
- RousseauX
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