Lenin´s 3rd stroke in May, not March 1923

OTL, Stalin was made Secretary-General in Spring 1922, as an ally of Kamenev and Zinoviev. In a few months, his activity as Secretary attracted some critizism. From Trotsky, among others.

Since spring 1922, Lenin was ill - but slowly recovering.

In December 1922, Lenin dictated his notorious Letter to the Congress. It critizised the rest of Bolshevik leadership. But the critizism of Trotsky was the mildest of all. He does seem to have favoured Trotsky as his successor.

And in the Letter, Lenin urged dismissal of Stalin as Secretary General.

Note that Trotsky had been, since 1917, universally acknowledged as Number 2 Bolshevik after Lenin. Nobody competed with him, certainly not after death of Sverdlov.

This meant that most of the second rank Bolsheviks were united by opposition to Trotsky - Zinoviev, Kamenev, Stalin. But a lot of third rank and below were supporters of Trotsky.

In OTL, Zinoviev and Stalin launched a massive propaganda attack against Trotsky in October 1923. But the support and position of Trotsky was so strong that it was only in January 1925 that Trotsky could be removed from his command of Red Army, and only in November 1927 could he be expelled from Party.

So - third stroke does not yet come in March. In April 1923, Lenin is still ill, but slowly recovering (as he had been OTL till March). The Letter is read to Congress, as Lenin ordered. And given the authority of Lenin - he was often opposed by majority of second rank Bolsheviks but he always could rally the third rank behind him - the Congress fires Stalin as instructed.

Who´ll be General Secretary? Perhaps some prominent Trotskyist? Krestinsky had been the General Secretary from 1919 to 1921. He had supported Trotsky in March 1921, in conflict with Lenin, and been fired and exiled as ambassador to Germany. Suppose that in April 1923, on the instructions of Lenin, Stalin is fired and exiled and Krestinsky is recalled.

And since the butterfly is modest, Lenin does get his 3rd stroke soon after Congress, in May 1923.

How will the power struggle go on? Will Krestinsky as General Secretary tip the scales to assure the leadership of Trotsky against Zinoviev?
 
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