Lenin Despised Stalin

One of the interesting facts about Joseph Stalin is that Lenin despised him. Following the 1917 Russian Revolution, Lenin's Bolsheviks took control of the country, and many of Lenin's closest associates were granted key positions in the communist party and the new Soviet government.

Due to his Georgian (i.e., non-Russian) ancestry, Stalin, one of the most vocal Bolsheviks, accepted the position of People's Commissar of Peoples. In this capacity, Stalin would transform from an obscure but influential member of the Bolsheviks into a well-liked and even more influential Bolsheviks with the support of numerous national minorities in the Soviet Union as well as numerous ethnic Russians!

Lenin started having strokes in 1922, and one of them crippled him. Lenin suggested Stalin as his replacement after he was unable to carry out his duties as the Communist Party's general secretary. Lenin started to disapprove of Stalin's actions when he took over as general secretary and thought he was unqualified to rule. He instructed the person in charge of allocating employees not to offer Stalin any new jobs before he passed away.

This strategy appeared to have the potential to succeed. Lenin erred, though, because Stalin was also in charge of providing employment. As one may expect, after Lenin died in 1924, Stalin ignored his commands.