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Debate Info

10
48
Luck! Cunning Manipulator!
Debate Score:58
Arguments:32
Total Votes:71
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 Luck! (8)
 
 Cunning Manipulator! (24)

Debate Creator

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Stalin: Luck/ Cunning Manipulator?

Luck!

Side Score: 10
VS.

Cunning Manipulator!

Side Score: 48
1 point

When Lenin died , he wrote in his testament that Stalin should be removed from all leadership position. When the members hear that, he would surely be removed, however , Trotsky decided not to read that out. Thus, I strongly believe it's his luck that helped him.

Side: Luck!
1 point

The members felt that Trotsky was big headed and did not like him. This gave Stalin an advantage.

Side: Luck!
1 point

I believe that Stalin was very lucky to rise to power as due to the Non-Disclosure of Lenin's testament , Stalin was able to maintain his position as secretary general and rise to power. Hence i feel that he was very lucky.

Side: Luck!
1 point

Trotsky wanted to engage in world communism revolution however, Stalin wanted to improve internally first. The members felt that Trotsky was too big headed and ambitious. Thus they did not like him and gave Stalin an advantage

Side: Luck!
1 point

He was lucky to be able to be present at Lenin's funeral and could act as a loyal follower and thus gained a lot of respect due to the power of Lenin.

Side: Luck!
1 point

Furthermore, Trotsky was recovering on his sickness, thus he wasn't seen as loyal because he did not came to Lenin's funeral. This made it seem like he was not loyal to Lenin.

Side: Luck!
1 point

Although many felt Stalin was dangerous and should be dismissed, Trotsky, his other rival, was not that popular either. Many felt he was ambitious as he wanted to start a world revolution. Some also felt that he was big headed and not suited for the position of Lenin.

Side: Luck!
0 points

I feel that when Lenin's Testament was read out, where he strongly advised to remove Stalin from his position as Secretary General, the party members chose to ignore that warning, enabling him to retain his position which I deem very "lucky" which he then later used to rise to power.

Side: Luck!
4 points

When Lenin died, he informed Trotsky that Lenin's funeral was on a later date, however in Russia, they carried out the funeral and Trotsky was seen as an arrogant person and did not attend the funeral. This thus cause more hate on Trotsky. Thus I believe it was because of his cunning manipulation

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
3 points

Stalin used his position as General Secretary of the Communist Party to appoint people who were close or loyal to him. This enabled him to create a strong support base of supporters who would agree with him or vote according to his wishes. This was particularly useful when Stalin had Trotsky voted out of his positions and exiled from Russia.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
3 points

When Lenin died, Stalin gave Trotsky,the supposed successor, the wrong date to Lenin's funeral which led him not being able to attend it. Because of that Stalin became the main mourner, this leads to the public loving Stalin and disliking Trotsky more.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
3 points

During the position of Lenin, he was not a popular choice compared to Trotsky and the other leaders. He eliminated his rivals by backstabbing and other cunning tactics. To get rid of Trotsky, his greatest rival, he teamed up with the Leftists(Zinoviev and Kamenev), who wanted world revolution and hated Trotsky as they felt he was too ambitious, to cover up Lenin's will and dismiss Trotsky. He then tracked down and assassinated Trotsky in Mexico due to his constant defamation. Then, to rid of the Leftists, he allied with the Rightists(Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky) and promoted socialism, ridding of the Leftists((Zinoviev and Kamenev). Lastly, he argued that the NEP was uncommunist and dismissed the Rightists. By eliminating his rivals, he became a strong choice for Lenin's position, allowing him to rise to power.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
3 points

To the public, he looked like he was the natural successor of Lenin as he appeared close to Lenin and organised the grand funeral when he passed. He was able to force Trotsky to resign as he lost his reputation and support, eliminating his biggest competitor.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
3 points

He pretended to be close to Lenin. When Lenin was in hospital, he would frequently visit Lenin so that the media would think that he was very close to Lenin. He would also make supporters of Trotsky resign and replace them with his supporters. This allow him to gain more votes, and Trotsky would have less.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
3 points

I believe Stalin is a cunning manipulator. Though he was the secretary-general and many people considered it to be a very small role, he made full use of his power to eliminate his opponents.One such example would be defaming Trotsky. Stalin put on a façade of close friendship with Lenin, making it seem to the public that Lenin trusted Stalin. When Lenin died, Stalin established himself as the chief mourner and made arrangements for his body to be embalmed. Furthermore, he ordered Petrograd to be renamed into Leningrad. He even gave Trotsky the wrong date of Lenin's funeral so that he would be absent on that day. His absence gave the Russian public an impression that Trotsky did not really care about Lenin and it was in fact Stalin who was the closest friend of Lenin and viewed him as his natural successor.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
3 points

Compared to other candidates, Stalin was unpopular. To get rid of his greatest rival, Trotsky, he told him the wrong date of Lenin's funeral, making him an unpopular choice for the people.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
2 points

I think Stalin was cunning because he pretended to have been close to Lenin by frequently visiting him, managing to convince the public and Party members that Lenin favored and trusted Stalin. He also established himself as the chief mourner at Lenin's funeral and kept Trotsky from attending Lenin's funeral by giving him the wrong date.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
2 points

Stalin rose to power due to his manipulations. He was very smart. Here is 1 of his manipulation.

1) Lenin Testament. When Lenin was about to pass away, Stalin pretended to be very close to Lenin, and the pubic assumed that Stalin was the next successor. Secretly, Stalin had evil views and Lenin included his suspicions in his testament about Stalin. However, the Testament was not made public, and Stalin retained his position as Secretary General and was able to control alot of things. As such he rose to power in 1928 due to his manipulation skills.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
2 points

From the start he had already tried to turn any favour away from his rival, Trotsky by purposefully making him miss Lenin's funeral making people despise him. He then continued to eliminate anyone who posed a threat to him and made it seem like he too was a victim and thus a less likely suspect.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
2 points

I feel that Stalin's cunning manipulation allowed him to rise to power. He used his positions as General Secretary of the Communist Party to give his followers high positions.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
1 point

Yes, I agree with Aliff Qayyum as when his followers have optimal positions, Stalin has more power.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
2 points

Mahidhar Reddy s306

Stalin was a cunning manipulator as he pretended to be close to Lenin by frequently visiting him. When Lenin died, Stalin organized his funeral and made a grand affair. He also gave a funeral speech and established himself as a chief mourner. The general public and party members thought that he was the natural successor of Lenin. Stalin told Totsky the wrong date to the funeral and Trotsky did not come to the funeral. The public was angered as Trotsky did not attend the funeral. Hence, due to Stalins manipulation he was able to rise.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
2 points

Haris

I feel that Lenin was a cunning manipulator as he pretended to be close to Lenin. His opportunity rised when Lenin died.He was then the chief mourner and made people think that he was the rightful successor. He also gave trotsky the wrong date of the funeral to make it as if Stalin was the only one that cared for Lenin, therefore gaining the trust of the public

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
1 point

Joseph Stalin became Dictator of the USSR due to cunning manipulation of his political allies and rival. This is shown in his alliance with Lev Kamenev and G.E. Zinoviev, forming a "troika" which discredited Leon Trotsky before the death of Vladimir Lenin. This caused shook Lenin's support within the political party and the people of Russia, which lead to Stalin's trick of preventing Lenin from returning for the funeral of Trotsky, causing him to be absent, to become more effective in discredting him among the people and present himself as a better alternative to Lenin.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
1 point

When Stalin was made Secretary-General of the Communist party in 1922, he was given the power to appoint and reassign party members. He, being a cunning manipulator, was able to replace all of his opponents' allies with his own allies. This gave Stalin a huge advantage.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
1 point

Joseph Stalin became Dictator of the USSR due to his cunning manipulations in forming alliances to protect him. This is shown in him surviving Trotsky's Testament, which demanded he was removed from his position as General-Secretary, by his allies supporting him and convincing the others in the party that he should not be stripped of his position. This shows that Stalin was wise in his choice of forming allies which could support him, knowing well that his position was threatened and taking action to prevent it from happening.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
1 point

Stalin was most certainly a cunning manipulator. He formed alliances with his rivals, and turned them against one another. After both parties were worn out, he would trample on them and rise above them. He invoked the people's hate towards Trotsky by telling him the wrong date for Lenin's funeral, thus reducing the support that the people formerly gave Trotsky.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
1 point

He cleverly became close to Lenin and cleverly manipulated others so that in the view of the public he was meant to be the successor. He also manipulated the funeral by telling Trosky the wrong date so he did not come thus angering the public and according to the public Trosky had no respect for Lenin and on the other hand thought Stalin was meant to be the next successor. He also manipulated others to make sure he had what he needed. Furthermore, he also had the authority to fire his potential successors. He made the public believe and manipulated his way.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!

More than cunning;how can a man amid the speculations of killing tons though not many,become a founding father of UN and still be recognized an idol and power of history;being shrew he had tremendous ability ,just like Putin to become a symbol of strength,someone who fights for his people,without doing anything morally right;nevertheless ,there's no doubt that he established the real communist rule in Russia.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
1 point

He took a lot of pictures with Lenin and he used it to convince that Lenin was god-liked and make no mistake. When the picture shows Stalin so close to Lenin, it shows the he's also like Lenin and will make no mistake. This will thus help him earn trust.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
1 point

He visits Lenin every week. This will put up an image that they are very close. Also , Stalin helped Lenin with his chores when he was sick. When that is shown , people will think that he is the best and next leader.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!
1 point

Stalin rose to power in a world of sadistic drug-addicted comissars and CHECKA murderers. I guess, when compared to the rest of that bunch, he could be called "cunning" because he had kept at least some of his wits with him.

Side: Cunning Manipulator!