... not Trotsky, both to do with Stalin's strengths and Trotsky's weaknesses. Firstly, there is the role that Stalin played in Lenin's funeral. He organised it without the help of Trotsky, as he was ill at the time. This gave him the chance to make himself seen by the public as a devoted supporter of Lenin follower as he also made the main speech at the funeral. In the speech he talked of Lenin's greatness and praised him, using words of Lenin's, which he revised at home regularly. This made himself look like a true fanatic of Lenin's. Within these speeches, he was building up a religious cult of Lenin, portraying Lenin as a God like figure. This became known as "Leninism". As Trotsky was ill at the time, he did not help Stalin organise the funeral and was situated away from the whole event. This gave Stalin the perfect opportunity to ...

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