At the time of Lenin's death in 1924, Leon Trotsky was the assumed heir apparent. According to A.J Koutsoukis (Transfer and Tyranny) his contribution in the years 1917 to 1924 had been second, if not equal to that of Lenin himself. However, when Lenin died, it was Stalin who was best positioned to succeed Lenin. Stalin held four fundamental position, which he had been appointed 1917-1922, these being; Commissar for Nationalities, Liaison Officer between the Politburo and the Orgburo (the Party's organising body), Head of the Workers' Inspectorate, and General Secutary of the Communist Party. "Stalin, an opportunist rather than a planner, found power coming increasingly within his grasp" . What eventually erupted were a `power struggle' between the ideologue Trotsky and the mediocre, machiavellian Stalin. Trotsky was a more logical and likely successor to Lenin than Stalin however, Trotsky was unable to prevent Stalin's triumph as leader of the USSR...