Lenin (1917-1924), but poor health prevented him from doing much after mid 1922. He was succeeded by three men ruling jointly - Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev. By 1927 Stalin had sidelined the other two and from 1928 he was the dictator of the Soviet Union.
Lenin ruled the USSR before Stalin.
At first, lenin... then lenin died and Stalin screwed with the succession and seized power.
Vladimir Lenin
Stalin's chief was Vladimir Lenin during the years before the Russian Revolution and until Lenin's death.
Lenin warned the Central Committee of the Communist Party that Stalin was using the post of General Secretary of the Communist Party to consolidate too much power in himself and his position. Lenin also warned that Stalin was too rude and too coarse for the job of head of the USSR. Lenin always liked Stalin's aggressiveness and willingness to do anything to support the Bolshevik cause, but he did not believe that Stalin was the right person to lead the USSR. Lenin recommended to the Central Committee that it find a way to remove Stalin from his position of power before he becomes so strong, he may set himself up as a dictator, which is exactly what happened. Lenin wrote these warnings in several documents which came to be known collectively as "Lenin's Testament." Stalin had Lenin's secretaries secretly reporting to him everything Lenin did. Stalin learned of the Testament and had it suppressed so that no one beyond certain high Party representatives ever found out about it.
Lenin felt that Stalin was far too harsh and that he would not make a good leader, but after his unexpected death in 1924, Lenin did not name his succesor, and Stalin took that chance to take power.
At first, lenin... then lenin died and Stalin screwed with the succession and seized power.
Stalin was Lenin's successor, even though Lenin didn't actually like Stalin much. Before that, Stalin had been in charge of the Communist Party's administration.
Vladimir Lenin
Stalin's chief was Vladimir Lenin during the years before the Russian Revolution and until Lenin's death.
Lenin warned the Central Committee of the Communist Party that Stalin was using the post of General Secretary of the Communist Party to consolidate too much power in himself and his position. Lenin also warned that Stalin was too rude and too coarse for the job of head of the USSR. Lenin always liked Stalin's aggressiveness and willingness to do anything to support the Bolshevik cause, but he did not believe that Stalin was the right person to lead the USSR. Lenin recommended to the Central Committee that it find a way to remove Stalin from his position of power before he becomes so strong, he may set himself up as a dictator, which is exactly what happened. Lenin wrote these warnings in several documents which came to be known collectively as "Lenin's Testament." Stalin had Lenin's secretaries secretly reporting to him everything Lenin did. Stalin learned of the Testament and had it suppressed so that no one beyond certain high Party representatives ever found out about it.
Lenin felt that Stalin was far too harsh and that he would not make a good leader, but after his unexpected death in 1924, Lenin did not name his succesor, and Stalin took that chance to take power.
It was still Stalin but before Stalin it was Lenin.
I think Lenin was succeeded by Stalin.
The Russian Revolution was carried out by Lenin in 1917. Stalin succeeded him in 1924. From this, we can infer that he made Russia an industrial power AFTER the revolution.
He was adverse to Stalin taking over, so he probably wanted Trotsky to come to power.
Joseph Stalin along with Grigory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev tried to take power from Lenin when Lenin was disabled by strokes. These three ran the government in Lenin's absence as he recovered and continued to do so secretly even when Lenin returned to work. The three would make governmental decisions in secret meetings after the general meetings that Lenin attended. Stalin restricted access to Lenin when Lenin was recovering. Stalin's biggest move for power was after Lenin made him Secretary General of the Communist Party. Once in that post, Stalin placed people loyal to him in many governmental offices. Stalin never did unseat Lenin, but he certainly tried and succeeded to take at least some of Lenin's powers away.
First Leon Trotsky, then Grigory Zinoviev and then Nikolai Bukharin lost in the power struggle after Lenin's death. All three of them and Joseph Stalin had claims to be Lenin's successor, but Stalin outmaneuvered them all.