SLalln's career ls a lesson ln coallLlon sLraLegy 1ake Lhree specLacular and consequenLlal eplsodes on

dlfferenL pollLl
cal levels llrsL afLer Lenln dled ln 1924 Lhere followed a long perlod of lnLernal pollLlcal maneuvers ln
Lhe 8olshevlk
parLy 1he LrlumvlraLe" of Zlnovlev kamenev and SLalln opposed 1roLsky When 1roLsky's parLy
poslLlon was weakened Lhe LrlumvlraLe" dlssolved SLalln formed a new coallLlon wlLh 8ukharln
(lncludlng also 8ykov and 1omsky) and Lhls group opposed 1roLsky on Lhe one hand and Lhe
comblnaLlon of Zlnovlev and kamenev on Lhe oLher

AfLer varlous moves and counLermoves ln Lhe course of whlch Zlnovlev and kamenev were weakened
Lhe laLLer uncerLalnly [olned wlLh Lhelr former opponenL 1roLsky 1he lssue of power Lhus was drawn
beLween Lwo comblnaLlons Accordlng Lo Lhe 8olshevlk rules no holds were barred lew eLhlcal or oLher
rlgldlLles compllcaLed Lhe game unless Lhey were represenLed by 1roLsky's lnhlblLlons noLhlng was
needed more by Lhese men Lhan a llLLle game Lheory and only one had lL Pere ln schemaLlc ouLllne
ls whaL appears Lo have happened

lrom 1921 Lhe new Lconomlc ollcy favorlng a cerLaln amounL of prlvaLe enLerprlse had been
funcLlonlng ln 8ussla) 1roLsky Lhe lefLlsL" was for an early Lurn Lo hlghspeed lndusLrlallzaLlon and
collecLlvlzaLlon 8ukharln Lhe
rlghLlsL" fearlng Lhe pollLlcal consequences of rapld collecLlvlzaLlon sLood for a more gradual change of
economlc
pollcy (and Lhere were oLher dlsagreemenLs) WheLher pollcy or parLy power was Lhe sLronger moLlve ls
a mooL polnL lL appears however LhaL SLalln dld noL forcefully represenL a pollcy here Pls forLe as
secreLary" had been organlzaLlon LhaL ls Lhe esLabllshlng of Lhe lnnerparLy bureaucraLlc payoffs
8ukharln and SLalln (wlLh oLhers) had Lhe power Lo ellmlnaLe 1roLsky from Lhe scene and Lhe lmmedlaLe
game and dld so ln 1927

1roLsky for hls parL appears Lo have made no serlous efforL Lo prevenL Lhls coallLlon or Lo break lL up by
offerlng a prlce LhaL would break lL up or aL any raLe make lL lnsecure 1he expulslon of 1roLsky was
faLal Lo 8ukharln lor SLalln and 8ukharln Lhen lmmedlaLely wenL lnLo a sLruggle ln Lhls Lwoman
game SLalln a mlnorlLy lnLeresL when 1roLsky was presenL found hlmself perhaps noL Lo hls surprlse ln
Lhe domlnaLlng poslLlon 8ukharln was forLhwlLh dlsposed of SLalln pursued Lhe pollcy of rapld
lndusLrlallzaLlon and collecLlvlzaLlon (llve ?ear lan) ln Lhe nexL few years all real or poLenLlal
challengers were physlcally ellmlnaLed 1hls was Lhe denouemenL of Lhe lnner 8olshevlk sLruggle endlng
ln Lhe sLablllLy" of SLallnlsL absoluLlsm 1he nexL eplsode Look place ln 1932 as PlLler approached power
ln Cermany)

ln Cermany Lhere was a Lhreeman game ln progress beLween Lhe SoclallsLs CommunlsLs and lasclsLs
none had a ma[orlLy Any coallLlon would wln 1he SoclallsLs lacked a coallLlon pollcy and opposed more
or less equally boLh CommunlsLs and lasclsLs SLalln ln conLrol of Lhe CommunlsLs forbade an alllance
wlLh Lhe SoclallsLs Lhls Look Lhe form of an pollLlcal Lheory of soclal fasclsm" accordlng Lo whlch Lhe
SoclallsLs were Lhe greaLer enemy

SLalln ln oLher words declared a negaLlve coallLlon wlLh Lhe lasclsLs agalnsL Lhe SoclallsLs ApparenLly
he wlshed Lo obLaln a monopoly of Lhe Cerman lefL and Lo play ouL a Lwoman game agalnsL PlLler
and Lhe negaLlve coallLlon enabled hlm Lo use lasclsL as well as CommunlsL power Lo desLroy Lhe
SoclallsLs PlLler was wllllng Pe goL Lhe Chancellorshlp from Plndenburg and wenL ln and cuL down boLh
opposlLlons 1he Lwoman game beLween Lhe CommunlsLs and lasclsLs falled Lo maLerlallze wlLhln
Cermany

1he Lhlrd eplsode ls famlllar 1he hlsLorlc 8rlLlsh balance of power" pollcy whlch was lnLended Lo
prevenL a
coallLlon beLween lrance and Cermany dwlndledln Lhe presence of SovleL 8ussla and lasclsL
Cermany Lo a pollcy" of lndeclslon Several blg naLlons [ockeyed for lnLernaLlonal coallLlon poslLlons
LhroughouL Lhe LhlrLles
SLalln wenL wlLh PlLler ln 1939

PlLler made hls defecLlon ln 1941 and SLalln came LogeLher wlLh Lhe Allles uurlng Lhe pasL war cerLaln
concesslons Lo SLalln made by 8oosevelL and Churchlll were defended on Lhe ground LhaL Lhey were
necessary Lo malnLaln Lhe coallLlon LhaL ls Lo prevenL SLalln's defecLlon from Lhe Allles 1he assumpLlon
was LhaL alLernaLlve soluLlons exlsLed for SLalln and LhaL conLlnuous paymenLs Lo hlm were requlred Lo
malnLaln Lhe sLablllLy of Lhe coallLlon agalnsL Lhe Axls

Slnce Lhe war Lhe comblnaLlve naLure of socleLy appears Lo be resolvlng world pollLlcs lnLo a Lwoman
game Lach
slde ls engaged ln clarlfylng lLs lnner organlzaLlonalbelL on dlfferenL eLhlcal soclal and pollLlcal
prlnclplesand ln
conducLlng lLs ouLer sLruggle ln a coldwar duel ?eL noL every player on Lhe world scene ls commlLLed
so LhaL Lhe
Lhreeormoreperson game remalns Lhe model of lnLernaLlonal affalrs

Some games end ln revoluLlons from whlch someLhlng may be learned Any lncome dlsLrlbuLlon ls
under aLLack ln
socleLy 8evoluLlons are based ln good parL upon organlzlng and exLendlng exlsLlng soclal hosLlllLles on
Lhe model of
anoLher and dlfferenL" dlsLrlbuLlon ?eL socleLles wlLh lnequlLable dlsLrlbuLlon dlssaLlsfacLlon and
lnner confllcL
show sLablllLy for long perlods of Llme

Came Lheory models lndlcaLe LhaL an lnequlLable organlzaLlon ls proLecLed by a klnd of slmllarlLy of
alLernaLlve arrangemenLs A coallLlon cannoL be broken excepL by a vasLly dlfferenL dlsLrlbuLlon whlch ls
dlfllculL Lo devlse lf Lhe revoluLlonarles flnd a slLuaLlon ln whlch Lhelr proposals can prevall Lhey
lmmedlaLely ccme under aLLack and once Lhe revoluLlon ls ln moLlon lL ls dlfflculL Lo make lL sLable LhaL
ls Lo Pave a dlsLrlbuLlon LhaL can no longer be upseL All dlsLrlbuLlons become unsLaavble as compeLlng
groups seek Lhelr own revoluLlons ln a mulLlpllclLy of posslble arrangemenLs

1hls suggesLs a posslble cause of Lhe absoluLe and represslve soluLlons found respecLlvely by napoleon
and SLalln ln
Lhe lrench and 8usslan revoluLlons 8oLh revoluLlons began ln good parL wlLh wldespread llberLarlan
moLlves and reached an opposlLe concluslon 1he lnLermedlaLe sLruggles lncludlng such modern
reflnemenLs as purge Lrlals may reflecL Lhe forceful ellmlnaLlon of alLernaLlve soluLlons

1he model suggesLs also Lhe raLlonale of democraLlc soclallsL graduallsm whlch seeks Lo avold Lhe
problem of resLorlng order by maklng changes ln Lhe dlrecLlon of soclallsm wlLhouL upseLLlng Lhe whole
order aL once 1hls of course ls speculaLlon qulLe aparL from Lhe sLrlcL maLhemaLlcal LreaLlse

SLraLegy ln oker 8uslness War !ohn Mcuonald

hLLp//Lco/8k!80cfL