Among the circles of the new left is often discussed a letter from Lenin, which one wants to identify as Lenin’s last will or Lenin’s will. Whoever wants to identify him like that is pretty easy to answer: Trotskyists and other anti-Leninist forces who call themselves “leftists”. Allegedly, the content of this letter is that Stalin should be removed from the post of Secretary-General. That the sole consideration of only this letter of March 5, 1923, is thoroughly undialectic, I do not have to explain to anyone here, except for the people who really see this letter as Lenin’s Testament.
But what are the circumstances under which this letter was written? First, this letter was not written, but dictated by Lenin. Lenin suffered strokes and was unable to work. When Lenin suffered the first stroke, the CC decided that Stalin, Bukharin, Kamenev, and Zinoviev made decisions that saved him because of Lenin’s health. The following decisions were taken:
-Lenin is allowed to dictate for 5-10 minutes daily, but not in correspondence.
– Friends, family and other visitors must not report him on politics.
It was decided that Stalin should now be responsible for Lenin’s health. Since Lenin is out of the political life, Lenin was of course quite annoyed. In December 1922 N. Krupskaya broke the rules for Lenin’s health and told Lenin about the political life. The next night Lenin suffered another stroke. Stalin called Krupskaya and reprimanded them. In March 1923, Stalin again called Krupskaya. Lenin asked Krupskaya who had called. She answered that it was Stalin and they had gotten along. Lenin then asked what it was all about, so Krupskaya explained the situation to him. When Lenin learned that Stalin had roughly addressed his wife, he immediately dictated the letter, describing Stalin as rude.
To say that Lenin and Stalin were enemies would be nonsensical, because this letter proves nothing at all. So Lenin demanded cyanide tablets, and that of Stalin! So Lenin has entrusted his wish to none other than Stalin.
The assertion that Lenin’s letter of March 5, 1923 is a testament or final paper shows that the people who claim this have no idea of Lenin and the party. Lenin himself did not see this letter as a testament, but as a normal letter to the party. This question was also already clarified by the party itself (there is also a source in the appendix). So, when people come along and say on no basis that Lenin’s “will” is directed against Stalin, or Lenin’s letter of 5 March 1923 is a testament, it shows that these people are undialectical and against the Leninist principle of democratic centralism violated.
Sources:
https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1927/10/23.htm
Voices Of The Revolution 