...to carry on Lenin's legacy was a short-lived reality; once filled with his own sense of self-importance, Stalin wasted little time breaking out of what he deemed as the confines of Lenin's benchmark. There were many changes from the time Stalin took over for Lenin's leadership; however, it is clear by witnessing the style of leadership Stalin exhibited that he was greatly influenced by Lenin. In fact, it can readily be argued that Stalin did not take over after Lenin's death; rather, he ascended to it by way of taking example from the late leader's strategy (Pipes, 1994). Many have overtly contended that Lenin groomed Stalin by establishing a particular system of learning that ultimately enabled Stalin to carry forth a great deal of the typical daily government business, as well as tend to a number of domestic and foreign policy issues.
However, others assert that as Lenin neared the end, he "developed doubts" (Pipes, 1994, p. 150) concerning Stalin's ability to take over such a monumental task. There was...