LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Molotov: Communist Party
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During the power struggles which followed Lenin's death in 1924, Molotov remained a loyal supporter of Stalin against his various rivals: first Leon Trotsky, later Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev and finally Nikolai Bukharin. He became a leading figure in the "Stalinist centre" of the party, which ... included Kliment Voroshilov, Lazar Kaganovich, Sergo Ordzhonikidze and Sergei Kirov. Trotsky and his supporters underestimated Molotov as many others did. Trotsky called him "mediocrity personified", but his outward dullness concealed a sharp mind and great administrative talent. He operated mainly behind the scenes and cultivated an image as a colorless bureaucrat - for example, he was the only Bolshevik leader who always wore a suit and tie (as Lenin's attire routine changed in the later years).
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Molotov was involved but did not play a leading part in the Bolshevik revolution in October 1917. In March 1918 Molotov became chairman of the Sovnarkhoz (Economic Council) for the northern provinces... assuming responsibility for economic affairs in the Petrograd area. In 1919, during the civil war, he was in command of a river steamer charged with spreading Bolshevik propaganda in provinces newly liberated from the White armies. He then spent short spells as a party representative in Nizhny Novgorod and the Donbass.
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-That Molotov even though he was elected to the Presidium of the CC in the 19th Congress was not included by the Plenum of the CC into the smaller Politburo (which incidentally was not made public then). His relations with Stalin ... cooled off during the period 1948-53. Molotov is most intrigued by this exclusion and at various times attributes it to his wife's arrest and exile, intrigue by lower party bureaucrats, his alleged rightist deviation on the issue of procurement prices in the pre-war period etc. He was also removed as the Foreign Minister during this period. He was however informed of the safety of his wife by Beria secretly.
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After Stalin's death, Molotov's hardline ideas were used against him when Krushchev called for a "peaceful coexistence" with the United States. Molotov was soon relieved of all duties and even kicked out of the Communist Party. He lived in obscurity until his death in 1986, two years before the death of his fellow revolutionary, Malenkov.
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Molotov began his political activity as a student in Kazan during the Revolution of 1905 and joined the Bolsheviks in 1906. Three years later he was arrested and exiled to the north of Russia for a two-year term. In 1912 he joined Joseph STALIN in founding the party newspaper Pravda. Exiled to Siberia in 1915, he escaped a year later and helped to plan the 1917 revolution.
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After his release Molotov left Russia to join other Bolsheviks living in exile. He met Vladimir Lenin and it was agreed that he should return to St. Petersburg to organize the distribution of Zvezda, the party newspaper. Later Molotov was to become editorial secretary of Pravda.
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