Vladimir Nevsky Lazar Kaganovich Bolshevik General Secretary
Stalin could play different roles to different audiences, and was adept at deception, often deceiving others as to his true motives and aims. According to Bolshevik historian, Vladimir Nevsky, Stalin was appointed the General Secretary because he used false rumours to convince Lenin that the party faced a split. Nesky also claimed that Lenin would later deeply regret trusting Stalin and strove to correct this mistake with his “Testament”. Several historians have seen it as appropriate to follow Lazar Kaganovich's description of there being "several Stalins" as a means of understanding his multi-faceted personality. He was a good organiser, with a strategic mind, and judged others according to their inner strength, practicality, and cleverness. He acknowledged that he could be rude and insulting, but he rarely raised his voice in anger; as his health deteriorated in later life he became increasingly unpredictable and bad-tempered. Despite his tough-talking attitude, he could be very charming; when relaxed, he cracked jokes and mimicked others. Montefiore suggested that this charm was "the foundation of Stalin's power in the Party". According Service he was "decisive, competent, confident, and ambitious".
