Joseph Stalin was not a theorist, but he was a consummate politician. In the 1920s, Marxist-Leninist
theoretical grounding
was a primary mode of legitimation for those who aspired to leadership of the Russian Communist Party. The paper shows that Stalin was, therefore, always able to elucidate an appropriate
theoretical pedigree for whatever he believed was the best
course for the new nation or, not incidentally, for his own political ends. The paper shows that Stalin's first Five Year Plan -- adopted, modified and approved between September 1928 and April 1929 -- was just such a course of action. It explains how he changed his previously stated intentions and ideologies in order to develop the Five Year Plan and remain in power as the leader of Communist Russia.