This is the first attempt to systematically study the nature of the
political leadership system under Stalin. It focuses both on the formal
institutions of power, such as the Politburo, and on the informal
networks of decision-making that were a central feature of his system of
rule. It draws on a wealth of new archival material to highlight
Stalin's relations with his co-leaders and wider elite groups, and
offers different perspectives on the nature and degree of Stalin's
system of personal power.