"At the same time, it cannot be denied that things would have gone very differently had Lenin survived or had Trotsky or Bukharin (particularly Bukharin). Stalin’s personality is obviously a central factor to take into account. It is a cruel fact of life that unscrupulousness confers a decided advantages in struggles for power."Sheehan, Helena (23 January 2018). Marxism and the Philosophy of Science: A Critical History. Verso Books. p. 236. ISBN978-1-78663-428-3.
"Neither Trotsky nor Bukharin would have pursued anything like Stalin’s pseudo-revolutionary “third period” foreign policy and his connivance in the advent of Hitler, another product of his political manoeuvring against the Bukharinists".Daniels, Robert V. (1 October 2008). The Rise and Fall of Communism in Russia. Yale University Press. p. 396. ISBN978-0-300-13493-3. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
"Neither Trotsky nor Bukharin would have pursued anything like Stalin’s pseudo-revolutionary “third period” foreign policy and his connivance in the advent of Hitler, another product of his political manoeuvring against the Bukharinists".Daniels, Robert V. (1 October 2008). The Rise and Fall of Communism in Russia. Yale University Press. p. 396. ISBN978-0-300-13493-3. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
