When Lenin was exiled in 1912, he appointed Stalin to serve on the first Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party. Later on in 1917 the Bolsheviks seized power and overthrew Russia. The overthrow led to the formation of the Soviet Union in 1922 with Lenin in control. During Lenin's control, Stalin continued to move up in the rankings. When Stalin became secretary general of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in 1922, he was able to create political support by surrounding himself with allies who have government jobs. His support let him become the dictator of the Soviet Union after Lenin died in
