Complex sentence: Martemyan Ryutin was secretary of the local Communist Party in 1932, when the Ryutin Affair occurred; this was one of the last attempts to block Joseph Stalin's rise to power from within the party.
Split into simpler sentences: Martemyan Ryutin was secretary of the local Communist Party in 1932, when the Ryutin Affair occurred. This was one of the last attempts to block Joseph Stalin's rise to power from within the party.