Leon Trotsky
- 1. Leon Trotsky
- 2. Who Was He? • Born November 7, 1879 in Kirovohrad, Ukraine. • Full name: Lev Davidovich Bronshtein. • He was a writer, a communist, a leader in the 1917 Russian Revolution, a people’s commissar, and the head of the Red Army.
- 3. What Was He A Part Of? • He joined Social Democratic Party, which split into two factions. • Became member of the Menshevik (minority) faction. • There, he developed his theory of permanent revolution.
- 4. His Introduction to Marxism • Marxism: the political, economic, and social, theories of Karl Marx including the belief that the struggle between social classes is a major force in history and that there will eventually be a society where there are no classes. • Trotsky skipped to school to talk with political exiles and he read many illegal books. • He met people who had revolutionary ideas, which led to the development of his own.
- 5. The 1917 Russian Revolution • He lead the communist faction. • He became a war commissioner. • He eventually joined the Bolshevik (majority) party and became an ally of Vladimir Lenin, leader of the new Soviet government. • Trotsky became second to Lenin.
- 6. People’s Commissar • He became a people’s commissar for his new role in government. • He was responsible for negotiating a peace treaty with Russia so that they wouldn’t participate in World War I. • This led to him becoming a commissar of the army and navy after he resigned his position.
- 7. The Red Army • After becoming the commissar of the army and navy, Trotsky raised a powerful new army, which was called the Red Army. • Red Army: early beneficiary of two ongoing sources of strength for communist Russia; a willingness to use people of humble background, but great ability and an ability to inspire mass loyalty in the name of a brighter communist future. • Recruited able generals and masses of loyal conscripts. • Red Army fought and won against White Russian forces in the civil war, which kept the Bolshevik regime alive.
- 8. Tension With Joseph Stalin • When Lenin’s health started deteriorating, the people started questioning who his successor would be. • Trotsky seemed to be a good choice because of his success. • However, Trotsky was very arrogant, grating him very few friends. • His Jewish background went against him. • Once Lenin died, a man named Joseph Stalin came and politically outmaneuvered Trotsky. • This led to Trotsky’s downfall and exile out of the country.
- 9. Exile • Trotsky was first exiled to Alma-Ata, which is now Almaty, Kazakhstan. • Soon after, he was banned from the entire Soviet Union. • He continued writing books, articles, and memoirs regarding revolutionary ideas. • He also criticized Stalin, which caused him to name Trotsky a conspirator in taking him out of power. • Throughout the years that followed, Trotsky lived in Turkey, France, Norway. • He eventually ended up in Mexico, where he spent his final days.
- 10. His Death • Trotsky escaped the first assassination attempt by Stalin on May 24, 1940. • On August 20, 1940, Ramon Mercader murdered Trotsky with an ice pick. • A day later, Trotsky died due to his injuries at the age of 60. • Mercador assassinated Trotsky by the orders of Joseph Stalin.
Editor's Notes
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