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HOME   -   PEOPLE IN HISTORY A-Z   -   LEON TROTSKY

 
   


LEON TROTSKY 1879 - 1940

 

Leon Trotsky 1879-1940

Leon Trotsky, also spelled Trotskii, was originally Lev Davidovich Bronshtein. He was born in the Ukraine and assassinated in Mexico. In-between he was arguably the brightest of the Russian Revolutionaries.

His interpretation of  communism is called Trotskyism.

Here you can read  Trotsky's works online and for free.

Leon Trotsky was one of the main leaders in the  Russian October (November) Revolution of 1917.



Photo Top
Leon Trotsky around 1940, The Trotsky Archive, marxist.org

 

Leon Trotsky's Name

Lev Bronshtein was exiled to Siberia in 1898. He escaped and took with him the name of one of his prison guards, Trotsky.

 


Leon Trotsky's Family

Leon Trotsky's parents were Jewish. His father was David Bronshtein, a farmer. His mother was Anna Bronshtein. Bronshtein is also spelled Bronstein.

Trotsky had four siblings. Two died in infancy. An older brother and an older sister survived infancy.

In 1903, Trotsky married Natalya Sedova. They had two sons, Lev and Sergey.

 


Leon Trotsky and International Politics

From January 9, 1918, Trotsky headed the negotiations that would eventually result in the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. After this feat, Trotsky switched offices and became the People's Commissar of War.

 


Leon Trotsky as War Commissar

From March 1918, Trotsky was in charge of creating a functional Red Army to defend the progress of the Bolshevik Revolution. This army was put to the test during the Russian Civil War 1918-1920.

The Red Army was successful.

In March 1921, Trotsky led his troops to brutally crush the Kronshtadt Rebellion, also spelled Kronstadt Revolt.

Trotsky functioned as war commissar until November 1924.

 


Losing to Stalin

Lenin died in January 1924 and Josef Stalin was busy becoming god. Stalin put all potential rivals on a black list and Trotsky was on it. He was fired from the office of war commissioner in January 1925, from the Politburo in October 1926, from the party in 1927, and from the country in January 1929.

Looking for a new home, Trotsky and his wife Natalya Sedova found many doors closed. They eventually ended up in Mexico. Trotsky made friends with the famous painter Diego Rivera and even better friends with his wife, Frida Kahlo.


Leon Trotsky in Mexico 1940
TROTSKY WITH ADMIRERS IN MEXICO
(Harry De Boer and James H. Bartlett and their spouses)
U.S. National Archives

 

Being a revolutionary to the bone, Trotsky kept busy politically and of course, Stalin sent his goons to put an end to that. The first assassination attempt, a machine gun attack on Trotsky's residence, was unsuccessful. The second one, an ice pick skillfully swung by Ramón Mercader, got the job done.

Ramon Mercader served 20 years in Mexican prison. He was released in 1960 and Khrushchev declared him officially Hero of the Soviet Union.


Stalin being Stalin systematically killed Trotsky's family one by one.

 


 





 

Leon Trotsky's Short Biography
 

October 26, 1879
(November 7, 1879
old style)

 

Birth in Yanovka, Ukraine

     

18..

 

School in Odessa

     

1896

 

Moves to Nikolayev, joins the Social Democratic Party

     

1898 - 1902

 

Exiled to Siberia as Bronshtein, escapes as Trotsky, goes to London

     

1903

 

The Social Democratic Party splits into  Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. Trotsky joins the Mensheviks.

     

Early 1905

 

Returns to Russia to support the  Russian Revolution of 1905

     

Late 1905

 

Gets arrested

     

1906

 

Trial and exile to Siberia once again

     

1907 - 1914

 

Escapes again and goes to Vienna, works as a journalist

     

1914

 

WWI starts and Trotsky goes to Switzerland, then Paris

     

January 1917

 

France kicks him out and Trotsky goes to New York, works again as a journalist

     

May 1917

 

Returns to Russia to support the  Russian Revolution of 1917, becomes a Bolshevik

     

November 1917 - 1918

 

People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs

     

March 26, 1918
(March 13, 1918 
old style)

 

People's Commissar of War and Chairman of the Supreme War Council

     

January 15, 1925

 

Trotsky writes letter of resignation as War Commissar

     

January 17, 1925

 

Central Committee confirms Trotsky's resignation

     

January 26, 1925

 

Frunze named new War Commissar

     

1929

 

Trotsky exiled, goes to Turkey

     

1933

 

Goes to France

     

1935

 

Goes to Norway

     

1936

 

Goes to Mexico

     

August 21, 1940

 

Assassinated at Coyoacán, Mexico

     

 

Russian Civil Wars in a Nutshell

The Russian Revolution of 1905

The Russian Revolution of 1917

The Russian Civil War 1917-1920
 


 

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Timeline of the Russian Civil War 1918

Timeline of the Russian Civil War 1919

Timeline of the Russian Civil War 1920



 

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Georgy Lvov

Aleksey I. Rykov

Joseph Stalin

Leon Trotsky



 

 

 

 

 

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