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Part III: Personalities in the Twentieth Century Leon Trotsky 1879-1940

Describe the life of your chosen personality Leon Trotsky, formally known as Lev Davidovich Bronstein, was born on 26th October 1879 to a Jewish family living in the countryside of Ukraine. His father, Dayvd Leontiyevich Bronstein was an illiterate farmer and his mother, Anna Bronstein was a middle-class Jew from Odessa. His father’s anti-religious attitude led the family having little reference to Judaism instead identifying as a Russian and Ukrainian. In 1888, Trotsky was sent to Odessa to study at a realschule. He was coached by relative Moissey Filippovich. Trotsky was accused of insulting one of the teachers and was expelled for a short period of time. Following, Trotsky moved to a school in Nikolayev. He read revolutionary pamphlets and the Communist Manifesto, which was illegal to possess. Trotsky established the South Russian Workers’ Union. However, Trotsky and 200 others were arrested on 28 January 1898. Trotsky was sent to exile in Eastern Siberia for four years. He obtained a copy of Lenin’s treatise on the development of Russian capitalism. In 1902, Trotsky escaped exile travelling under a passport name of ‘Trotsky’, which would become his identity for the rest of his life. In 1903, Trotsky made the journey to London where he started writing for The Iskra which Lenin was the board member of. Trotsky was involved in the Second Congress of the Socialist Democratic Party in London in 1903, which later split. Despite obtaining deep respect for Lenin, Trotsky affiliated himself with the Mensheviks. He failed to reunite the Party. Trotsky married twice and had three children altogether. Upon hearing about revolution in 1905, Trotsky hastened back to St Petersburg, where he was nominated Deputy-Head of the Soviet. He soon became the President of the Soviet but within a week was exiled. It was while in exile that Trotsky first envisioned his theory of Permanent Revolution. In August 1912, Trotsky tried to restore unity within the Party after being expelled from the Bolshevik Party through a “unification” conference of Social Democratic factions in Vienna however this was unsuccessful. Trotsky denounced WW1 in January 1915 calling for ‘Peace without indemnities or annexations’. Trotsky continued to develop his reputation as a writer by writing stories for a radical Kiev newspaper in France and spoke at labour meetings. Trotsky arrived back in Russia in May 1917 following Tsar Nicholas II’s abdication in March 1917. Trotsky overlooked his disagreements with the Bolsheviks and became a member with Lenin in July 1917. This led to Trotsky’s involvement in the July Uprising of 1917. The Bolsheviks looked to Trotsky to lead them however in weeks, he was also arrested and imprisoned. Trotsky was later released with the Red Guard to defend the Provisional Government. Trotsky was elected as the Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet in October 1917, becoming a key figure in the organisation of the Revolution. He organised the Military Revolutionary Committee and recruited, armed and disciplined the Bolshevik Red Guard. Following, Trotsky became Commissar of Foreign Affairs and was the head of state delegation during peace negotiations at the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between December 1917 and February 1918. Trotsky was an international revolutionary. In the Civil War 1918-1920, Trotsky was Commissar of War and leader of the Red Army. He responded with full-fledged mobilisation, introduced severe penalties for desertion and used his oratory skills to inspire Red Army. At the end of the Tenth Party Congress, Trotsky organised and directed suppression of the Kronstadt Rebellion. As Lenin’s health detreated from 1922, Lenin proposed Trotsky become Deputy of the SOVNARKOM however he refused. After direction from Stalin, Trotsky didn’t attend Lenin’s funeral, painting him as an arrogant leader. In 1926, Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky formed the

Part III: Personalities in the Twentieth Century Leon Trotsky 1879-1940 United Opposition in response to his ommitence from Party discussion. In 1927, Stalin used the GPU to infiltrate and discredit opposition, including Trotsky. In October 1927, Trotsky was expelled from the Central Committee. Trotsky was exiled to Alma Ata on January 31 1928. He was expelled from the Soviet Union with his wife Natalia Sedova and son Leon Sedova in February 1929. In 1933, Trotsky was offered asylum in France by Daladier. Since he was no allowed to visit Paris in 1935, he moved to Norway. After two years, allegedly under influence of the Soviet Union, he was put under house arrest. He wrote History of the Russian Revolution (1932) and Revolution Betrayed (1937) while in exile. In 1938, Trotsky and his supporters founded the Fourth International. In 1939, he moved to Mexico City. On 24 May 1940, Trotsky survived a raid on his home by Stalinist assassins. On 20 August 1940, Trotsky was successfully attacked in his home by Stalinist agent, Ramon Mercader, who drive a pick ice axe into Trotsky's skull....