Quotes
“The end may justify the means, as long as
there is something that justifies the end.”
“Learning carries within itself certain
dangers because out of necessity one has to learn from one's enemies.”
“Ideas that enter the mind under fire
remain there securely and forever.”
Born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein on November 7, 1879, Leon
Trotsky's revolutionary activity as a young man spurred his first of several
ordered exiles to Siberia. He waged Russia's 1917 revolution alongside Vladimir
Lenin. As commissar of war in the new Soviet government, he helped defeat
forces opposed to Bolshevik control. As the Soviet government developed, he engaged
in a power struggle against Joseph Stalin, which he lost, leading to his exile
again and, eventually, his murder.
Early Life
Leon Trotsky was born Lev Davidovich Bronstein in Yanovka,
Ukraine—in the Russian Empire—on November 7, 1879. His parents, David and Anna
Bronstein, were prosperous Jewish farmers. When he was 8 years old, Trotksy
went to school in Odessa, then moved in 1896 to Nikolayev, Ukraine, for his
final year in school. While there, he became enthralled with Marxism.
In 1897, Trotsky helped found the South Russian Workers' Union.
He was arrested within a year and spent two years in prison before being tried,
convicted and sent to Siberia for a four-year sentence. While in prison, he met
and married Alexandra Lvovna, a co- revolutionary who had also been sentenced
to Siberia. While there, they had two daughters.
In 1902, after serving only two years of his sentence, Leon
Trotsky escaped exile, abandoning his wife and daughters. On forged papers, he
changed his name to Leon Trotsky, a moniker he would use the rest of his life.
He managed to make his way to London, England, where he joined the Socialist
Democratic Party and met Vladimir Lenin. In 1903, Leon Trotsky married his
second wife, Natalia Ivanovna. The couple had two sons.
Provisional Government
and Soviet Leadership
During the early years of the Social Democratic Party, there
were often disputes among the party's leadership over its form and strategy.
Vladimir Lenin argued for a small party of professional revolutionaries who
would lead a large contingent of non-party supporters. Julius Martov advocated
for a larger, more democratic organization of supporters. Leon Trotsky tried to
reconcile the two factions, resulting in numerous clashes with both groups'
leaders. Many of the Social Democrats, including the ambitious Joseph Stalin,
sided with Lenin. Trotsky's neutrality was seen as disloyal.
On January 22, 1905, unarmed demonstrators marching against the
Russian Tsar were killed by the Imperial Guard. When word reached Leon Trotsky,
he returned to Russia to support the uprisings. By the end of 1905, he had
become a leader of the movement. In December, the rebellion was crushed, and
Trotsky was arrested and once again sent to Siberia. At his trial, he put on a
spirited defense and increased his popularity among the party's elite. In
January 1907, Trotsky escaped prison and traveled to Europe, where he spent 10
years in exile in various cities, including Vienna, Zurich, Paris and New York,
spending much of the time writing for Russian revolutionary journals, including
Pravda, and advocating an anti-war policy.
After the overthrow of Russian Tsar Nicholas II, in February
1917, Trotsky set out for Russia from New York. However, Okhrana (the Tsar's
secret police) persuaded British authorities to have him detained at Halifax,
Canada. He was held there for a month, before the Russian provisional
government demanded his release. After he arrived in Russia in May 1917, he
quickly addressed some of the problems forming in post-revolutionary Russia. He
disapproved of the provisional government because he felt it was ineffectual.
The new prime minister, Alexander Kerensky, saw Trotsky as a major threat and
had him arrested. While in jail, Trotsky was admitted to the Bolshevik Party
and released soon after. He was elected chairman of the Petrograd Soviet, a
strong hold of dissent against the provisional government.
In November 1917, the provisional government was overthrown and
the Soviet Council of People's Commissars was formed, with Vladimir Lenin
elected chairman. Leon Trotsky’s first role in the new government was serving
as commissar for foreign affairs and making peace with the Germans. Talks began
in January 1918, and Germany had a long list of demands for territory and
reparations. Trotsky wanted to wait out the German government, in hopes that it
would be defeated by the Allies or suffer internal insurrection. However, Lenin
felt that peace with Germany needed to be made so they could concentrate on
building a communist government in Russia. Trotsky disagreed and resigned from
this post.
After the Bolsheviks took control of the Soviet government,
Lenin ordered the formation of the Red Army and appointed Leon Trotsky its
leader. The army's first orders were to neutralize the White Army (Socialist
revolutionaries opposed to Bolshevik control) during the Russian Civil War.
Trotsky proved to be an outstanding military leader, as he led the army of 3
million to victory. The task was difficult, as Trotsky directed a war effort
that was at times on 16 different fronts. It also didn't help that some members
of the Soviet leadership, including Lenin, became involved in military
strategy, redirecting the Red Army's efforts and countermanding some of
Trotsky's orders. In late 1920, the Bolsheviks finally won the Civil War,
ensuring Bolshevik control of the Soviet government. After the White Army
surrendered, Trotsky was elected a member of the Communist Party central
committee. He was clearly positioned as the Soviet Union's number-two man, next
to Lenin.
During the winter of 1920-21, as the Soviet government moved
from war to peace-time operations, an increasingly acrimonious debate grew over
the role of trade unions. Believing that the workers should have nothing
to fear from the government, Leon Trotsky advocated the state control the trade
unions. He reasoned that this would give officials a tighter control over labor
and facilitate a greater integration between government and the proletariat.
Lenin criticized Trotsky, accusing him of harassing the unions and abandoning
his support for the proletariat. A breach between the two developed and other
officials, including Joseph Stalin, took advantage, siding with Lenin to gain
favor. As Trotsky dug in and refused to modify his position, the dissention grew
and Lenin feared the conflict would splinter the party. At a meeting at the
Tenth Party Congress in March 1921, the issue came to a head when several of
Trotsky's supporters were replaced by Lenin's lieutenants. Trotsky finally
dropped his opposition and, to show his allegiance to Lenin, ordered the
suppression of the Kronstadt Rebellion (an uprising of sailors and longshoremen
protesting heavy-handed Bolshevik tactics). But the damage was done, and
Trotsky had lost much of his political influence over the dispute.
By 1922, the pressures of revolution and injuries from an
earlier assassination attempt had taken their toll on Vladimir Lenin. In May,
he suffered his first stroke and questions arose over who would succeed him.
Leon Trotsky had a stellar record as a military leader and administrator and
seemed the obvious choice among the rank and file membership of the Communist
Party. But he had offended many in the Politburo (the Communist Party's
executive committee), and a group of Politburo members, led by Joseph Stalin,
joined forces to oppose him. The previous month, Lenin had appointed Stalin to
the new post of Central Committee General Secretary. Though not a significant
post at the time, it gave Stalin control over all party-member appointments. He
quickly consolidated his power and started lining up allies against
Trotsky.
Between 1922 and 1924, Vladimir Lenin tried to counter some of
Stalin's influence and support Trotsky on several occasions. However, a third
stroke virtually silenced Lenin and Stalin was free to completely push Trotsky
out of power. Lenin died on January 21, 1924, and Trotsky was isolated and
alone, outmaneuvered by Stalin. From that point on, Trotsky was steadily pushed
out of important roles on Soviet government and, eventually, pushed out of the
country.
Between 1925 and 1928, Trotsky was gradually pushed from power
and influence by Stalin and his allies, who discredited Trotsky's role in the
Russian Revolution and his military record. In October 1927, Trotsky was
expelled from the Central Committee and exiled the following January to the
very remote Alma-Ata, located in present-day Kazakhstan. Apparently, that was
not far enough for Stalin, so in February, 1929, Trotsky was banished entirely
from the Soviet Union. Over the next seven years, he lived in Turkey, France
and Norway, before arriving in Mexico City.
Trotsky continued to write and criticize Joseph Stalin and the
Soviet government. During the 1930s, Stalin conducted political purges and
named Trotsky, in abstention, a major conspirator and enemy of the people. In
August 1936, 16 of Trotsky's allies were charged with aiding Trotsky in
treason. All 16 were found guilty and executed. Stalin then set out to
assassinate Trotsky. In 1937, Trotsky moved to Mexico, eventually settling in
Mexico City, where he continued to criticize Soviet leadership.
Death and Legacy
In the early months of 1940, Leon Trotsky's health was failing
and he knew he was a marked man. In February, he wrote a testament expressing
his final thoughts for posterity and forcibly denied Stalin's accusations. On
August 20, 1940, Trotsky was sitting at his desk in his study in Mexico City.
Ramon Mercader, an undercover agent for the Soviet Union's secret police,
attacked Trotsky with a mountaineering ice ax, puncturing his skull. He was
taken to the hospital, but died a day later, at the age of 60.
For decades, Leon Trotsky was discredited in the Soviet Union, the result of Stalin's hatred and his totalitarian control. However, 10 years after the collapse of the Soviet government, in 2001, Trotsky's reputation was officially "rehabilitated" by the Russian government. His legacy of being the most brilliant intellect of the Communist Revolution and his reputation as a tireless worker, rousing public speaker and decisive administrator was restored. Some historians believe if he had not subordinated himself to Lenin during the Bolshevik Revolution, the history of the Soviet Union might have been very different. However, Trotsky had allowed his intelligence and arrogance to antagonize those less able than himself, and in the end, alienated many around him, allowing deceitful men like Stalin to take advantage.
Source:
http://www.biography.com/people/leon-trotsky-9510793#death-and-legacy
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