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Leon Trotsky Лев Троцький | |
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| Born | Lev Davidovich Bronstein 7 November 1879 Yanovka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 21 August 1940 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Political orientation | Trotskyism |
Lev Davidovich Bronstein, better known as Leon Trotsky, was a controversial figure of the Russian Revolution who was later found to have disgraced himself be working in league with the fascists and U.S. intelligence services,[1] as revealed during the interrogations of the Moscow Trials.
Biographical sketch
Trotsky was known to have a flair for making speeches and being a charismatic person. For instance, he was reported to have spoken in Russian, French and German straight for an hour each when given an hour to defend his position. He was also known to have an aristocratic and condescending attitude, being described as a "loner" by M.N. Roy.
Pre-revolution activities
Early Life
Trotsky was a Menshevik from 1903 to 1905 and jointed the opportunist August Bloc in 1907.[2] In May 1917, Trotsky said he was not a Bolshevik.[3]
Activities following October Revolution
Trotsky joined the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution but soon went in opposition to Lenin and was expelled from the party in 1927. He argued that Stalin's government had entered a stage of bureaucracy and believed that terrorism against the Soviet Union was inevitable.[4]
Exile
After being exiled from the Soviet Union, Trotsky offered to provide information to U.S. intelligence services in exchange for political asylum in the United States. The U.S. refused to give him asylum and he moved to Mexico. He gave U.S. officials in Mexico information about communists and Comintern agents and received financial contributions from wealthy Statesians.
In 1932, Trotsky organized an anti-Leninist opposition bloc that included Trotskyists, Zinovievites, and left-communists.
In the 1930s, Trotsky argued that the Soviet Union would inevitably lose the upcoming Second World War to Japan and Nazi Germany. He believed that it was necessary to overthrow the Soviet government to save the country from encircling capitalist armies.[4]
Theoretical criticisms
Trotsky claimed that socialism in one country was impossible.[4] Trotsky underplayed the importance of the national question He went on to stand the middle ground during the polemics between Lenin and
Legacy
Trotskyism has proven to be a major diversion in the workers' movement even after his death, failing to organise
References
- ↑ "Trotsky and Rivera were informants of the US government – American Researchers reveal" (2015-06-20). Stalin Society of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
- ↑ TheFinnishBolshevik (2016-12-20). "Stalin & the myth of the ”Old Bolsheviks”" ML-Theory. Archived from the original on 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
- ↑ Leon Trotsky (1917). Mezhrayontsi Conference (p. 303).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 TheFinnishBolshevik (2022-07-03). "Analyzing the Moscow Trials" ML-Theory. Retrieved 2022-07-23.