Leon Trotsky

True believer in Marxism.
Utopian society built on Communism.
He was sidelined by Stalin.
He was assassinated by a woman.
Born 7th November,1879.
Parents were from Ukrainian, village Yankova.

His birth name was Lev (Leon) Bronstein.

Language he spoke was mixture of Russian and Ukrainian.
But he had a love for Russian language and literature.
He was sent into a Jewish school but was not fluid in Yiddish. Modern Jews speak, Hebrew, English and more importantly Russian
His reading like Leo Tolstoy made him to challenge orthodoxy.
He moved to Nicolova which was center of dissent.
Met Aleksandra Sokolovskaya and she was the only person who could challenge his views.
She argued "Is it Marxism which is best for Russian Society?".

He was jailed for striking union member in 1898.
Married in 1900.
1900 banished to Siberia for his radical ideas.
Had two children, both girls.

He wanted get out of the purgatory.

Found a false passport and changed his name to Leon Trotsky to escape from Siberia. Name comes from a jailors name in Odessa.

Made his way to London and met Vladimir Lenin.
Lenin took him as the writer for his newspaper, Ikstra.
Went to France met his second wife, Natalia Sedova.
Came to London and attended the second council of the " Workers Congress".

Mensheviks
Mens of the minority.
Moderates of the two factions.
Envisioned the gradual transmission to Communism.

Bolsheviks
Mens of the majority.
Far more radical.
Dismantle the current system immediately.
Prepared to stage violent uprising.
Lenin wanted to create a centralized power structure to control the masses.
This decision was troubling for Trotsky who it was similar to and replacement of capitalist control of workers.

1905 Russia suffered a humiliating defeat to Japan.
Protesters gathered near Tsar Nicholas Palace. Cavalry was sent and rioters were routed.
Bolsheviks saw this as the trigger they were waiting for.

General strike of October, 1905.
Lenin and Trotsky were relocated to Pietersberg (north west of Moscow bordering Baltic sea).
Begining of Soviet workers councils.
Trotsky was again taken in a prisoner.
Exiled to Siberia. He escaped again in 1907.
Pravda
London then to Vienna in Austria.
Started working on Communist Paper Pravda.
Len agreed with a replacement of a Bolshevik as an assistant editor.
Lenin purged the moderates but Trotsky remained in opposition.
Around 1912 wrote to several radical papers.
He was sent cover the Balkan War.
Located himself in Paris. He was expelled from France and went to Spain and expelled from Spain.
Ended up in United States.
Bronx in New York in 1917.
Tsar Nicholas was overthrown.
October Revolution in 1917.

1.Distrust the bourgeoisie.
2. Control our own leaders.
3. Gather confidence in Revolution.

Voted as the Governor of Pietersburg.
Provisional government failed.
He became the second most powerful man of Bolsheviks.
Immediate task was to get Russia out of the war.
Russians give the claims for Ukraine, Poland, Lituania, Latvia and Belarus.
Countries convinced Lenin and Trotsky to not to sign the armistice.
We declare we end the war but we will not sign an armistice.

Austrian and Germans invaded Russia.
Czechoslovakian army returning from war revolted against Bolsheviks 
This "White Army"was made of volunteers Christians from the Church.

White Guard from Finland to save King Nicholas.

Royal family was kept captive.
Order came to kill the entire royal family of 7.
In 1919 Russia was in crisis due to civil war.
Disease, famine and poverty decimated the population.
The White Army was pressing up to Moscow.

White Army was consecrated in Siberia.

With determination Trotsky defeated the invaders.
Petersburg was saved.
1922 Lenin had a massive stroke.
Lenin held on until the 24th January, 1924.
Trotsky was the natural choice but Josef Stalin took over by force.

He expelled Trotsky from Communist Party and was to be sent to Kazakhstan.
He was later sent to Turkey and he was treated with respect, there.
Trotsky wrote Revolution Betrayed.
Hitler and Stalin.
Stalin seek my death.

August 24th 1940 a man hit him with a ice spike. He fought the man but said he would die of this attack.

He was street fighter and a thug.
His iron fist on Russia betrayed Trotsky and Russians.