About
Leon Trotsky, born Lev Davidovich Bronstein in 1879 in the Russian Empire, was a Marxist theorist and leader. A key member of the Bolshevik party, he organized the October Revolution of 1917 and founded the Red Army, which he commanded during the civil war. After Lenin's death, he opposed Stalin, was removed from power and exiled in 1929. He developed the theory of permanent revolution and founded the Fourth International in 1938. Assassinated in Mexico in 1940 by a Soviet agent, he left a major historical and political legacy.
* 1879-10-26 — † 1940-08-21
Major works
- Results and Prospects (1906)essay
- Literature and Revolution (1925)essay
- My Life: An Attempt at an Autobiography (1930)autobiography
- History of the Russian Revolution (1931-1933)history
- The Revolution Betrayed (1936)essay
Key milestones
- 1917Organizes the Bolshevik seizure of power in October in Petrograd.
- 1918Founds and commands the Red Army as People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs.
- 1929Exiled from the Soviet Union after his political defeat by Stalin.
Themes
permanent revolutionstruggle against Stalinismmilitary organizationcritique of bureaucracyinternationalism
Sources: britannica.com · gla.ac.uk · catdir.loc.gov