Describe the significant events in the life of the Twentieth Century personality

you have studied

Leon Trotsky born, Lev Bronstein was born on 26 October 1879, in the southern
Ukrainian province of Kherson. Levs education was one of frustration and
disappointment and he was socially alienated by his peers. Form the age of nine
his academic ability improved immensely with Lev even going to university.
Whilst at university Lev was introduced to socialism and assisted in the formation
of The Southern Russian Workers Union.

With this he was arrested, exiled finally escaped to London in 1902 under the
pseudonym of Trotsky, he met with Lenin and began working at Iskra.
1903 saw the split of the party where Trotsky sided against Lenin and joined the
Mensheviks, because he believed Lenins ideals would lead to a dictatorship.
The events of the 1905 revolution and Bloody Sunday were significant in
Trotsky's career.

He secretly returned to Russia where he used his political and organisational

skills as well as being elected chairman on the St Petersburg Soviet. In
December 1905 he was again arrested after showing his public support of the
Bolsheviks during his imprisonment Trotsky developed the idea of Permanent
revolution he argued that a revolution could not survive in one country for long
it would need an ally.

In May 1917 Trotsky returns to Russia and witnesses food shortages and
violence in the streets. By now both Trotsky and Lenin believe that the time is
right for a socialist revolution. Trotskys life includes the significant role he played
in the 1917 revolution. Initially he persuaded Lenin to hold off the revolution until
November because he believed that the time and place for the transfer of power
was the Second Annual all Russian Congress of the soviets so that the
Bolsheviks could claim that they were claiming power for the Soviets.

Trotsky did this because he believed that the people would not support the
Bolsheviks but would support the Soviet Power.
During the 1917 revolution Trotsky established and controlled the Military so the
Bolsheviks could familiarise themselves with all issues of defence and the ability
to supervise the arming of the workers. The control of the committee became a
key vehicle for controlling the essential armed power and forcing the transfer of
power.
Brest-Litovsk was another significant event in Trotskys career; he was the main
man, the negotiator that held the Germans off. .
During the civil war in his role of Commissar for foreign affairs he abandoned his
ideology to ensure a communist victory. He also led the Red army against the
Kronstadt Soldiers Revolt.

After the death of Lenin, Trotsky lost the power struggle to Stalin, was expelled
from the communist party then eventually exiled from Russia. He continued to
openly criticise Stalin until his assassination by Ramon Mercarder in 1940.
Trotsky achieved a lot of things during his career as a committed Bolshevik and
it shows through his inspiration and idealism. Those who are inspired by an ideal
rather than self-interest DO make the biggest impact on history.

It is unquestionably true that idealists do have a greater impact on history than

those who are motivated by self-interest alone. For example, Trotskys influence
on Russian history was far greater than that of Stalin up until 1924 who was a
ruthless leader. Trotsky was alert to the fact that revolutions happened in
industrialized, wealthy nations or just not a backward country like Russia. After
the 1905 revolution during which Trotsky was the head of the St. Petersburg
Soviet, he realized that the opportunities for a revolution were few and far
between. After the disappointment of 1905 Trotsky thought that the Bolsheviks
should grab the opportunity and go.

After the success of the 1917 revolution in which Trotsky played a major part
historians such as Lynch believe That Trotskys single greatest achievement
remains his organisation of the October Revolution whilst soviet historians like to
believe Lenin and Trotsky were in a quandary about how to rapidly industrialize
Russia and make the pro-lateriat the principal class. Lenin developed a practical,
domestic solution to this dilemma New Economic Policy but Trotsky preferred
a theoretical, international approach which was inspired by an ideal and not self-
interest.
According to his theory of permanent revolution, the Bolshevik seizure of power
would be the revolution which would set other revolutions in motion s in the
advanced, capitalist nations particularly Germany. Those nations would then
provide Russia with the aid it needed to develop. According to Trotskyist
historians, the October Revolution was the first example of a successful
Permanent Revolution.

The October Revolution took place because the bourgeoisie, which had taken
power, had not been able to solve any of the tasks asked of them. However
historians such as Christian believe that Trotsky only picked up on the phrase
permanent revolution from Marx and had not developed it himself. Trotsky was
inspired by the ideal of permanent revolution which has made a bigger impact on
history because it brought the Bolsheviks to power. Trotsky was dedicated to the
Bolshevik cause even if he didnt like all their theories he maintained his own of
permanent revolution through his writings such as in Iskra and Pravda.

His ideal was to achieve a revolution, overthrow the Tsar, and he did achieve this.
He put this above his self interests of ultimate power of the party and he risked
his own self interest of security and comfort and risked his own life for the party,
thus his ideals are put above everything else but Soviet historians even though
he achieved this believe that he was sabotaging soviet programs and he was
literally scrubbed out of history.

Trotskys other contribution to communist ideology was his assessment of

changes made to the Bolshevik Partys internal structure by Lenin following the
Kronstadt Rebellion in 1921. Lenin had forbidden factions within the Party, as a
means of amalgamating it at a time of political unrest. Although Trotsky had led
the attack on the Kronstadt battalion, he objected to any permanent reduction in
democratic processes within the Party.
This, he believed, would lead to dictatorship, without a leader like Lenin but
historians such as Pipes claim that Trotsky was attempting to destroy party unity.
Trotskys ideals formed his life and he didnt do anything for self-interest for
example in his early writings at Iskra and Pravda he developed his theory of
permanent revolution and tried to get the socialist voice heard even though his
passion was in mathematics which he was extremely capable of, he put his
ideals of a revolution and permanent revolution first even though they might get
him imprisoned.

During the power struggle between Trotsky and Stalin, Trotsky was again putting
his ideals over that of self-interest. Stalin used Trotsky's theory of Permanent
Revolution against him. Stalin had attacked Trotskys theory because the
Comintern that was already set up in 1919 had already backed several attempts
at revolution in European countries over the past five years, and all had failed.
Trotsky's theory therefore looked unfeasible but he was merely putting the ideals
and the protection of the party at heart because he wanted a Permanent
revolution over the socialism in one country of Stalin. Trotsky had also lost the
support from the majority of party members.

Historians such as Deutscher believe that Trotsky did not question Stalins attack
and merely accepted because he felt secure in his role and depict Trotsky as a
Fallen Titan whilst Historians such as Pipes believe that Trotsky was an
arrogant character but had realised it was useless to challenge Stalin as well as
being outsmarted.

The view that those who are inspired by an ideal rather then self-interest make
the biggest impact on history is supported to a great extent through the study of
Trotsky some historians believe Trotsky to be the real leader of the Russian
Revolution because of his heart was in securing a revolution. The acts he was
inspired from ideals were out of interest for his country. His power struggle with
Stalin is not what he is remembered for;

he is remembered for his undying commitment to the ideal of communism and

countries soviets working together to achieve communism internationally
Trotskys ideals can be best summed up in the words of Kilne Trotsky was a
giant, certainly a giant of the 20th century and Kudriashov because of his
theoretical brilliance Trotsky was a greater Bolshevik than the whole CPSU.
Therefore it can be seen that idealists have, in general, had a far greater impact
on history than realists, opportunists and those motivated by power and self-
interest.