LEON TROTSKY

EARLY LIFEwas born Lev Davidovich Bronstein on November 7,

Leon Trotsky
1879 in Yanovka, Ukraine, part of the Russian Empire. David and Anna
Bronstein, his parents, were prosperous Jewish farmers. At age 8,
Trotsky went to school in Odessa. He moved to Nikolayev, Ukraine in
1896 for his final year in school, where he became enthralled with
Marxism.

YOUNG ADULT
Trotsky helped found the South Russian Workers’ Union in 1897, but
was arrested within a year. He spent two years in prison before
being tried, convicted, and sent to Siberia for a four-year sentence.
In prison, he met and married Alexandra Lvovna, a co-revolutionary
who had also been sentenced to Siberia. They had two daughters
while they were there.

BECOMING LEON
Leon Trotsky escaped exile after serving two years of his sentence in 1902. This was when
he took on the name Leon Trotsky, a moniker he used the rest of his life. He moved to
London, England, where he joined the Socialist Democratic Party and met Vladimir Lenin.
Trotsky married his second wife, Natalia Ivanovna, in 1903 and they had two sons
together. There were often disputes among the early years of the Social Democratic
Party among the party’s leadership, Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, over its form and
strategy. Leon Trotsky sought 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 viewed as disloyal.
REBELLIONS
Unarmed demonstrators who marched against the Russian Tsar were killed by the
Imperial Guard on January 22, 1905. Leon Trotsky returned to Russia to support the
uprisings and became a leader of the movement by the end of 1905. The rebellion was
crushed in December and Trotsky was arrested and sent to Siberia again. He put on a
spirited defense at his trial and increased his popularity among the party’s elite. Trotsky
escaped prison in January 1907, and traveled to Europe, where he spent 10 years in exile in
various cities, including Vienna, Zurich, Paris, and New York. He spent much of his time
writing for Russian revolutionary journals, including Pravda, and advocating an anti-war
policy.
REBELLIONS
Russian Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown in February 1917. Trotsky set out for Russia
from New York, but Okhrana (the Tsar’s secret police) persuaded British authorities to
have him detained in Halifax, Canada. He was held there for a month until the Russian
provisional government demanded his release. After arriving in Russia in May 1917, Trotsky
quickly addressed some of the problems forming in post-revolutionary Russia. He
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disapproved of the provisional government, feeling it was ineffective. Alexander

Kerensky, the new prime minister, saw Trotsky as a major threat and had him arrested.
Trotsky was admitted to the Bolshevik Party while in jail and was released soon after. He
was elected as the chairman of the Petrograd Soviet, a strong hold of dissent against
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the provisional government.

THE SOVIET COUNCIL OF PEOPLE’S COMMISARS
The provisional government was overthrown in November 1917. The Soviet Council of People’s
Commissars was formed, with Vladimir Lenin elected chairman. Trotsky’s first role in the
new government was serving as commissar for foreign affairs and making peace with the
Germans. Lenin and Trotsky did not agree on how to work with Germany, so Trotsky
resigned.

BOLSHEVIKS
Once the Bolsheviks took control of the Soviet government, Lenin ordered the formation
of the Red Army. Leon Trotsky was named its leader. The army’s first orders were to
neutralize the White Army, who were Socialist revolutionaries who were 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 Bolsheviks finally won the Civil War in
late 1920, ensuring Bolshevik control of the Soviet government. The White Army
surrendered and Trotsky was elected to be a member of the Communist Party central
committee. He was positioned as the Soviet Union’s number-two man, next to Lenin.

LENIN’S DEATH
By 1922, Vladimir Lenin suffered his first stroke and questions
arose over who would succeed him. Leon Trotsky had an
excellent reputation as a military leader and administrator. He
seemed to be the obvious choice to succeed Lenin. However, he
had offended many in the Communist Party’s executive
committee, the Politburo. A group of Politburo members, led by
Joseph Stalin, joined forces to oppose him. Lenin tried to counter
some of Stalin’s influence between 1922 and 1924 and support
Trotsky on several occasions. A third stroke virtually silence
Lenin though, and Stalin was free to push Trotsky out of power.
Lenin died on January 21, 1924 and Trotsky was isolated and
alone, having been outmaneuvered by Stalin. From that point,
Trotsky was steadily pushed out of important roles in the Soviet
government, and eventually pushed out of the country.

EXILE AND DEATH

In October of 1927, Trotsky was expelled from the Central Committee and exiled the
following January to the very remote Alma-Ata, located in present-day Kazakhstan. This
was apparently not far enough for Stalin though, because Trotsky was entirely banished
from the Soviet Union in February of 1929. Trotsky lived in Turkey, France, and Norway
over the next seven years, before arriving in Mexico City. Trotsky continued to write and
criticize Joseph Stalin and the Soviet government. Stalin set out to assassinate Trotsky. In
early 1940, Trotsky’s health was failing and he knew he was a marked man, so he wrote a
testament expressing his final thoughts on Stalin. Trotsky was sitting at his desk in his
study in Mexico City on August 20, 1940. Ramon Mercader, an undercover agent for the
Soviet Union’s secret police attacked Trotsky with a mountaineering ice ax. This punctured
his skull and he was taken to the hospital. Trotsky died a day later at the age of 60.

REPUTATION
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Leon Trotsky was discredited in the Soviet Union for decades, as a result of Stalin’s
hatred and his totalitarian control. 10 years after the collapse of the Soviet
government, in 2001, Trotsky’s reputation was officially “rehabilitated” by the Russian
government. His reputation of being a brilliant intellect of the Communist Revolution,
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tireless worker, rousing public speaker, and decisive administrator was restored.
Name_________________________________________

LEON
SIGNIFICANT PEOPLE: Each person/group below had an impact on Leon

TROTSKY
Trotsky’s life. Determine whether their role was positive or negative and write
what their role was.

PERSON + OR - ROLE

1. South Russian
Workers’ Union

2. Vladimir Lenin

3. Alexandra
Lvovna

4. Natalia Ivanovna

5. Bolshevik Party

6. Red Army

7. Joseph Stalin
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8. Ramon
Mercader
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TRUE OR FALSE?: Place a check in the correct column.
Statement T F
9. Leon Trotsky was jailed and exiled several times during his life.
10. Leon Trotsky was Vladimir Lenin’s choice to succeed him.
11. Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin were good friends.
12. Leon Trotsky was assassinated while living in Mexico City.
13. Leon Trotsky was born into a poor Jewish family.
14. Leon Trotsky was born and died in Russia.
15. Leon Trotsky’s reputation in Russia was restored in 2001.

MULTIPLE CHOICE: Choose the best answer from the choices provided.

16. What is main reason the author wrote this selection?

A. To persuade the reader that Leon Trotsky was a good man.
B. To inform the reader of major events that occurred in Leon Trotsky’s life.
C. To entertain the reader with an interesting story about Leon Trotsky.
D. To explain how Leon Trotsky became a powerful leader in Russia.

17. Which best summarizes paragraph “Exile and Death”?

A. Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin became good friends after Lenin’s passing.
B. Leon Trotsky was kicked out of Russia by Stalin, and then assassinated.
C. Leon Trotsky lived in many different countries after being kicked out of Russia.
D. Leon Trotsky was assassinated by an undercover agent for the Soviet Union.

18. How does the author organize the selection?

A. By presenting events that occurred in Leon Trotsky’s life in chronological order.
B. By explaining how Leon Trotsky was killed by an undercover agent.
C. By providing details how Leon Trotsky rose to power in Russia.
D. By stating historical facts about Leon Trotsky’s assassination.

19. “This was when he took on the name Leon Trotsky, a moniker he used the
rest of his life.” Which two words best help the reader determine the meaning of
moniker in the previous quote from the selection?
A. rest, used B. name, life
C. took, his D. Leon, life

20. Which sentence best supports that Leon Trotsky was a great leader?
A. It was there that he became enthralled with Marxism.
B. Trotsky helped found the South Russian Workers’ Union in 1897.
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C. Leon Trotsky had an excellent reputation as a military leader and administrator.

D. Trotsky’s first role in the new government was serving as commissar for
foreign affairs and making peace with the Germans.
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