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1905 by Leon Trotsky
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Leon Trotsky
1,096 books801 followersSee also Лев Троцкий
Russian theoretician Leon Trotsky or Leon Trotski, originally Lev Davidovitch Bronstein, led the Bolshevik of 1917, wrote Literature and Revolution in 1924, opposed the authoritarianism of Joseph Stalin, and emphasized world; therefore later, the Communist party in 1927 expelled him and in 1929 banished him, but he included the autobiographical My Life in 1930, and the behest murdered him in exile in Mexico.
The exile of Leon Trotsky in 1929 marked rule of Joseph Stalin.
People better know this Marxist. In October 1917, he ranked second only to Vladimir Lenin. During the early days of the Soviet Union, he served first as commissar of people for foreign affairs and as the founder and commander of the Red Army and of war. He also ranked among the first members of the Politburo.
After a failed struggle of the left against the policies and rise in the 1920s, the increasing role of bureaucracy in the Soviet Union deported Trotsky. An early advocate of intervention of Army of Red against European fascism, Trotsky also agreed on peace with Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. As the head of the fourth International, Trotsky continued to the bureaucracy in the Soviet Union, and Ramón Mercader, a Soviet agent, eventually assassinated him. From Marxism, his separate ideas form the basis of Trotskyism, a term, coined as early as 1905. Ideas of Trotsky constitute a major school of Marxist. The Soviet administration never rehabilitated him and few other political figures.
Russian theoretician Leon Trotsky or Leon Trotski, originally Lev Davidovitch Bronstein, led the Bolshevik of 1917, wrote Literature and Revolution in 1924, opposed the authoritarianism of Joseph Stalin, and emphasized world; therefore later, the Communist party in 1927 expelled him and in 1929 banished him, but he included the autobiographical My Life in 1930, and the behest murdered him in exile in Mexico.
The exile of Leon Trotsky in 1929 marked rule of Joseph Stalin.
People better know this Marxist. In October 1917, he ranked second only to Vladimir Lenin. During the early days of the Soviet Union, he served first as commissar of people for foreign affairs and as the founder and commander of the Red Army and of war. He also ranked among the first members of the Politburo.
After a failed struggle of the left against the policies and rise in the 1920s, the increasing role of bureaucracy in the Soviet Union deported Trotsky. An early advocate of intervention of Army of Red against European fascism, Trotsky also agreed on peace with Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. As the head of the fourth International, Trotsky continued to the bureaucracy in the Soviet Union, and Ramón Mercader, a Soviet agent, eventually assassinated him. From Marxism, his separate ideas form the basis of Trotskyism, a term, coined as early as 1905. Ideas of Trotsky constitute a major school of Marxist. The Soviet administration never rehabilitated him and few other political figures.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 18, 2025
I tend to give 5 stars to anything informative, but this could have been much shorter than it was. Trotsky likes to hear himself talk, and seems to be dramatic for emphasis. There’s plenty to be dramatic about, for sure, but just stick to the facts. Plus this could have been organized better if he wasn’t so concerned with self aggrandizement. Also was there any proof that he was being pursued in the final chapters? It was my understanding that exile escapees usually weren’t pursued because pursuit was pointless. Without resources the wilderness would do anyone in, plus they would just telegraph to be on the lookout for escapees at train stations/roadways.
Maybe I’m just a Trotsky hater, though.
Maybe I’m just a Trotsky hater, though.
November 4, 2025
“The Great Dress Rehearsal" of the "victory of the October Revolution in 1917”—V.I. Lenin
I just recently reread this for the first time since the early 1970s, which is when this translation came out, then published by Vintage. While not as important or as outstanding a work of literature as Trotsky’s great ‘History of the Russian Revolution,’ it is still a remarkable book. To the extent that there was a leader of the revolution, it was Trotsky. If his book is slightly marred by the sometimes ultraleft theory of permanent revolution (see Their Trotsky and Ours: Communist Continuity Today by Jack Barnes), one could say the same about History of the Russian Revolution and many of Trotsky’s other writings. I don’t think it’s that big an issue--I note it and move on. My favorite passage from the book is Trotsky on barricades,
"It is customary to connect the idea of an insurrection with barricades. Even leaving aside the fact that barricades may loom too large in our notion of a popular rising, we should not forget that a barricade – clearly a mechanical element in the rising – plays, above all, a moral role. In every revolution, the significance of barricades is not at all the same as that of fortresses in a battle. A barricade is not just a physical obstacle. The barricade serves the cause of insurrection because, by creating a temporary barrier to the movement of troops, it brings them into close contact with the people. Here, at the barricades, the soldier hears – perhaps for the first time in his life – the talk of ordinary honest people, their fraternal appeals, the voice of the people’s conscience; and, as a consequence of such contact between citizens and soldiers, military discipline disintegrates and disappears. This ensures a popular rising. And this is and only this, the victory of why, in our opinion, a popular rising has been “prepared,” not when the people have been armed with rifles and guns – for in that case it would never be prepared – but when it is armed with readiness to die in open street battle."
Trotsky’s account of his escape from Siberia is also wonderful, but you’ll have to read his My Life, Leon Trotsky, preferably the edition with an introduction by his secretary Joseph Hansen, to find out how it actually happened. The account here was written to throw the political police off the scent!
Lenin was in exile during 1905. Anatoly Vasilyevich Lunacharsky relates in his memoirs: “I remember somebody saying in Lenin’s presence: ‘The star of Khrustalyov is setting. To-day the strong man in the Soviet is Trotsky.’ For a moment Lenin’s expression seemed to darken; then he said, ‘Well, Trotsky has won this by his tireless and striking work.’”
When the 1917 performance came around, Trotsky was in the Bolshevik Party. He chaired the Petersburg Soviet again and directed the insurrection. Then he became the founding leader of the Red Army and much more, including analyzing and leading the fight against the Stalinist degeneration (see The Revolution Betrayed: What Is the Soviet Union and Where Is It Going?).
I just recently reread this for the first time since the early 1970s, which is when this translation came out, then published by Vintage. While not as important or as outstanding a work of literature as Trotsky’s great ‘History of the Russian Revolution,’ it is still a remarkable book. To the extent that there was a leader of the revolution, it was Trotsky. If his book is slightly marred by the sometimes ultraleft theory of permanent revolution (see Their Trotsky and Ours: Communist Continuity Today by Jack Barnes), one could say the same about History of the Russian Revolution and many of Trotsky’s other writings. I don’t think it’s that big an issue--I note it and move on. My favorite passage from the book is Trotsky on barricades,
"It is customary to connect the idea of an insurrection with barricades. Even leaving aside the fact that barricades may loom too large in our notion of a popular rising, we should not forget that a barricade – clearly a mechanical element in the rising – plays, above all, a moral role. In every revolution, the significance of barricades is not at all the same as that of fortresses in a battle. A barricade is not just a physical obstacle. The barricade serves the cause of insurrection because, by creating a temporary barrier to the movement of troops, it brings them into close contact with the people. Here, at the barricades, the soldier hears – perhaps for the first time in his life – the talk of ordinary honest people, their fraternal appeals, the voice of the people’s conscience; and, as a consequence of such contact between citizens and soldiers, military discipline disintegrates and disappears. This ensures a popular rising. And this is and only this, the victory of why, in our opinion, a popular rising has been “prepared,” not when the people have been armed with rifles and guns – for in that case it would never be prepared – but when it is armed with readiness to die in open street battle."
Trotsky’s account of his escape from Siberia is also wonderful, but you’ll have to read his My Life, Leon Trotsky, preferably the edition with an introduction by his secretary Joseph Hansen, to find out how it actually happened. The account here was written to throw the political police off the scent!
Lenin was in exile during 1905. Anatoly Vasilyevich Lunacharsky relates in his memoirs: “I remember somebody saying in Lenin’s presence: ‘The star of Khrustalyov is setting. To-day the strong man in the Soviet is Trotsky.’ For a moment Lenin’s expression seemed to darken; then he said, ‘Well, Trotsky has won this by his tireless and striking work.’”
When the 1917 performance came around, Trotsky was in the Bolshevik Party. He chaired the Petersburg Soviet again and directed the insurrection. Then he became the founding leader of the Red Army and much more, including analyzing and leading the fight against the Stalinist degeneration (see The Revolution Betrayed: What Is the Soviet Union and Where Is It Going?).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews