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The Balkan Wars (1912–13): The War Correspondence of Leon Trotsky
On-the-spot analysis of national and social conflicts in the Balkans, written 80 years ago, sheds light on the conflicts shaking these countries today. Photos, maps, chronology, glossary, index.
627 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1913
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175 people want to read
About the author
Leon Trotsky
1,090 books800 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 19, 2016
Read on the suggestion of a Random Dude on Twitter, most of this is written very much like journalism from over a century ago. Yes, Trotsky really wrote like that: lots of "dogs of capitalism" and the like, and there used to be several journalists from all over the world just like, hanging out in the Balkans.
But the real reason this book is interesting isn't Trotsky's style or even really the time he's living in but the way he defines it. Trotsky does a really interesting job interviewing soldiers, officers, citizens and politicians in order to come to a multifaceted look at the Balkan Wars. He does a great job demonstrating who suffers and who succeeds in war time, as well as how capital flows during times of violence.
It's really interesting stuff! I can't imagine any other war being covered this way, if for anything else than because of how the international calculus changed after the Russian Revolution. The sheer despair felt by the soldiers and citizens, the claustrophobia of the officers and the aims of several politicians becomes clear through his reporting. The fact that the Balkans are at the mercy of the great powers – and that Trotsky represents the great powers in many of his sources' eyes – plays in fascinating as well.
The correspondence is valuable as an alternative way to view war and an alternative way to view history. It's not necessarily more ~true~ or whatever, but it was neat to crawl into Trotsky's head for several hundred pages and look at how he came to an understanding of his time and place.
But the real reason this book is interesting isn't Trotsky's style or even really the time he's living in but the way he defines it. Trotsky does a really interesting job interviewing soldiers, officers, citizens and politicians in order to come to a multifaceted look at the Balkan Wars. He does a great job demonstrating who suffers and who succeeds in war time, as well as how capital flows during times of violence.
It's really interesting stuff! I can't imagine any other war being covered this way, if for anything else than because of how the international calculus changed after the Russian Revolution. The sheer despair felt by the soldiers and citizens, the claustrophobia of the officers and the aims of several politicians becomes clear through his reporting. The fact that the Balkans are at the mercy of the great powers – and that Trotsky represents the great powers in many of his sources' eyes – plays in fascinating as well.
The correspondence is valuable as an alternative way to view war and an alternative way to view history. It's not necessarily more ~true~ or whatever, but it was neat to crawl into Trotsky's head for several hundred pages and look at how he came to an understanding of his time and place.
April 28, 2014
A brilliant book, as timely today as it was then. Trotsky's prose, logic, analysis, and keen observations, show what a force he was to be reckoned with. In this book he schools all other journalists and political analysts as to how to write a current events book. No wonder Stalin was so frightened of him.
October 29, 2025
Not too long before the 1917 revolutions in Russia, Trotsky was earning his living as a war correspondent during the Balkan Wars, a prelude to the First World War, which played such a major role in Russia and in troop rebellions and revolutions on a world scale.
His writings were published in some bourgeois newspapers, in Trotsky's own newspaper, and sometimes in Lenin's newspaper. People who know Trotsky as a writer will not be disappointed. If you're not familiar with him, let me suggest History of the Russian Revolution.
With interest in the Balkans, let me also suggest The Truth about Yugoslavia: Why Working People Should Oppose Intervention.
His writings were published in some bourgeois newspapers, in Trotsky's own newspaper, and sometimes in Lenin's newspaper. People who know Trotsky as a writer will not be disappointed. If you're not familiar with him, let me suggest History of the Russian Revolution.
With interest in the Balkans, let me also suggest The Truth about Yugoslavia: Why Working People Should Oppose Intervention.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews