Trotsky, The Passionate Revolutionary

by Allan Todd

Although Trotsky was dramatically assassinated just over eighty years ago, he remains a controversial figure. He has had many biographers over the decades - ranging from the overly-sympathetic, to the extremely-hostile. Robert Service, his most recent biographer, expressed the hope that his book would ‘finish off’ Trotsky - a job he believed the ice-axe had failed to do in 1940! This biography, as expected, deals with those aspects for which Trotsky is his passionate and fiery oratory which captivated and inspired huge crowds; organising the Bolshevik Revolution of November 1917; masterminding the creation of the Red Army and ensuring its victory during the Civil War; becoming the most determined opponent of Stalin’s creation of a monolithic party and state; being a Marxist theoretician of socialist revolution and combatting fascism; and, of course, being the originator of the very specific brand of revolutionary socialism that, as early as 1906, became known as Trotskyism. However, this biography also explores other aspects of Trotsky’s life which are not so well-known. In particular, from a very early age, his love of the world of books and publishing became his first passion; it remained his first love and, if revolutionary politics had not taken over, his life would have been a very literary one. Immediately after the November Revolution, he hoped to return to his literary work, believing his main practical work as a revolutionary was over. His writings on art and literature, when compared to the stultifying strictures of the ‘Socialist Realism’ associated with Stalinism, are remarkably sympathetic and open; while he also wrote many perceptive articles as a war correspondent, covering both the Balkan Wars and the early stages of the First World War. Other aspects covered by this biography concern his family life, and his relationships with his children. Also explored is his love-life - while it is known he had a brief affair with the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, there are also suggestions he may have had other affairs. Whatever the truth of such allegations, he certainly maintained a passionate relationship with his long-term companion, Natalya Sedova; and readers should be aware that one proof of that, provided towards the end of this book, contains very explicit language.

378 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2022

Reviews

[Enno · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with the intention to learn more about the revolution, and one of its most controversial figures, and I got that, but also a portrait of a man who lived (Spoiler: and died) for his ideals. How different would the Soviet Union have been if it hadn't been Stalin who won the internal power struggle? I'm glad to have learned more about the genesis of the Soviet Union, a topic that was very much absent from my school curriculum. Given how much I've read and watched about the end of it, this was a hole in need of filling, and this book helped.

There may be other books about the events and person of Trotsky, perhaps less biased ones, but this one is well-written and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in 20th century history.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written, highly readable and detailed account of a truly extraordinary life. Todd's biography of Trotsky is just the right length and can be read happily within a week.
Todd's work is in many ways a correction to the Robert Service biography, considered by many to be an outright hatchet job on this extraordinary revolutionary and theoretician.
The only thing lacking was a more detailed exposition of Trotsky's theory of Permanent Revolution, but the original text is not hard to find nor difficult to digest.
Retrospectively, perhaps my only complaint is that it felt a little short and you were left wanting more, but this is a very small quibble for a highly readable and well researched biography of an astonishing figure.