Trotsky

Without contribution from crucial individuals politically involved in
Russia at the time, the success of the Bolsheviks and the proceeding
(ideally) Communist government may have been less then what we know
today. One such individual was Trotsky.

Born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein in 1879 he was educated primarily in
Odessa, before moving to Nikolayev in 1866 to complete his education.
It was there however that he was drawn into an underground Socialist
circle and introduced to Marxism. This undoubtedly contributed to his
political interest and ideas in later life.

He was first acquainted with Lenin through the political newspaper
Iskra (‘The Spark’) when in London around 1902.

Although originally identifying himself with the Menshevik party, he
was formally admitted to the Bolshevik party in August 1917, while
still in jail (following a ‘crackdown’ on Bolshevik leadership and
revolutionaries by the Provisional Government). Following the November
revolution in which he had played a significant role in the
organisation and commanding of the military support for the
Bolsheviks, Trotsky continued to command the army when Kerensky
(ex-prime minister of the Provisional Government) threatened to take
back Petrograd with an entourage of loyal soldiers on November 13th.
As foreign minister, Trotsky saw the importance of establishing peace,
and so took steps towards this in order to fulfil the Bolshevik
promise (‘Bread, Peace, Land’). However, his stance on the matter
oscillated during the process, as he did not agree to the German’s
harsh terms. In the end, it was Lenin who finalised the Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk, and Trotsky resigned as foreign minister following
this.

Immediately being made commissar of war, he faced the formidable task
of turning the military support for the Bolsheviks into a superior
‘Red Army’, which would protect the Bolshevik government against
adversaries, both foreign and home-grown, in...