Leon Trotsky
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Leon Davidovich Trotsky (info • help) (Russian: Лев Давидович Троцкий; also transliterated Leo, Lev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij and Trotzky) (October 26 (O.S.) = November 7 (N.S.), 1879 - August 21, 1940) was the public name of Leib or Lev Davidovich Bronstein. He was a Russian Revolutionary and Political Theoretician.
Trotsky was a socialist and a Marxist. In 1905 there was a revolution in Russia. Trotsky helped organize a committee of workers in St Petersburg which was called the Soviet. When the leader of the Soviet was arrested, Trotsky became leader of the Soviet in his place. Trotsky helped to expand on the idea of Permanent Revolution, which is a theory originally thought up by Karl Marx.
After the revolution Trotsky left Russia for his own safety. In 1917 he returned to Russia because of the Russian Revolution. He helped to bring about communism in Russia and defend it during the Russian Civil War. He was in charge of the army at this time. When the leader of the Bolsheviks (the party who lead the revolution) Vladimir Lenin died, Trotsky became involved in a power struggle with Joseph Stalin for the leadership of the party. He lost, and Stalin came to power. He had to leave Russia because of Stalin, who was now his own enemy and he wanted to harm Trotsky. Stalin had a spy murder Trotsky in Mexico in 1940.
People who believe in Trotsky's ideas are called Trotskyists and follow Trotskyism. Trotskyism is seen as being a more democratic form of communism than others, such as Stalinism and Maoism. The main Trotskyist organization today is the Socialist Workers Party in the UK and the International Socialist Tendency worldwide.
In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell Trotsky is represented by Snowball the pig.
