Leon Trotsky

Trotsky was born Lev Davidovich Bronstein on November 7, 1879 in Yonoka, Ukraine, a part of Russia. He became involved in underground activity as a teenager. Leon’s parents were David, and, Anna Bronstein, they were Jewish Farmer’s. When Trotsky was 8 years old, he went to school in Odessa, and then moved in 1896 to Nikolayev, Ukraine, for his final year in school. While Trotsky was there he became involved with Marxism. In 1897, Trotsky helped found the South Russian Workers Union. Leon Trotsky was arrested, jailed and exiled to Siberia where he joined the Social Democratic Party. While in prison he met and married Alexandra Lvova, a co-revolutionary who had also been sentenced to Siberia. While there, they had two daughters. In 1902, serving only two years of his sentence Trotsky escaped. He left his wife and, two daughters behind. On forged papers he changed his name to Leon Trotsky, which he would use for the rest of his life. In 1903, Leon Trotsky married his second wife Natalia Ivanovna. They had two sons together. In 1903 the Social Democrats split. Leading Trotsky to become a member of the Menshevik group and developed his theory of ‘Permanent Revolution’. Leon Trotsky played a crucial role to keep the Bolshevik regime going. He saw himself as Lenin’s heif- apparent, but his arrogance made him few friends, his Jewish heritage worked against him.

On January 22, 1905, unarmed demonstrators marching against the Russian Tsar were killed by the Imperial Guard. When word got back to Leon Trotsky, he returned to Russia to support the uprisings. By the end of 1905, he had become a leader of movement. In December, the rebellion crushed, and Trotsky was arrested and sent to Siberia once again. At his trial Trotsky put on a good defense and, increased his popularity among the party’s elite. In 1907, Trotsky escaped prison and, traveled to Europe, where he spent 10 years in exile in various cities, including Vienna, Zurich, Paris and New York. In this time he spent much time writing Russian revolutionary journals, including ‘Pravala’, and advocating an anti-war policy. After the outbreak of revolution in Petrograd in February 1917,