Who the Hell was... Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin?
Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin were key figures in the Russian Revolution and early Soviet history. They started as allies but ended up as bitter rivals. Here’s how they were connected and what ultimately happened to each:
Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov)
- Leader of the Bolshevik Party and the mastermind behind the 1917 Russian Revolution.
- Became the first leader of the Soviet Union.
- Initially worked with both Trotsky and Stalin.
- Before his death in 1924, he grew wary of Stalin’s increasing power and wrote a "Testament" recommending Stalin be removed.
- Suffered multiple strokes (brought on after a woman tried to assassinate him years earlier) and died, leaving a power vacuum.
Trotsky (Leon Trotsky, born Lev Davidovich Bronstein)
- A brilliant strategist and speaker who played a crucial role in the revolution and led the Red Army to victory in the Russian Civil War.
- Favored "permanent revolution"—spreading socialism worldwide.
- After Lenin’s death, he was outmaneuvered by Stalin in the power struggle.
- Expelled from the Communist Party in 1927 and exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929.
- Fled to Mexico, where he was assassinated in 1940 on Stalin’s orders (killed with an ice pick to the head).
Stalin (Joseph Stalin, born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili)
- A lower-profile Bolshevik who became General Secretary of the Communist Party, which he used to consolidate power.
- Advocated "socialism in one country" instead of Trotsky’s global revolution.
- After Lenin’s death, he eliminated rivals, including Trotsky and other old Bolsheviks.
- Ruled the USSR with an iron fist from the late 1920s until his death in 1953.
- Responsible for purges, forced collectivization, and massive repression, but also industrialized the USSR and led it through WWII.
Ultimately:
- Lenin laid the groundwork but died early.
- Trotsky was the intellectual and military leader but was exiled and assassinated by Stalin's henchmen. (It must be said again, succumbing to an icepick in the head)
- Stalin took control, eliminated rivals, and became the Soviet Union’s undisputed dictator.
If history were a political drama, Stalin would be the ruthless winner, Trotsky the exiled idealist, and Lenin the visionary who didn’t live to see how his legacy was used. But seriously, Russia has such a dynamic past. How many assassinations end with an icepick?
“Who the Hell was…” is a collection of short biographies by Brent R Antonson, on famous names in history.