Leon Trotsky was born Lev Davidovich Bronstein on 7 November 1879 in Yanovka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire, now part of Ukraine. He became one of the most significant figures in the Russian Revolution and the early Soviet Union, known for his role as a Marxist revolutionary, political theorist, and leader of the Red Army. His life was marked by radical political activism, ideological disputes, and a tragic end that came at the hands of an assassin.







Trotsky was born into a wealthy Jewish farming family. Despite their relative prosperity, his parents were not politically active, and his early years were shaped more by education than revolutionary thought. At the age of nine, he was sent to a school in Odessa, where he excelled academically and developed an early interest in socialist ideas. By his teenage years, he was deeply involved in underground political activities, joining a socialist group that advocated for the overthrow of the Russian monarchy.







In 1897, Trotsky co-founded the South Russian Workers’ Union, an organisation committed to Marxist ideals and workers’ rights. His activism soon led to his arrest by Tsarist authorities, and he was sentenced to exile in Siberia. While in exile, he married fellow revolutionary Alexandra Sokolovskaya and began writing extensively on political theory and revolutionary strategy. In 1902, he escaped Siberia, leaving his wife and daughters behind, and fled to London, where he joined Vladimir Lenin and other exiled Marxists in publishing the revolutionary newspaper Iskra.







During his time in Europe, Trotsky became a key figure in the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. However, he disagreed with Lenin’s rigid party structure and instead advocated for a broader, more inclusive revolutionary movement. These ideological differences led him to distance himself from the Bolsheviks while still remaining committed to Marxist revolution. He played a crucial role in the 1905 Russian Revolution, organising workers’ councils known as soviets in St. Petersburg. His efforts led to another arrest, and he was once again exiled to Siberia, but he escaped in 1907 and resumed his revolutionary activities abroad.







When the February Revolution of 1917 toppled the Tsar, Trotsky returned to Russia and aligned himself with Lenin and the Bolsheviks. He quickly became one of the most influential leaders of the October Revolution, which overthrew the Provisional Government and established Bolshevik rule. Trotsky was appointed Commissar for Foreign Affairs and played a critical role in negotiating the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ended Russia’s involvement in the First World War. Soon after, he became the head of the Red Army, leading it to victory in the Russian Civil War against the anti-Bolshevik White forces.







As a military strategist, Trotsky was both brilliant and ruthless. He built the Red Army from a disorganised militia into a disciplined fighting force, employing strict measures to maintain loyalty and efficiency. His leadership ensured the survival of the Soviet state against internal and external enemies. However, his successes did not shield him from political struggles within the Communist Party.







After Lenin’s death in 1924, a power struggle ensued between Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. Trotsky was a strong proponent of the theory of permanent revolution, which argued that socialism should be spread internationally, while Stalin advocated for socialism in one country, focusing on consolidating power within the Soviet Union. Stalin’s influence within the party grew rapidly, and by the late 1920s, he had effectively sidelined Trotsky, stripping him of his government positions and expelling him from the Communist Party.







In 1929, Trotsky was exiled from the Soviet Union.