Assess the contribution of Leon Trotsky to the consolidation of communism in the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1928.
The successful consolidation of Communism in Soviet Russia from the period of 1917 to 1928 can be largely attributed to the masterful orator and intellectual that was Leon Trotsky. Throughout this period he successfully premeditated the Bolshevik accession into power, and through his military brilliance, defended the Communist ideology and the foothold it had gained in Russia.
Born in 1879 to a Jewish landowning family, Leon Bronstein showed signs of a promising future. By the age of 18 he had become attracted to the Marxist ideology, finding his calling as a professional revolutionary . In the 1905 revolution he gained notoriety when he was arrested as leader of the first Soviet for during a failed coup. When he returned in 1917 the Provisional government was in a precarious situation. Social upheaval and discontent was rife due to the continuation of the war with Germany.
Bolshevik by Boris Kustodiev, a visual representat...
White Army propaganda poster. The caption reads, "...
English: Lev TrotskyTrotsky had arrived at a time that was ripe for revolution.
The year of 1917 would prove to be a pivotal point in the accession of the communist government. Trotsky returned in that year and immediately joined the ranks of the Bolshevik party. By doing so he was cementing his position as second to Lenin in the revolution. Failures on the military front, such as the disastrous Galica offensive during the period of July 1917, caused much civil discontent. Rebellious troops, armed workers and sailors from the naval base as Kronstadt occupied Petrograd. The Bolsheviks were faced with a social environment, known as the 'July days' that was fit for a coup. Unable to utilize the anarchic conditions for their own gain the Provisional government ordered the arrest of the Bolshevik leaders on the charge of...