Trotsky and the Bolshevik Revolution

Essay by hockykicks66High School, 11th grade April 2006

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A) Plan of the investigation

The scope of this investigation is to discover Trotsky's role as a Russian revolutionary up to the end of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, especially to ascertain why after being a Menshevik he became a Bolshevik, and how important his role was in securing success for the Bolsheviks.

In order to carry out this investigation primary and secondary sources will be consulted, and a bibliography will be compiled, and attached. The plan is to include in

the summary of evidence, sections on:

1. Trotsky's life and career before the first 1917 revolution

2. Background to the first 1917 revolution

3. Trotsky's activities. May 1917 to the outbreak of the second Bolshevik Revolution

4. Trotsky's role in the revolution

Two important sources will be evaluated in C, the findings of the investigation will be analysed in D, and the conclusion reached stated in E.

B) Summary of evidence

1. Trotsky's life and career before the first 1917 revolution

The real name of Leon Trotsky (1879 to 1940) was Lev Davidovich Bronstein. He was bom in lanovoka, Ukraine of Jewish parents. He was well educated, especially in science and languages, but his main interest was political theory, especially Marxism. This led to his arrest as a revolutionary when he was nineteen. He was sent to Siberia, escaped and joined Lenin in London in 1902. Like Lenin he wrote, discussed politics and addressed meetings, but the two revolutionaries often disagreed. Trotsky accused Lenin of Jacobinism. Lenin regarded this as a compliment. Trotsky pointed out that Jacobinism did not end with the ascendancy of revolution but with bloodshed: "the Jacobins chopped off people's heads-we want to enlighten human minds with Socialism" (Deutscher 73).

3. Trotsky's activities, May 1917 to the outbreak of the second Bolshevik Revolution

Trotsky at...