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Home > Modern History > Personalities in the Twentieth Century > Leon Trotsky 1879 - 1940 > Leon Trotscky

 

This is a tutorial to enhance your electronic research and source analysis ability while gaining knowledge about the Twentieth Century Personality Leon Trotsky. The material you find during this tutorial may help you with assignments or essays you undertake as part of your course.

Outcomes

• analyse and evaluate the role of key features, issues, individuals, groups and events of selected twentieth-century studies (H1.2)
• analyses and evaluates sources for their usefulness and reliability (H3.3)
• explains and evaluates differing perspectives and interpretations of the past (H3.4)
• locates, selects and organises relevant information from different types of sources (H3.2)

The study of Trotsky may align with your national study if you study option G: Russia and the Soviet Union 1917 -1941. If that is the case then apart from you gaining an understanding of the role of Trotsky as a key personality last century - you will also be covering some of the key features and issues of the Russia and Soviet Union study as follows:

Key features and issues:

• communism in theory and practice
• leadership conflict and differing visions for the USSR
• nature and impact of Stalinism

You will also learn about:

• the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917
• the main features of communist ideology at the time of the Revolution
• social and political reforms of the Bolshevik government
• the power struggle between Trotsky and Stalin and its immediate aftermath
• reasons for the triumph of Stalin as leader of the USSR.

Below are a number of links to Web pages that deal with the history of Leon Trotsky. Your job is to read through the sources and answer the following questions. Some of the texts are quite lengthy so you will need to establish what information you are looking for before you set out. Reading through the questions first is perhaps the best approach.

When you have finished answering the questions you must then use your answers to write an obituary of Leon Trotsky. If you are in a class you may like to share your work with students or teacher. If your are undertaking this solo and would like some feed back e-mail the answers and obituary to twhitford@csu.edu.au Good Luck!

A hint

After you have answered all the questions you may think there are not enough dates or background information to compile an obituary. However, if you look at the sources carefully, you will be able to put together a piece using information such as how people saw his actions, what people said about him, what he said and so forth. An obituary is more than just dates: it is also how the world or community viewed the person. Be sure to use your own impressions based on the sources.

Source 1   A biography

1. What was Leon Trotsky's original name and why did he change it?
2. After the revolution, what role did Trotsky accept in the new government? What would the Australian equivalent be?
3. After the death of Lenin – why was Stalin able to take over the leadership of the Party ahead of Trotsky?
4. According to Trotsky and the theory he supported of ‘Permanent Revolution,’ under what circumstances could communism work?
5. Is this biography biased or a straight account of Trotsky's life? Explain your reasons and give examples.

Source 2   In pictures and words

1. What is the term used to describe an alternative direction to Stalin's communism?
2. In what year did Lenin die?
3. Look at the picture with the caption "Trotsky's Blood Pen". What impression does it give you about Trotsky?
4. What was the date of Trotsky's murder and how was he killed?
5. Who is said to be responsible for his death?

Source 3   Some thoughts on Trotsky

1. In Trotsky's speech at Cirque Moderne he concluded by saying "Let us devote the last drop of blood and all of our life force to the victory of the socialist revolution." What did he mean by this?
2. What is the author's opinion of Trotsky? Give two examples that support your answer?
3. Why would Stalin fear Trotsky even after his death?
4. Name two contributions Trotsky made to the Russian Revolution.
5. What was Stalin's "Great Terror of 1937"?

Activity

1. Compile a chronology of events in Trotsky's life.
2. Review your answers to all the questions and use them to construct an obituary.
3. Read over your obituary, if possible ask someone else to read it.