Leon+Trotsky

Leon Trotsky (Lev Davidovich Bronshtein) Lev Davidovich Bronshtein was born in Yanovka, Russia, on 7th November, 1879. He took the name Leon Trotsky in 1902. He lived in Ukraine with his farming Jewish parents. At 8 he was sent to Odessa for education and 6 years later he transferred to Nikolayev where he was introduced to the ideas of Karl Marx. In 1897 he tried to organize a South Russian Workers union but got exiled to Siberia for revolutionary activities. He escaped to London and joined the Social Democratic party. After the argument between Lenin and Martov, Trotsky joined martov’s side. He helped create and become chairman of the St. Petersburg Soviet but in 1905 they were crushed by the government and Trotsky was imprisoned again. Eventually he escaped to Vienna and joined with adolf joffe to write the journal Pravda. He was against Russia going to war with the Central powers. Believed if they did go to war the Mensheviks, Bolsheviks and the Social revolutionaries should persuade the military to overthrow Nicholas II