A Rebel’s Guide to Trotsky

By Esme Choonara

Many people have heard the name, Leon Trotsky – but how many know anything about his life or his ideas? Trotsky was a central figure in the decisive event of the twentieth century, the Russian Revolution of 1917. But with the isolation and decline of the revolution, he was thrust from power, exiled and eventually murdered by one of Stalin’s agents. Did Trotsky represent a genuine alternative to Stalin? Do his ideas of international revolution have something to offer our globalised age? This is a short, accessible introduction to Trotsky’s life and ideas.