This Day in History: 20 August 2020
20 August 1940
80 years ago, today, Leon Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico by Ramón Mercader, a Spanish communist and likely agent of Joseph Stalin. Before his death, he had settled on the island of Prinkipo, where he worked on finishing his autobiography and the history of the Russian Revolution. After living there for four years, Trotsky moved to France and then Norway, but was granted asylum in Mexico in 1936. During Stalin's purges of political foes, Trotsky was found guilty of treason. He survived a machine gun attack by Stalin's agents, but could not survive Mercader's assault. The Soviet government denied responsibility, and Mercader was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Mexican authorities.
Trotsky had been a Russian revolutionary, political theorist and politician. A few weeks before the October Revolution, he joined the Bolshevik Party and became one of the party's key leaders. Once in government, Trotsky held the post of the Commissar of Foreign Affairs but became more prominent as the Russian Civil War broke out. He became the leader of the Red Army, making him a vital factor in the army's victory. However, after the death of Vladimir Lenin and the rise of Joseph Stalin, Trotsky was removed from his positions and was eventually expelled from the Soviet Union. As a result, Trotsky was critical of Stalinism and was written out of the history books under Stalin.
Want to find out more about the death of Leon Trotsky? Click here for more information, or here for more about his life.
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