Leon Trotsky: Communism's True Believer 

Thank you Brilliant for making this one possible! Check out Brilliant here: brilliant.org/biographics

Trotsky was exiled from the USSR in 1929. The first KFC opened in 1930. Coincedence? I THINK NOT!

*The most deported man I've ever heard of*

Shooting stars: Sad Lennin. Shooting Tzars: Happy Lennin.

After Lenin died, Stalin told Trotsky that the funeral was happening on the wrong date, causing him to miss it.

Using a hunger strike to protest somebody like Stalin is not exactly the best life choice to make. 🤔

At Trotsky's funeral people came to pay their respects to the dearly deported.

Leon Trotsky about Stalin : " The vengeance of history is more powerful than the vengeance of any powerful general secretary ." . History proved him right.!!!

PS: Trotsky was much more of a ”street-fighter” than Stalin (or Lenin) was. And no Marxist revolutionary considered himself an ”idealist”, a word that was used as an insult.

You just forgot to told where Trotsky got his name. Leon was the name of his grandfather and Trotsky was the name of a warden he met when he was in prison.

Oh my god Trotsky there’s an assassin behind you. Oh my god he can’t hear us he has AirPods in

Trosky: "Hey Comrades, what if we try not betraying the people we claim to represent?" Every other communist party member: "GULAG"

The house of Trotsky museum in Mexico City is legit

This is extremely accurate and doesn’t seem to be biased as some of the other videos I have seen on trotsky, keep up the good work!

Señor Trotsky?

If Trotsky had taken over and not Stalin.....one of the great “ifs”.....

Imagine how the Soviet Union would have been if Trotsky had prevailed over Stalin

You guys are unbelievable, can’t seem to get enough of these biographies!

I wonder what the war would have looked like. If he had taken power.

I always appreciate how thorough and detailed these episodes are, yall clearly give your research it's due diligence with as little bias as possible! Thank you!

The first four minutes of this summary of Trotsky’s life contain more political engagement than most people today display in their entire lives.

Do a video on Rosa Luxemburg.

I wish they would clarify that the "ice pick" is an *"ice axe"* used for mountain climbing, and not the type used to chip ice in the kitchen (that resembles a screw-driver). I think most people hearing of an attack with an "ice pick" would think of a screw-driver, not a hand-axe.

You mix Finnish White guard with Russian White army. Russian White army tried to free Tsar, not the finns..

Leon Trotsky. The Snowball of Animal Farm.

I once managed to convince a Trotskyist that Trotsky's last words were "is that an ice-pick in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?"

Wow I was literally Googling him earlier and I thought "Im suprised they haven't done a Biographics about this guy yet"

0:45 - Chapter 1 - Beginnings 2:20 - Chapter 2 - Becoming a revolutionary 3:50 - Chapter 3 - Becoming Trotsky 5:40 - Chapter 4 - 1905 Revolution 7:05 - Chapter 5 - Pravda 8:15 - Chapter 6 - Deportations 9:35 - Mid roll ads 11:20 - Chapter 7 - The october revolution 12:25 - Chapter 8 - Pulling out of the war 14:05 - Chapter 9 - Civil war 16:15 - Chapter 10 - Stalin vs Trostky 17:45 - Chapter 11 - Banished 20:20 - Chapter 12 - Stalin's revenge

George Orwell used Trotsky as a model and inspiration for the characters of Snowball from “Animal Farm” and Emmanuel Goldstein from “1984.”

You managed to take Trotsky’s character in a very objective view as gray as it is not a monster or an angel just a man looking to have his place in this world

Always interesting Simon. Always entertaining. Great research by the team and well written. Is there anything else worth watching other than Simon Whistler content? 🤔🤷🏻

Very very informative. You have summed up Trotsky so that I know just enough and don't have to plough through literature as I would find that too hard going. So, thanks!

I wish I knew the debate between him and his wife. That seems like such an interesting conversation.

Stalin went ⛏

"Took Trotsky out of the picture!"

Lenin was a pragmatist, Trotsky was an idealist, Stalin was a power-hungry opportunist.

I rage quit when he said that Trotsky created the first soviet. Soviets were a form of worker self-organization, they came “from below” from workers themselves and not from the plan of an intellectual. Bourgeois history gets so much wrong sometimes!

I follow many of your channels, Simon. And alongside Visual..., Biographics may be your finest work. Perfect length to delve into the material but not get lost in the forest for the trees; quite balanced, and well-sourced. And you’re an excellent presenter.

Brilliant....THAT is what your channels are Simon! They're quickly becoming THE big favourites of those that I subscribe to! Looking forward to see many more videos! 👍🏻👌🏻👏🏻

from the bolsje-wikipedia: "The two factions were originally known as "hard" (Lenin's supporters) and "soft" (Martov's supporters), but the terminology soon changed to "Bolsheviks" and "Mensheviks", from the Russian bolshinstvo ("majority") and menshinstvo ("minority"). On the other hand, Martov's supporters won the vote concerning the question of party membership. Neither Lenin nor Martov had a firm majority throughout the Congress as delegates left or switched sides. At the end, the Congress was evenly split between the two factions. " Lenin adopted the term 'majority', because 'hard' sounded bad. It refers to Lenin's proposed policy that would ensure a majority of orthodox communists in power ('a hard core') by strict ideological testing for party membership, while the Mensheviks, by advocating opening up membership, were allegedly jeopardizing this orthodoxy. It does not refer to any factual majority and Lenin ended democracy before any such facts could be established. The Bolsjewiks were never the majority.

"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you" Trotsky

I'm gonna come back every time you guys post a new video, just to comment that I would like to see one done on Terence McKenna. Thank you for your time.

I have watched a dozen of your biographies....absolutely riveting

great video man , more time on images of the time and story would be sweet !

One of the best things about these videos is the way Simon mispronounces everything. Love it!

Would love to see one on John Carpenter and/or Wes Craven. Thank you sir, I learn a lot watching this channel

Bio on Louis Riel or Terry Fox? (Maybe even one on Sir John a Macdonald?) Awesome job Biographics

So educational, eye opening. Saul Alisky ( book: Rules for radicals) would be an interesting one. Thank you for excellent content. : ) : )

Stalin v. Trotsky. A theme which occurs over and over in history and legend. Able and Cain, Jacob and Esau, Romulus and Remus. Brothers in arms together and frequently against each other. Very archetypal.

I like your videos, for the most part. One on Eugene Debs and also Clarence Darrow would be great.

Thanks Simon! I've been wanting to learn more about Trosky. I sometimes feel like he's a bit overlooked.

Thanks brilliant. And thanks Simon. I never would have found brilliant without you!

"we are going to get to the very important October revolution, but, first, let me tell you about our sponsor" made me laugh really hard for some reason.

'How many times do you want to be deported'? 'Yes'

Way back in school, i wish i had biographics in the palm of my hands. I studied History as one of my major subjects. I would have done 100 times better had I had Biographics at my fingertips. Thank-You Simon for a job well done. I sincerely enjoy brushing up on all the familiar names in history .

It's amazing that a century later, there's still so much bias and misinformation out there about Trotsky. This video does a decent job, but when a topic is as controversial as this, one ought not to dance over the historical sources so lightly.

Nicely done ! It gave new meaning to the phrase "burying the hatchet"... ooo....

@Biographics Hey Simon, long-time avid supporter and subscriber here. I’ve watched hours of your content and applaud your evolution of media presence and your narration style. I believe you’re among the most respectable educational RU-vid channels and appreciate your level of quality. If I’m being honest, I find the sound effects/corny bits inserted in your videos rather tacky. Don’t stop producing your awesome and insightful content, and as always, thank you for uploading.

Wilhelm Reich is incredibly fascinating and would love to see a biographic on him. Austrian doctor of medicine and psychoanalyst, a member of the second generation of analysts after Sigmund Freud. The author of several influential books which left Dr.Wilhelm Reich known as one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry. “The great psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich once wrote, "No President, Academy, Court of Law, Congress or Senate on this earth has the knowledge or power to decide what will be the knowledge of tomorrow." In 1957, the government of the United States of America jailed Dr. Reich and burned all of his published works. Wilhelm Reich in Hell provides a remarkable new look at the vilification and destruction of a great man who refused to bow to Gestapo tactics.”- Wilhelm Reich In Hell by Robert Anton Wilson 😇

Now you *have* to do a video on Frida Kahlo. With a separate one for Diego Rivera. A Jackson Pollock video would be lovely too. Along with one on the French Painter Manet (and no commenters, that's not a typo for Monet).

Excellent clip. Quite a job of summation of Trotsky's life.

My notification looked different, I didn't know it was Biographics.

I would love to see a video on Emperor of Justinian and his restoration.

You are a fantastic narrator and presenter. Thumbs up!

"A man walked in and buried an ice pick etc." ? Thats a very unsatisfying description of the complex assasination story.

I got the high ground Stalin! Stalin: But you're a Dragon type, And? Stalin: Ice Fang!

History lost track of first wife by all accounts she ended up in a Labor camp and died in the late 1930's.

Quick correction: the Mensheviks actually had the majority of support at the convention where the bolsheviks and Mensheviks split. Lenin purposefully named his party the majority even though they had less support because he knew it would give his version of communism a rhetorical advantage and the Mensheviks foolishly went along with it. This is according to the biography of Lenin by Victor Sebestyen

Do one of franz Ferdinand plz!! Love your vids great job!!

Love this channel! Could you do a video on John Wilkes Booth or Charles Guiteau? Maybe even Leon Czolgosz, sry I like assassination...

What does a Soviet optimist say? It can't get any worse!

A number of inaccuracies: He adopted the name Trotsky because it was the name of one of his guards during his first (or second) imprisonment. The Bolshevik- Menshevik split was over what type of organization would lead a revolution. The big issue behind that was what type of revolution did Russia need. There was no "communist newspaper" in the early 1900's. Because there was no communist party. No one called themselves communist. That title came around 1919. They called themselves Social Democrats. His last words were actually directed at his followers: "Go forward."

Unreal! I had no idea this happened. Keep it coming

Would love to see a source for your claim that the Finnish White Guard were the reason of the execution. The White Guard of Finland were a wee bit busy consolidating in their own country. While some members of the Finnish whites did lead expeditions into Russian territory, it was mainly in Eastern Karelia. The generally accepted theory for the order of the execution was the approaching Czechoslovak Legions, which had been asked by the Entente powers to attempt a rescue of the Imperial Family.

Biographic on Micheal Collins the Irish rebel and first commander and chief

Natasha has just come up to the window from the courtyard and opened it wider so that the air may enter more freely into my room. I can see the bright green strip of grass beneath the wall, and the clear blue sky above the wall, and sunlight everywhere. Life is beautiful. Let the future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full. Leon Trotsky

He looked like an older version of Harry Potter.

The Bolsheviks were actually the minority party and the Mensheviks the majority, although their names mean literally the opposite.

He was always Picked on by his friends.

My fav of the "big 3" of the Soviet Revolution. Another great video, keep up the great work!

16:07 The ominous music once Stalin's name is mentioned is perfect comedy.

I love all of your channels! Great job!

Can you please do one on the Swamp Fox (Francis Marion)?

World History, The Universe and Prehistoric Topics are the best things to watch on YT

"Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky? He got an ice pick. That made his ears burn." Summed up by The Stranglers in 3 lines.... Almost as good as a potted History lesson as: "Ra-Ra-Rasputin, lover of the Russian Queen. There was a cat who really was gone!" 😉

"Trotsky has never yet held a firm opinion on any important question of Marxism. He always contrives to worm his way into the cracks of any given difference of opinion, and desert one side for the other. At the present moment he is in the company of the Bundists and the liquidators. And these gentlemen do not stand on ceremony where the Party is concerned. " - Lenin, Collected Works, Vol. 20 p. 448, 1914

Biographics, I am a huge fan. Always rewatching episodes when bored. If I can be suggestive, I think an episode on "Jesse James" would be amazing.

RIP Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

*The Permanent Revolution* One of his greatest books. It's a book that explains with details how Stalin betrayed the Proletariat state that was raised after the triumph of the revolution. Another great reference is the Latin American trotskyist Nahuel Moreno. Specially his work *Revolutions of the XX century*

I'm glad you guys made a video on Trotsky because I don't think a lot of people know about him.

And I have to say thank you I have spent two years trying to get my nephews to learn about history yet nothing stuck!!! I showed them your rasptuin veido and wow their grades in history went from Ds and Fs to C's and Bs and it's funny they watch veidos without me even telling them too great job Ese!!!

I would LOVE a Frida Kahlo video! Great content as always!

Wow! This was so well done!

Do Frida Kahlo next

do Nikolai Bukharin the most overlooked Bolshevik!

LOLA MONTEZ would be a fascinating subject...please! Really loving these biographies

Stalin: *exiles Trotsky for speaking against him* Trotsky: I'LL FUCKING DO IT AGAIN

Ok. You've mentioned Frida Kahlo in this video. Now, can you do her very interesting life? Similar names you can touch on from the USSR include Semyon Budyonny, Nikolai Yezhov, and Felix Dzerzhinsky,

Where did Trotsky found all the money needed to sustain himself, living in a good house and having personal guard?

The "success" of Stalin - the man who used to boast that he conquered the United States "from the plow to the atomic bomb in just a generation" - compared to Gorbachev's failure shows that a socialist economy is unable to function with a minimum of efficiency without requiring a massive dose of political violence. In an attempt to reform a decadent regime, Gorbachev moved faster with the process of political opening in the hope of removing the predictable resistance that the Soviet bureaucracy would create to economic reform measures, as thorough proof with the failed attempt. coup d'état in August 1991 - which ended up precipitating the final crisis of socialism and the dissolution of the USSR itself Its Chinese parallel - Deng Xiaoping - adopted a logic diametrically opposed to that of Gorbachev: it prioritized the achievement of economic prosperity (adopting in practice capitalism) precisely to delay any attempt at political opening, as was evident with the acceleration of the economy. reforms after the Tiananmen Square massacre. It is important to note that it was Karl Marx himself who, in his Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, discerned the scenario in which the conditions for a social revolution process are formed, describing it as follows: “At a certain stage in its development, the material productive forces of society contradict existing production relations or - which is only their legal expression - with the property relations in which they have been active until then. From the forms of development of the productive forces, these relations are transformed into fetters of them. So, it is a time of social revolution. ' * By rejecting the pursuit of profit maximization as an instrument to stimulate innovation, socialist countries ended up condemning themselves to obsolescence. Thus, they lost the chance to incorporate the productivity gains made possible by technological progress. That is why the capitalist countries managed to provide a greater rise in the standard of living of their population, even without pursuing the egalitarian ideal. Therefore, until the “final crisis of socialism” (to paraphrase K. Marx's own definitions once again), it was only a matter of time. But religious fanatics do not give up on their faith, even against the indisputable proof of the facts, which completely refute it! * Reproduced according to MARX, K. Preface to the Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, organized by Florestan Fernandes and published under the title K. Marx: Theory and historical process of the social revolution, In Marx & Engels, Great Social Scientists Collection, History, vol. 36. São Paulo: Ática, 1983. p. 232. Commemorative edition of the centenary of Karl Marx's death