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Trotsky
1879 Born, son of Jewish landowner
1888 Went to school in Odessa -
modern, liberal education
1897-8 Becomes a Marxist, organises
workers against the bosses
1900 After arrest and trial, exiled
to Siberia
1902 Escapes from Siberia. Travels
to Europe to join Lenin
Marxists split into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks - Trotsky opposes
Lenin’s Bolsheviks.
1905 Trotsky leader of Petrograd
Soviet during 1905 revolution
1906-14 Leading Menshevik - continues
split from Lenin
1914-17 Exiled in Europe and America,
agrees with Lenin’s ideas. May 1917 - returns to Petrograd.
Joins Lenin to mount revolution.
1917 Trotsky organises the Red
Guards. Became president of Petrograd Soviet
1918 Military Commissar - in charge
of fighting the Red army in Civil War.
1922 Commissar of War
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Stalin
1879 Born, son of a Georgian peasant
who had become a cobbler. Father drunk and violent. Entered
church school - narrow, religious education
1894 Sent to a seminary to train
as a priest. Becomes a Socialist.
1899 Expelled. Begins life as underground
Marxist worker.
1902-04 Jailed, sent to Siberia.
1904 Becomes Bolshevik - supporter
of Lenin
1905 Leads group of revolutionary
fighters in the Caucasus mountains
1906-14 Continues as Bolshevik
member - Leninist
1912 Member of Party’s Central
Committee
1913-17 Exiled to Siberia
1917 Stalin edits Pravda. Plays
leading role in organising the revolution.
Became Commissar of Nationalities in Bolshevik government
1918 Stalin had a major part to
play in the Civil War. Helps defend Petrograd against the Whites.
Major rows with Trotsky over fighting of the war.
1922 General Secretary of the party
- in charge of its administration
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1. In 1924
he was in charge of the Red Army. He had run the army during the
Civil War and had no interest in running a government department.
2. He was a thinker who pushed for
the spreading of the revolution to other countries like Germany.
3. He was a member of a small group
which was cut off from the main bulk of party member in the government.
4. He was feared, people felt he
was too ambitious and might become a military dictator.
5. He was an ex-Menshevik who had
only joined the Bolshevik party in mid 1917.
6. He had played a crucial role in
the 1917 revolution and had commanded the Red Guards which had
routed Kerensky.
7. He was a brilliant speaker who
could get a crowd on his side. But he was also shy and unable
to make close friends.
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1. He
was General Secretary of the Communist Party and able to control
its quickly growing membership.
2. He was pleasant to opposing
groups in the government.
3. He had been a leading member
of the party since 1903 and played a central role in the 1917
revolution.
4. He was known to be rude and
aggressive to people he disliked.
5. He was ruthless and willing
to wipe out any enemies of the party.
6. He was a very good organiser
who loved running government departments.
7. He was not a thinker - he
would often use the ideas of others and put them forward as
his own.
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