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Welcome to the Who's Who page for figures
in European History. Entries are arranged by last name
(where appropriate). You can jump to alphabetical listings by clicking on any of
the linked letters
(those underlined). I will continue to add as the semester progresses.
Index:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Alexander I: Russian Tsar; 1777-1825, a very complicated fellow and enigmatic ruler, Alexander I was heavily influenced by Enlightenment thought and the court of Catherine II. He assumed the throne at a relatively young age after his Father had been murdered, which might have contributed to his emotional, volatile personality. He sometimes referred to himself as the "happy accident". He was alternatively, an autocrat, and a liberal reformer, in essence, and Enlightened Despot of the first order. After a humiliating defeat by Napoleon at Austerlitz, he courted and reconciled with the Corsican; later to enrage him, prompting the invasion of 1812 of which much has been said. He worked substantially with Metternich in the post Napoleonic world, attended the Vienna Conference, and dictated terms to recreate the Kingdom of Poland, which he wanted to mold as an enlightened state. Disappointment and disillusionment led to repudiation of his liberal values by 1820, and he fell more under the influence of Metternich's conservative values. Sociable and friendly by nature, he became more and more reclusive and unapproachable late in life. He reportedly died in 1825, in Taganrog, and an official ceremony followed. When the Soviet government dug up his grave in 1926...it was empty. |
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defeats Napoleon, Congress of Vienna, Congress of Troppau, Kingdom of Poland |
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"It is better to abolish serfdom from above than to wait for it to abolish itself from below." |
Alexander II: Russian Tsar; 1818-1881, like his Romanov predecessors Peter the Great and Catherine II, Alexander II can be seen as one of Russia's great modernizer Tsars. Breaking with the staid policies of Nicholas I, Alexander recognizes Russia's backwardness, and does more than any other Tsar to rectify the situation. His Great Reforms included: emancipation of the serfs, the creation of local governing bodies, legal reform, military reform, and administrative changes. He ruled Russia during a period of diplomatic activity in Europe and pursued a proactive foreign policy including fighting a successful war with the Turks, and selling Alaska to the Americans (which looked like a good deal at the time...$7 million for an ice flow). Anyone who institutes this much change is bound to alienate and upset some people, and he did. There were many assassination attempts, the last one, in 1881, killed him. His assassination would color the reigns of his successors, Alexander III and Nicholas II, both conservative and cautious, though Alexander III did pursue Alexander II's economic reform programs. |
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Great Reforms, Russo-Turkish Wars |
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"People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election." |
Otto von Bismarck: Statesman; 1815-1898, considered the founder of the German Empire. For nearly three decades he shaped the fortunes of Germany, from 1862 to 1873 as prime minister of Prussia and from 1871 to 1890 as Germany’s first Chancellor. A Prussian Junker Bismarck held very authoritarian views and was no fan of liberal democracy. What he did understand, perhaps better than anyone of his time, was the massive potential of nationalism. He also understood how to harness that potential. An astute, almost frighteningly smart diplomat and politician, he virtually ran Europe in the 1870's, other statesmen inclined to follow his lead. It is frequently said that there are three individuals who have the greatest impact on Germany, and Bismarck's name is always among those three. Another not uncommon claim is that Bismark's diplomacy and skills are what maintained a fragile balance during the late 19th century, a balance only he could manage. Without his leadership, Europe tumbled towards conflict and disaster. |
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invented Germany, Austro-Prussian War, Franco-Prussian War, realpolitik |
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"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs. "
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Louis
Blanc: Social reformer and politician; 1811-1882, difficult to know sometimes whether to consider Louis Blanc a socialist or a democrat. His writing in Organization of Work would foreshadow several of the arguments of Karl Marx, most notably the idea that competition was the root of all evils afflicting the world as he saw it. He was very active during the French Revolution of 1848, but was up against much anti-socialist sentiment. His National Workshops were well intended, but caused as many problems as they solved. His career, and his socialism, was victimized by the conservative backlash of '48, but note the changes to the French government under Napoleon III, and see if you notice his influence. He fled to London in 1848, and while there did much writing, including his 12 volume History of the French Revolution. He returned to France in 1870, and served in the National Assembly. The radicalism of the Paris Commune was not to his liking, though he was sympathetic to its ambitions. He proposed several pieces of legislation, and worked towards increased aid for workers. He died in 1882 and received a state funeral. |
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National Workshops, June Days, Organization of Work |
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Winston Churchill: British Prime Minister, statesman, and author; 1874-1965. Despite his erudite and articulate historical reputation (one of the hardest entries for which to chose a quote), Churchill was not a very good, or diligent student. Born to a rather aristocratic family he failed several subjects (some repeatedly) and was frequently punished for a rebellious nature matched by an unwillingness to do any work. Despite these inauspicious beginnings, he became one of the centuries most beloved, renowned figures. Not that he didn't have his enemies or detractors, he did, which made it difficult for him to navigate the complicated waters of the British Party system. Much of his career was spent in military service of one type or another and he traveled extensively in the years of the British Empire; India, Africa, Cuba, Turkey, Greece, to name a few. Elected to Parliament for the first time in 1900, he held several different ministerial posts. The interwar years were turbulent years for him, as they were for Britain in general. He was, somewhat uniquely, virtually asked by George VI to become Prime Minister when Chamberlain resigned in 1940. Clearly Churchill's shining moment, he proved himself to be an able, inspiring wartime leader and led Great Britain through the darkest hours of the war. Ironically, the Labour Party won huge victories in 1945 and Churchill was replaced as Prime Minister by Clement Atlee. He became Prime Minister again in 1951 and served until 1954. Several diplomatic crises marked this particular period, most of them having to do with decolonization in the British empire he had helped create in the 19th century. In 1963, President John. F. Kennedy made Churchill an honorary citizen of the United States. He died nine days after suffering a stroke in 1965. He was 90 years old. |
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New Imperialism, World War II, Cold War |
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Charles Darwin: British naturalist, biologist, zoologist; 1809-1882, not since Galileo has a scientist's work caused such a stir. His father was a doctor, and it was assumed that Darwin would be one too, but Charles wasn't a fan of surgery, and his main interest was natural history and geology. He studied at Cambridge University, where he came to know Reverend John Henslow. It was Henslow who recommended Darwin for the expedition of the HMS Beagle. Darwin's work on the Beagle expedition made him a scientific celebrity because of the sample of insect life and fossil remains he brought back. Darwin suffered ill health for the remainder of his life, and many have suggested that he contracted Chagas disease while in South America. He published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, mostly because he had heard another natural historian was about to publish the same ideas. Darwin realized that his theories on the transmutation of species would be unpopular, though not even he could have foreseen how enduring the conflicts would be. Not an irreligious man, he was skeptical of Christian claims of what would now be referred to as "intelligent design". It is said that the death of his 10 year old daughter, Annie, was the point at which he lost all faith in Christianity. He died in 1882, and in recognition of his contributions to natural history, he was buried in Westminster Abbey, near by Isaac Newton. |
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Origin of Species, Descent of Man |
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Sigmund Freud: Austrian neurologist and psychologist; 1856-1939. The latter half of the 19th century marked a revival of western fascination with science, of which the science of psychology was a part. Sigmund Freud studied physiology and biology at the University of Vienna in the 1870's, receiving his degree in 1881.It was during the 1880's, while working with Josef Breuer that he undertook work in what would become known as psychology, developing theories in neuroses, which he and Breuer asserted were a product of trauma. Freud published The Interpretation of Dreams in 1900, and Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality in 1905. Considered the founder of psychoanalysis, Freud's work would influence more than a century of western thought and give birth to an entirely new scientific discipline. Though there developed other psychological modalities, most of them, in one way or another derived from Freud's work. One of the more charismatic and influential thinkers of the modern era, he spent all but the last sixteen months of his life in Vienna. Friends urged Freud to leave Austria after Nazi annexation in 1938. Somewhat of an addictive personality (and somewhat aware of the fact) his incessant cigar smoking probably produced the cancer which he died in 1939 while in London. |
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modern psychoanalysis, The Interpretation of Dreams |
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David
Lloyd George: British Prime Minister; 1863-1945, the "Welsh Wizard," an important figure in Britain's Liberal Party, and the last member of that party to serve as Prime Minister, though he served as a member of parliament until 1945. Thus, he served England well during two World Wars and a serious economic depression. He began his political career by campaigning for Welsh issues, disestablishment of the Church of England, was vehemently opposed to the Boer War, and as Chancellor of the Exchequer was largely responsible for a slate of welfare measures referred to occasionally as the People's Budget. He became Prime Minister in 1916, and represented Britain at the Versailles Conference in 1918. One can find conflicting reports on George's personal feelings about the severity of peace, but he did push for reparations and punitive treatment of Germany. He tends to feel he was overshadowed by the dynamic personalities of Wilson and Clemenceau. When the Liberal Party lost elections in 1922, Lloyd George was replaced as Prime Minister, but remained active in British politics. A political ally of Winston Churchill, he shared Churchill's doubts concerning appeasement. He died in 1945, soon after being elected to the House of Lords. |
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Liberal Party, People's Budget, Versailles Treaty |
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Mikhail Gorbachev: Soviet Premier; 1931- ; it happens to be my opinion that Mikhail Gorbachev is one of the most underrated and unappreciated figures of the twentieth century. Never has one man done so much to change the face of the world and received so little credit for it. Instead, words like "failure", "stooge", and "misguided fool" are used instead. Born to a peasant family he worked on the farm while pursuing his studies, eventually earning a law degree in 1953. Former General Secretary Yuri Andropov got him elected to the Central Committee in 1971, and as the decade progressed his work on the committee indicated to him that collectivized agriculture and perhaps the entire Soviet structure was deeply flawed. He became Soviet Premier in 1985, the youngest premier to acquire that post, and almost immediately initiated a series of reforms, including improved relations with the west. He was welcomed by the Reagan administration who finally had found a premier with whom they could work. Gorbachev's reforms included economic liberalization and a loosening of debate and dialogue structures. He also made overtures of autonomy to the satellite nations of Eastern Europe and to the Soviet Republics. He was a man ahead of his time by Soviet standards and he released a genie from a bottle he could not recork. Without Soviet oversight, Communist parties in the satellite nations began to lose their grip on leadership, prompting a wave of revolutionary ferment unprecedented since 1848. In the summer of 1991, Communist hardliners, fearful of Gorbachev's policies attempted to overthrow his government and replace it with a more traditionally Communist variety. The coup was poorly planned, poorly executed and eventually thwarted; but the image of Gorbachev being held prisoner was not an attractive or dignified image. In the aftermath of the coup, the Soviet Republics left the union and the USSR was no more. Gorbachev resigned his post as head of a union that no longer existed at the end of the year. Gorbachev currently lives in Moscow, has remained politically active in the organization of parties, and as a dignitary. He also runs his own foundation which serves a think tank for the advancement of democratic and humanitarian efforts. |
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Revolutions of 1989 |
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Adolph Hitler German Chancellor and Fascist Totalitarian; 1889-1945. Not sure what I can write here that is going to sum up one of the most important figures of the 20th century...and not in a good way. Hitler was born in Austria, not Germany (he wouldn't get German citizenship until 1932); one of six children born from his father, a customs official. Only two of these children reached adulthood; Adolph and his sister Paula. Recent research refutes the oft made claim that Hitler was of Jewish descent. He spent many years in Vienna as an artist, though was rejected by the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna twice. It was while in Vienna that he became an active anti-Semite. He saw active service during World War I and received two decorations for his duties. He also was hospitalized towards the end of the war for blindness incurred by poison gas. He went to Munich after the war, still serving in the army and was discharged from military service in 1920, and began to dedicate all his energies to the German Workers Party; an anti-socialist, nationalist party which he would rebuild in his own image after a failed coup in 1923. The Nazi Party did well in parliamentary elections after 1930, and President Hindenberg appointed him Chancellor in 1933. From this post, Hitler continued to build his power base, despite the fact that Nazi's did not have a majority in the Reichstag. An environment of economic crisis, nationalistic desperation, and turbulent fear was perfect for Hitler's brand of fascism (popularized by Benito Mussolini). A variety of motives led the European powers to passively observe German territorial expansion and Versailles Treaty violations, until Germany's invasion of Poland prompted Great Britain to declare war on Germany. The years 1943-1945 were hard ones for the German military, and Hitler's leadership became more erratic over time. With Soviet soldiers only blocks away in Berlin, Hitler committed suicide. The 20th century was altered substantially by the experience of World War II and by the legacies of Adolph Hitler. |
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World War II, Holocaust |
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Alexander Kerensky: Russian Revolutionary figure and Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government of 1917; 1881-1970; as a member of the Social Revolutionary Party, Kerensky was instrumental in the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty. His father was a high school principal and taught another young man from that region, Vladamir Lenin. Kerensky became involved in politics in the early 19th century, eventually holding several posts in the Provisional Government. As a "moderate" socialist, Kerensky most wanted liberal, western style political reform for Russia after the end of Romanov autocracy. As such, he felt obliged to western allies, and feared German peace terms, prompting the Provisional Government to remain a belligerent in World War I. Hardships worsened as a result of the war effort, hardships that Lenin and the Bolsheviks would exploit to replace the Provisional Government with something a bit more radical. Kerensky left Russia in 1917 and spent the rest of his life in exile; first in Paris, and then in the United States. He worked substantially with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he also lectured. For the most part, he lived in New York, where he died in 1970. |
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Russian Revolution |
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John
Maynard Keynes: Economist; 1883-1946. I have only recently (relatively speaking been made aware of what a rock star Keynes was in his day. A definitive member of Britain's "upper crust" he attended all the best schools (Eton, Cambridge) and hobnobbed with the intellectual elite of his age, all of whom adored him. Tall, confident, suave, and fiercely intelligent, Keynes revolutionized economics, both in practice and in theory. No "grim science" medicine for J.M. Keynes, he was optimistic and believed in economic progress, not fatalism. He worked for the British government during World War I and his work during this period brought him much attention. So much so, in fact, that he was chosen as a delegate to the Versailles Conference in 1919. It was to be an important appointment. Keynes resigned his post in disgust at the motives and principles of the Allied leaders, and wrote his scathing Economic Consequences of the Peace in response. As important as this work was in making him a celebrity, it paled in importance to The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money in which general Keynesian ideas of deficit spending and government stimulation of the economy were described (sometimes not so clearly). His advice might have gone unheeded by some after World War I, but such would not be the case after World War II, and in fact, Keynesian thought established most of the economic agenda of the west for the remainder of the century. He died in 1946 of a heart attack. |
| Economic Consequences Of The Peace, Versailles Treaty, deficit spending | |
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Vladimir Lenin: Russian Revolutionary and Communist thinker; 1870-1924. Given the relatively period on the world stage, he remains monumental figure in the 20th century; the scourge of the west, a root of the Cold War, and now a vilified figure among his own people. He suffered some early tragedies in his life. His father died when he was 16, and his older brother was executed a year later for participation in a plot to assassinate Alexander III. Lenin grew more radical during his early adulthood. Though he had earned a law degree, he was more interested in political radicalism and Marxism. He traveled extensively throughout Europe and wrote several important Marxist-Leninist tracts prior to 1917. The legend is that the Germans aided Lenin's return to Russia in the hopes that he would cause political unrest and degrade the already weak Russian war effort. They were not to be disappointed. Lenin's April Theses galvanized Bolshevik forces in opposition to the Provisional Government, then led by Alexander Kerensky. With the help of Leon Trotsky, Lenin's Bolshviks all but seized power in November of 1917 and established the Communist regime that would endure for most of the 20th century. His immediately pressing matter was Russian involvement in World War I, and he signed an early peace with the Germans in early 1918. Part liberator and savior to the proletariat, part autocrat; Lenin's policies rested on firm leadership and a strict party structure. In August of 1918 he was shot by Fanya Kaplan, and though he survived, the bullets remained lodged in his chest and neck, an his health would deteriorate from that point on. He suffered three strokes between 1922 and 1923, the third one rendered him incapacitated. He died in 1924, leaving behind a political system and party apparatus exploited well by his successor, Joseph Stalin. |
| Russian Revolution, Russian Civil War, Leninism, New Economic Policy | |
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Louis
XVIII: French Monarch; 1755-1824, brother of Louis XVI, fled France in 1791 to escape the Revolution (as his brother had tried to do). Louis XVI's 10 year old son had died in prison in 1795, so when the Fourth Coalition placed him on the throne in 1814, he assumed the tile Louis XVIII. He was supported by the coalition in their attempt to create a constitutional monarchy in France. The Constitutional Charter of 1814 wasn't terribly liberal by the standards of the day. From the beginning, Louis XVIII appeared to be a puppet to Metternich and the coalition. However, he did make efforts to place France back in a diplomatic position of influence, and though his government was conservative in nature, it did not incite the type of liberal ferment France would see by the actions of other monarchs. Louis XVIII died in September of 1824 and was succeeded by his brother who would be Charles X. Congress of Vienna, Congress of Verona, Constitutional Charter of 1814 |
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"All I know is I'm not a Marxist" |
Karl
Marx: Philosopher, 1818-1883; perhaps the most influential thinker of the 19th century. While borrowing heavily from economic thought, Enlightenment thought, and Socialist thought, Marx's brand of communism revolutionized how we thought about the world and our place in it. Born into a comfortable middle class family in Germany, a law student at the University of Bonn at age 17, and then a student in Berlin. Political radicalism prevented him from a career in Prussian education at which point he turned to journalism. He and Friedrich Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto which was published in 1848, right before the revolutionary torrent began. None too appreciated in his own lifetime, much of his writing was published posthumously. He died on March 14th, 1883. Engels delivered his eulogy. |
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Communist Manifesto, Capital |
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"When France has a cold, all Europe sneezes." |
Klemens von Metternich: Statesman; 1773-1859; studied philosophy and law at Mainz. He proved himself to be a very talented diplomat from a very young age. In 1806 he was sent to Paris by the Austrian Emperor. Rumor has it that he was a significant help in Napoleon's quest to marry Marie Louise. Klemens, the little matchmaker. His real contributions would come in the post Napoleon world. He was instrumental in the Vienna settlement of 1815, one of the leading spokesman for the conservative view which condemned liberalism as a dangerous force, given its track record in France, this probably wasn't an entirely unreasonable outlook. Metternich almost single handedly established the diplomatic agenda for the first half of the 19th century, eventually winning over the rather unpredictable Alexander I to his way of thinking. He was forced to flee Vienna during the Revolutions of 1848 and was in England until 1851 when he returned to Austria. His time of prominence was past, however, and much of his thought and accomplishments would be vilified in the second half of the century. However, his "concert" system remains a principal feature of western political diplomacy. |
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Congress Of Vienna, Holy Alliance, Congress of Troppau, Carlsbad Decrees |
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"The best blood will at some time get into a fool or a mosquito." |
Benito
Mussolini: Italian Fascist Prime Minister; 1883-1945. Expelled from school for stabbing another student in the hand and throwing ink at a teacher, the bellicose Mussolini would influence Italian history like no one since Camillo di Cavour. His public life started in journalism, and he was also a novelist. His mother had raised him to appreciate literary pursuits and education (ink throwing notwithstanding). Though called up for military service in World War I, he was injured during training and sat out the conflict. He entered the Italian Parliament in 1921. His dubious contribution to 20th century history was his reforming and focusing of fascism for Italian national aspiration. Though the March On Rome was, in actuality, a fabrication, his control as Prime Minister was repressive, autocratic, anti-Communist, and nationalistic. Preying upon disappointment and fear, Mussolini's fascism would become the model for future German efforts later in the decade. Though initially wary of Hitler's Germany, they became allies in 1936. Mussolini used World War II as an attempt to expand Italian holdings, but suffered defeats on all fronts. Germany came to the aid of its ally, but could not sustain the support forever. Stripped of power by Victor Emmanuel III and arrested in 1943. The Germans helped him to escape, and he set up an ersatz government in Northern Italy, but his time was past. While trying to flee Italy in 1945, he was captured by Italian Communist partisans and executed in dramatic fashion. His granddaughter, Alessandra Mussolini currently serves in the European Parliament, and is herself, an avowed neo-fascist. |
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Fascism, Black Shirts, World War II |
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"The army is the true nobility of our country." |
Napoleon III: French Emperor; 1808-1873; Bismarck called him the "sphynx without a riddle", Emperor the Second Republic, he saw himself as a direct heir, politically, to his uncle Napoleon I. His victory in 1848 is easily attributed to nationalistic memories provoked by his name, but Napoleon III did have a political agenda and platform. In many ways, he espoused a broad program of social reform that was able to satisfy many elements of the the French political spectrum. Involved in several attempted coups, he came to great prominence in 1848. Initially Louis Napoleon, he essentially forced France into an authoritarian regime in 1851, declaring himself Emperor Napoleon III of the Second Republic. Though he was able to institute several reforms he became embroiled in pretty much all of the diplomatic events of his day including the Crimean War, unification of Italy and Germany, problems with the Catholic Church, the construction of the Suez Canal, and events in Mexico. France's defeat by Bismarck in the Franco-Prussian War meant the end of the Second Republic. Captured by Prussian forces he was sent into exile to England where he died in 1873. |
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Second Empire, Franco-Prussian War, Authoritarian Nationalism |
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"There is no justice among men." |
Nicholas II; Russian Tsar, 1868-1918, grandson of Alexander II and the "Last" Tsar. Few European monarchs since Louis XVI have been forced to deal with the monumental challenges Nicholas II was forced to confront during his reign. Part victim, and part agent of his own undoing. As a youngster he traveled widely, and came home from Japan with a scar from an attempt on his life and a deep seated hatred of Japan. His disastrous loss in the Russo-Japanese War probably didn't make him feel any better about the Land of the Rising Sun. Forced to concede liberal reforms (finally) in which he didn't truly believe, a series of ministerial programs rendered them useless and added fuel to other, more radical, agendas. Russia was ill prepared for the Great War when it broke out in 1914 and suffered losses to German forces, though did better against Ottoman and Austrian forces. One of Nicholas II's most significant errors of judgment was his decision to be at the Eastern Front during World War I, this left a vacuum of leadership in Moscow, a vacuum that revolutionaries filled in 1917. Nicholas II abdicated in March of 1917 and was held as a political prisoner until he, and his family, were executed by Bolsheviks in 1918. The Russian Orthodox Church canonized Nicholas II in August of 2000. |
| Russo-Japanese War, October Manifesto, Russian Revolution | |
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"All the world old is
queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer." |
Robert
Owen: industrialist, reformer; 1771-1858; can come up in a variety of different contexts, but most frequently cited as an innovator and propellant of the early Industrial Revolution, and a champion of worker's protection. He was a major influence on the 18th century British textile industry, one of his first big enterprise being the industrial community at New Lanarck, which also established him as a philanthropist and social philosopher of sorts. Owen was very much the product of Enlightenment thought and believed that social forces, most importantly education, were crucial in a person's development, because environment dictated how a person would evolve. He may be most famous for his failed attempts to maintain a "model" utopian community in New Harmony, Indiana. By the 1830's, Owen was a prominent public figure and supporter of of labor. He organized the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union in 1834. He was a complex man, and an enigma to many. He was also championed as an important social activist and reformer. |
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Utopian Socialism, New Harmony, Grand National Consolidated Trades Union |
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"The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic." |
Joseph
Stalin: Russian General-Secretary; 1879-1953; one of the more influential (for better or worse) figures of the 20th century, Stalin's years of leadership of Russia would define the USSR for more than 50 years. The son of an alcoholic, abusive father, who eventually abandoned the family, Stalin would enter the Tiflis Theological Seminary at age 14. His years here would expose him to intellectual currents and he started to espouse Marxism, which got him kicked out of seminary. Very much involved in the Revolution of 1917, he positioned himself to run the Communist Party after Lenin's death. He disposed of all political rivals through manipulation, rhetoric, and political craft, including Leon Trotsky, and had supreme authority by 1928. His "Socialism In One Country" broke with traditional Marxist-Leninist thought, but brilliantly addressed some uniquely Russian characteristics overlooked by many. The Five Year Plans were a success from a political standpoint but are somewhat debated as to their effectiveness where modernization or industrialization are concerned. All modes of totalitarian leadership can be found in Stalin's leadership style, as can suggestions of its effectiveness at facing crisis. Forced to hold the Germans off by themselves for close to two years, the USSR's accomplishments during World War II should not be underestimated. Cold War foundations were also established by Stalin in the immediate post war years as he quarreled with former allies. He suffered a stroke in March of 1953, and died four days later. Several historians have suggested that he was, in fact, poisoned. |
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Russian Revolution, Five Year Plan, World War II, Cold War |
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"The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end." |
Leon
Trotsky: Revolutionary leader and Marxist; 1879-1940; along with Vladimir Lenin, Trotsky helped to bring Bolshevik Revolution to Russia in 1917, and served as an important and influential Marxist thinker until his death at the hand of Stalinist assassins in Mexico. Like many of the Russian Revolutionary figures, Trotsky spent many years in exile and was in and out of Russia a lot between 1900-1917. Exiled in 1906 after his arrest by Tsarist deputies, he returned to Russia, from New York, in May of 1917. His role in the November Revolution can not be overestimated. A great thinker, orator, and organizer his contributions were the equal of Lenin's; Commissar for Foreign Affairs, and War Commissar, he served as a delegate at peace negotiations at Brest-Litovsk. Not only was he instrumental in bringing about revolution, he was also instrumental in protecting it during the protracted civil war that followed. After Lenin's death in 1923, Trotsky was victimized by the political maneuvering of Stalin. Central to the difference between the two was the concept of global revolution, which Trotsky saw as Communism's ultimate goal. Stalin expelled him from the Communist Party in 1927 and deported in 1929. He eventually made his way to Mexico and lived for awhile with Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. It was there that he assumed the mantle of Communist philosopher in the vein of Marx and Lenin. Staunchly anti-Stalin, Trotsky provided alternatives to Soviet style Communism and Maoism, and greatly influenced Communist thought in the 20th century. |
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Russian Revolution, Russian Civil War, Trotskyism |
