I have, over the past year or so, gained a bit of an interest in Russian history especially that focusing around the Russian revolution and the rise of the Soviet Union. Having already read Stalin: A Biography By Robert Service and learning about the intense rivalry between Stalin and Trotsky and Stalin ordering the [...] of Trotsky, this book seemed like a must as it tells the story in detail of Trotsky's last years spent in asylum in the Mexican town of Coyoacán. I hadn't read anything else on Trotsky up to the point of reading this book but there was a method to the madness of reading about the end of his life before knowing anything about the beginning. The story told presents situations which would create immense emotion and would accentuate core personality traits that would otherwise go un-noticed by his guards and political comrades.
By no means something that covers the entire life of Trotsky, or his involvement in the Russian Revolution, but it does touch upon the more pivotal points in his past that would give a better explanation as to why Trotsky ended up in exile. Touching only briefly on the rivalry between himself and the tyrannical soviet dictator Stalin, it does still manage to give us a view of the bitterness within Trotsky towards his ousting from the party in favour of Stalin who was considered incompetent when compared to Trotsky. This book also covers in detail the ideological differences between Trotsky and Stalin and also the rise of the Fourth International which was a counter movement against Stalinism and Capitalism. This touches on such things in immense detail and also becomes a partial biography for those around him including his most trusted guards and friends and also his enemies and a brief biography of the man who would eventually become his [...].
It was a true joy to read and gives a good insight into Trotsky the man, but I wouldn't recommend you read this without knowing anything about Trotsky prior to this as I was lost on many occasions. Although being very factual in the story being told, the author does manage to make this a dramatic piece especially towards the end during the moment of Trotsky's murder. The epilogue lovingly talks about what happened after Trotsky's death and the book really had me thinking just how different the world would be and the socialist movement had Trotsky become the leader of the Communist Party in place of Stalin. An excellent effort and it is really a great story to tell, but I can't help but think that the author would have best served Trotsky's image had he endeavoured to write a full biography covering Trotsky's entire life rather than just the period leading up to his death. I would rate this book highly and recommend it for the more educated person with an interest in the Russian Revolution.
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Top reviews from other countries
Andrew Howell
A Cracking Good Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2010
charlie k
Great detail involved here
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2015Iarla
Good book, terrible condition
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2021
