397. Stalin: Killing Trotsky (Part 3)
Summary
This episode explores the intense rivalry between Stalin and Trotsky, featuring historian Giles Milton. The discussion covers Trotsky’s privileged childhood, his pivotal role in the 1917 Revolution, and Stalin’s strategic maneuvering to eliminate him, including the infamous "wrong date" trick at Lenin’s funeral. The narrative traces Trotsky’s exile to Mexico, where he lived under constant threat while interacting with artists like Frida Kahlo. The episode culminates in the details of two assassination attempts, highlighting the failed machine gun raid and the final, fatal ice axe attack by …
Topics discussed
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Recap of Lenin's dying testament
Trotsky's childhood and family background
Trotsky's personality and public speaking
Anecdotes: Paris shoes and sculptor Claire Sheridan
Roles in the 1917 Revolution and Winter Palace
Trotsky's courage and rivalry with Stalin
Polish-Soviet War and defeat at Warsaw
Ideological split: Revolution in One Country vs Everywhere
Stalin's sabotage at Lenin's funeral
Trotsky's removal from power and exile
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Life in exile: Turkey, France, and Mexico
Stalin's purges and threat to Trotsky
Stalin's marriage to Nadezhda Alliluyeva
Nadezhda's suicide and Stalin's reaction
Stalin's disappearance during the 1934 crisis
First assassination attempt on Trotsky in 1940
The ice axe attack by Ramón Mercader
Why Stalin ordered Trotsky's death
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