What doyouthink?
Rate this book
My Life: An Attempt at an Autobiography
Autobiographical account by a leader of the October 1917 Russian revolution, the Soviet Red Army, and the battle initiated by Lenin against the Stalinist bureaucracy.. Introduction by Joseph Hansen, Chronology of events and writings, 1929-1940, index. Now with enlarged type.
695 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1929
About the author
Leon Trotsky
978books691followersSee alsoЛев Троцкий
Russian theoreticianLeon TrotskyorLeon Trotski,originallyLev Davidovitch Bronstein,led the Bolshevik of 1917, wrote Literature and Revolution in 1924, opposed the authoritarianism ofJoseph Stalin,and emphasized world; therefore later, the Communist party in 1927 expelled him and in 1929 banished him, but he included the autobiographical My Life in 1930, and the behest murdered him in exile in Mexico.
The exile of Leon Trotsky in 1929 marked rule of Joseph Stalin.
People better know this Marxist. In October 1917, he ranked second only toVladimir Lenin.During the early days of the Soviet Union, he served first as commissar of people for foreign affairs and as the founder and commander of the Red Army and of war. He also ranked among the first members of the Politburo.
After a failed struggle of the left against the policies and rise in the 1920s, the increasing role of bureaucracy in the Soviet Union deported Trotsky. An early advocate of intervention of Army of Red against European fascism, Trotsky also agreed on peace withAdolf Hitlerin the 1930s. As the head of the fourth International, Trotsky continued to the bureaucracy in the Soviet Union, andRamón Mercader,a Soviet agent, eventually assassinated him. From Marxism, his separate ideas form the basis of Trotskyism, a term, coined as early as 1905. Ideas of Trotsky constitute a major school of Marxist. The Soviet administration never rehabilitated him and few other political figures.
Russian theoreticianLeon TrotskyorLeon Trotski,originallyLev Davidovitch Bronstein,led the Bolshevik of 1917, wrote Literature and Revolution in 1924, opposed the authoritarianism ofJoseph Stalin,and emphasized world; therefore later, the Communist party in 1927 expelled him and in 1929 banished him, but he included the autobiographical My Life in 1930, and the behest murdered him in exile in Mexico.
The exile of Leon Trotsky in 1929 marked rule of Joseph Stalin.
People better know this Marxist. In October 1917, he ranked second only toVladimir Lenin.During the early days of the Soviet Union, he served first as commissar of people for foreign affairs and as the founder and commander of the Red Army and of war. He also ranked among the first members of the Politburo.
After a failed struggle of the left against the policies and rise in the 1920s, the increasing role of bureaucracy in the Soviet Union deported Trotsky. An early advocate of intervention of Army of Red against European fascism, Trotsky also agreed on peace withAdolf Hitlerin the 1930s. As the head of the fourth International, Trotsky continued to the bureaucracy in the Soviet Union, andRamón Mercader,a Soviet agent, eventually assassinated him. From Marxism, his separate ideas form the basis of Trotskyism, a term, coined as early as 1905. Ideas of Trotsky constitute a major school of Marxist. The Soviet administration never rehabilitated him and few other political figures.
Ratings&Reviews
Friends&Following
Create a free accountto discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
October 10, 2012
Trotskyists are one of the most reviled groups on the left...and I have been partly or wholly one my entire adult life. That said, it doesn't take a Trotskyist (or even a "TrotskyITE" ) to enjoy this book.
Think for a moment about living in a house with dirt floors; mud walls three feet thick in which snakes, some of them poisonous, dwell; but you have servants. This is the middle class home into which Trotsky was born.
Initially loathe to broadcast the particulars of his life, which he considered irrelevant, he was eventually coaxed into giving it up so that he could incorporate his ideas into the book. I found it fascinating.
Trotsky's life, as many know, was ended for him in exile in Mexico, after Stalin won power in the wake of Lenin's death. His own bodyguard was bought by the opposition, and planted an axe in the back of his head. (I don't consider this a spoiler, since Trotsky does not speak of it...obviously).
Give it a try, if you are fond of biographies and memoirs, and don't mind mixing in some political philosophy and Russian history. It's one hell of a ride.
Think for a moment about living in a house with dirt floors; mud walls three feet thick in which snakes, some of them poisonous, dwell; but you have servants. This is the middle class home into which Trotsky was born.
Initially loathe to broadcast the particulars of his life, which he considered irrelevant, he was eventually coaxed into giving it up so that he could incorporate his ideas into the book. I found it fascinating.
Trotsky's life, as many know, was ended for him in exile in Mexico, after Stalin won power in the wake of Lenin's death. His own bodyguard was bought by the opposition, and planted an axe in the back of his head. (I don't consider this a spoiler, since Trotsky does not speak of it...obviously).
Give it a try, if you are fond of biographies and memoirs, and don't mind mixing in some political philosophy and Russian history. It's one hell of a ride.
June 16, 2013
My Life is an eyeopening autobiography from the pen of one of the world's greatest revolutionary figures. Learn about the man behind the myth of Leon Trotsky from the man himself. Some of the stories are merely informative while others are positively inspiring, like Trotsky's daring escape by reindeer from his second Siberian exile or his wartime command of the entire Soviet Army by train. Love him or hate him, Leon Trotsky breaks down his life, trials, triumphs, and tribulations from his early childhood on the family farm to his final exile from the Soviet Union following the death of V.I. Lenin with the meticulous care of an intellectual and a journalist, two of the lesser known aspects of Trotsky's life. It's an informative read. But one that ends far too soon...like the life of Comrade Trotsky.
August 15, 2023
"The pressure of material force has always played, and still plays, a great role in humanity’s history; sometimes it is a progressive role, more often a reactionary one; its character depends on what class applies the force, and to what end. But it is a far cry from this to the belief that force can solve alt problems and overcome all obstacles. It is possible by force of arms to check the development of progressive historical tendencies; it is not possible to block the road of the advance of progressive ideas forever. That is why, when the struggle is one for great principles, the revolutionary can only follow one rule: Fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra."
September 26, 2021
اكتب كي لا تكون وحيداً
August 16, 2019
Hablando con plena sinceridad, a este libro me acerqué principalmente por los elogios impartidos por Michel Deville en su libroVivay en menor medida por una vaga simpatía respecto la figura de Trotsky, a quien creo que todavía se le puede asignar la casilla de la dignidad en un evento tan tumultuoso como ha sido la Revolución rusa y la posterior Unión Soviética. Un hombre que ha dedicado décadas de su vida a la lucha política por la dignidad del proletariadointernacional(el adjetivo es imprescindible remarcarlo tras leer este libro) y por más que en el fondo era alguien conservador, se situó en la izquierda para defender esos intereses.
Pero la verdad es que no secundo las facultades de literato que le atribuye Deville. Su escritura posee demasiada inclinación a repetir varias veces ciertos términos (cómo ahora termidoriano o epígonos) en cada página, da la sensación que sus frases son a veces demasiado extensas y que tiende a aportar información más o menos superflua. Eso sin contar su tendencia a situarse frente los hechos desnudos y evitar ese plano mítico necesario para elevar los ánimos, los espíritus, las almas e insuflarle algo de oxígeno a sus disquisiciones acerca de los numerosos congresos y juntas del partido. Ya sé que se trata de una biografía, claro, y por lo tanto esos hechos desnudos es la carne que ha de poner en el asador, sin embargo en su caso ese plano mítico claramente debería ser la revolución rusa, francesa o lo que se le hubiese ocurrido.
Trotsky escribió este libro en Estambul, en pleno exilio, y quizá esas circunstancias no permiten la serenidad de espíritu necesaria, pero el caso es que tampoco parece explotar las posibilidades que surgen en sus textos. Por poner un ejemplo, cuando es exiliado a Asia Central y dice que lee montones de libros de historia y economía acerca de la región. ¿Qué le sugiere todas esas lecturas? ¿Qué singularidades le llamaron la atención? ¿Qué posibilidades le encuentra y cómo lo relacionaría con el proceso histórico que él co-protagonizó? Ninguna de esas preguntas parecen importarle, pues creo que Trotsky escribió este libro para los historiadores y no para los lectores comunes, por eso deduzco que no explota ese sinfín de posibilidades y se centra más en reivindicar su figura política o limpiar su relación con Lenin. Ese empeño autojusitificativo, unido a cierto aire de soberbia, empaña la atmósfera de la lectura y terminan hartando.
A fin de cuentas, se puede decir que en verdad se trata de una autobiografía escrita contra el estalinismo, a quien ya en 1929 catalogaba de movimiento políticamente obtuso, hiper-burocráctico, grosero y de talante pandillero. Lo curioso es que desde el New York Times se celebró la defenestración de Trotsky, a quien consideraban un comunista mucho más peligroso que Stalin. Bravo por el ojo clínico del New York Times. El caso es que esa motivación entorpece al avance de la lectura y, en mi caso, a la larga, me desinfló el interés por su lectura. Hago esta diferenciación a conciencia, porque una cosa es el Trotsky escritor y otra la figura histórica.
Lo curioso es que, tal y como se comenta en el prólogo, la vida de Trotsky fue la de un personaje de novelas de aventuras. Y no se trata tanto de una versión pro-soviética deDoctor Zhivago,si no por ejemplo la historia que hay antes y después de la fallida revolución de 1905, el escritor exiliado que participa en diarios en Alemania y Francia, sus encuentros con Rosa Luxembourg y otras tantas figuras, las diferentes travesías por lo largo y ancho de Europa y América... todo ese material fue el que aprovechó Deville para suViva,el resto, si es que uno no estámuyinteresado en lo que atañe a la URSS, no me parece imprescindible leerlo.
October 15, 2020
I think there’s a strange kinship between Churchill and Trotsky. While the two men were the most pompous men of their age, their memoirs are strangely self-effacing. What is more the two men were fearless in battle, ruthless at times, and capable of writing brilliant book after brilliant book even while participating in great events.
February 26, 2022
I may have read this some fifty years ago, when I was studying politics and the Russian Revolution and before I began keeping track accurately of my reading, but if so I didn't remember much of what I would have expected to have remembered. Of course, the earlier chapters about his childhood and pre-revolutionary adolescence are only of biographical interest, but from then on there is much of political and historical importance. The chapters on the 1905 and 1917 revolutions are naturally less clear than his books on those subjects, and there are occasional differences of detail, given that this book was written largely from memory under less than ideal research conditions during his exile in Turkey. Given the time and place it was written, there is a feeling throughout the book of its being essentially a defense against the charges of the Stalinists.
The most interesting chapters are on the disputes within the Social-Democratic parties between the two revolutions and the attitudes towards the First World War; the period of the Civil War (I hadn't fully realized how close the revolution came to being defeated on several occasions); and the period of Lenin's last illness and death, when the Stalinist conspiracy took power in the party and the state. While there is much that is inspiring in the book, at the end it was definitely depressing, despite Trotsky's attempt to remain optimistic about the temporary nature of the setback. Reading it in hindsight, after all of Stalin's betrayals, Trotsky's assassination, the Second World War, the failure of the parties of the Fourth International to ever gain major influence, let alone accomplish a revolution either in Russia or the West, and the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union and restoration of capitalism, it is obvious that the Stalinist Thermidor has been a long-lived catastrophe for the entire world. I finished this as the tanks of Putin's capitalist Russia were entering Kyiv (Kiev), to the hypocritical and basically empty condemnation of the Western imperialists.
This was the Pathfinder Press edition with an introduction by Joseph Hansen about the exile in Mexico and Trotsky's assassination, and a brief chronology of Trotsky's life after 1929.
The most interesting chapters are on the disputes within the Social-Democratic parties between the two revolutions and the attitudes towards the First World War; the period of the Civil War (I hadn't fully realized how close the revolution came to being defeated on several occasions); and the period of Lenin's last illness and death, when the Stalinist conspiracy took power in the party and the state. While there is much that is inspiring in the book, at the end it was definitely depressing, despite Trotsky's attempt to remain optimistic about the temporary nature of the setback. Reading it in hindsight, after all of Stalin's betrayals, Trotsky's assassination, the Second World War, the failure of the parties of the Fourth International to ever gain major influence, let alone accomplish a revolution either in Russia or the West, and the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union and restoration of capitalism, it is obvious that the Stalinist Thermidor has been a long-lived catastrophe for the entire world. I finished this as the tanks of Putin's capitalist Russia were entering Kyiv (Kiev), to the hypocritical and basically empty condemnation of the Western imperialists.
This was the Pathfinder Press edition with an introduction by Joseph Hansen about the exile in Mexico and Trotsky's assassination, and a brief chronology of Trotsky's life after 1929.
February 2, 2018
La autobiografía de León Tortsky a mi gusto es una joya, no sólo por la gran forma en que esta escrita, sino por sus múltiples lecturas que se puede hacer de ella. Puede ser un pequeño libro de historia de los acontecimientos que llevaron a la revolución rusa de 1917 hasta la consolidación de la URSS, desde uno de sus principales participantes (algo bastante atípico). Como una respuesta política de Trotsky a sus detractores, con amplias pruebas, y en especial a Stalin que lo persiguió en el exilio hasta México. Hasta una como una gran epopeya. La vida de Trostky es sin duda sorprendente, una gran aventura romántica. Nacido en Ucrania, hijo de granjeros, se convirtió en uno de los más notables personajes del siglo XX, al ser parte fundamental de la revolución que daría nacimiento a la URSS. Tuvo escapatorias épicas de la prisión en Siberia, vivió en grandes ciudades de Europa (no necesariamente por elección), fue autodidacta, un escritor prolífico, un teórico-político muy activo, comandante de las fuerzas armadas, perseguido político. Conoció sin número de personas a lo largo de su vida, a muchas de las cuales honra, y dejó una huella perdurable en el mundo. Independientemente de si uno esta o no de acuerdo con sus ideales políticos se le debe de dar el crédito como uno de los grandes forjadores de la historia del siglo XX.
March 30, 2020
Four and a half stars, really, hand on heart, though this is certainly anything but a dull, anecdote-laden political biography. The points knocked off, or my reservations about the book, are that there is a fair bit of point-scoring going on here, against Stalin, primarily (and understandably) masquerading as telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
But having said that, Trotsky's story takes some beating and think what you will of his politics, which can be fairly wilfully opaque sometimes, in that squabbling over (and out of) exact meaning politicians do so well, this is a special story which takes us from a rural, mud-walled hut in the middle of nowhere to the centre of some of the most important world-shaping events to have ever occured. We are lying on the floor, too tired to sleep, with Lenin at the height of revolution; we are faced with Stalin's smiling "friendship", so easy to see through but so awfully, horribly hard to escape. We live on a train for two years and flee Siberia on reindeers. We address crowds of thousands and so on and son on.
Trotsky can write. He wanted to be a writer and that, in the end, is the book's saving grace.
But having said that, Trotsky's story takes some beating and think what you will of his politics, which can be fairly wilfully opaque sometimes, in that squabbling over (and out of) exact meaning politicians do so well, this is a special story which takes us from a rural, mud-walled hut in the middle of nowhere to the centre of some of the most important world-shaping events to have ever occured. We are lying on the floor, too tired to sleep, with Lenin at the height of revolution; we are faced with Stalin's smiling "friendship", so easy to see through but so awfully, horribly hard to escape. We live on a train for two years and flee Siberia on reindeers. We address crowds of thousands and so on and son on.
Trotsky can write. He wanted to be a writer and that, in the end, is the book's saving grace.
March 13, 2021
Отличный документ эпохи. Отдельно хотелось бы отметить литературный слог и словарный запас рассказчика,местами не лишённый субъективности (как и любые мемуары). Прекрасный вариант взгляда на революцию от её непосредственного участника.
July 7, 2023
Anyone interested in the ethics and psychology of revolution should read this book.
I do not think the kind of revolution that Trotsky proposes is morally permissible, but he is generally correct in his description of the kind of society that we live in, and what (in theory) it would take to change it.
The great dilemma in all this is that the opposite—that is,defendingthe current order—also does not seem morally permissible. It all involves violence in some way or other, only justified in different ways, and conducted in varying degrees of invisibility. As he puts it, “If victims are generally to be permitted—but whose permission could one ask?—it is certainly victims that move humanity forward.” (pp. 581) This is the implication of traditional Marxism, as well as liberalism, conservatism, and every other baleful “-ism” —and a plain fact ofsecularhistory.
Walter Benjamin, in hisTheses on the Philosophy of History(1940), evidently did not consider this acceptable, and neither do I. But we cannot find a different way unless we first understand the fatal implications of a merely secular conception of history—that is, a conception that admits no salvation fromoutside the world.Without such an external—that is, eternal—referent, we cannot help but defend evil, and once we do, a true morality of any kind becomes impossible.
I do not think the kind of revolution that Trotsky proposes is morally permissible, but he is generally correct in his description of the kind of society that we live in, and what (in theory) it would take to change it.
The great dilemma in all this is that the opposite—that is,defendingthe current order—also does not seem morally permissible. It all involves violence in some way or other, only justified in different ways, and conducted in varying degrees of invisibility. As he puts it, “If victims are generally to be permitted—but whose permission could one ask?—it is certainly victims that move humanity forward.” (pp. 581) This is the implication of traditional Marxism, as well as liberalism, conservatism, and every other baleful “-ism” —and a plain fact ofsecularhistory.
Walter Benjamin, in hisTheses on the Philosophy of History(1940), evidently did not consider this acceptable, and neither do I. But we cannot find a different way unless we first understand the fatal implications of a merely secular conception of history—that is, a conception that admits no salvation fromoutside the world.Without such an external—that is, eternal—referent, we cannot help but defend evil, and once we do, a true morality of any kind becomes impossible.
March 23, 2024
Truly inspirational
July 29, 2022
2 stars*
Disappointing
Well, where to start?
The title of the book is misleading. My intention to acknowledge Trotsky's autobiography was to find out his inner motives for launching his revolutionary career and what was given him the strength to continue.
However, you won't find any answer to this question as two-thirds of the book is about bios of the third-, and fourth-rate revolutionaries; a couple of pages (!) - to his personal life with two wives and four children, and the rest filled up with some historic events, etc.
The odd thing is that he used for his family members, not a personal name, but a common name, i.e. wife, my younger son, etc. The name of the first wife who actually introduced Marxism to him, he even doesn't bother to tell.
Though, he introduced not only the full names of the comrades - bolsheviks but also their birthdays, deaths, and other boring details about their careers in the bolshevik party.
Trotsky is terribly secretive - the book lacks reveal his personality, his personal thoughts about the reasons for what he did, and where he got the ideas for his articles from.
The only glimpse was done in the begging of the book when he described his visit to his uncle - a successful entrepreneur. As Leiba Davidovich Bronstein ( original name of Leo Trotsky) mentioned: his uncle has been successful in getting surplus value practically, but he was unable to explain it theoretically. And this was a competitive advantage for Leiba in front of his uncle.
The end of the book is full of caustic criticism of Western countries that did not allow him (who dreamed of a World Revolution and flooded his own country with the blood of 12 million lives in a civil war) to settle on their territory.
Unfortunately, Trotsky "forgot" to provide juicy information about his arrival in Mexico (which gives him the go-ahead to live), where he receives shelter from Diego and immediately begins to flirt with his wife, the naive young Frida, in front of his own wife and sons.
If before I started listening to the book, I felt sympathy for L. Trotsky as a victim of the brutality of Stalin, then after that - only disgust remained. And the words of one of the Karamazov brothers come to mind: "one bastard ate another bastard."
* I read it as an audiobook in the Russian language (https://akniga.org/trockiy-lev-moya-z...)
Disappointing
Well, where to start?
The title of the book is misleading. My intention to acknowledge Trotsky's autobiography was to find out his inner motives for launching his revolutionary career and what was given him the strength to continue.
However, you won't find any answer to this question as two-thirds of the book is about bios of the third-, and fourth-rate revolutionaries; a couple of pages (!) - to his personal life with two wives and four children, and the rest filled up with some historic events, etc.
The odd thing is that he used for his family members, not a personal name, but a common name, i.e. wife, my younger son, etc. The name of the first wife who actually introduced Marxism to him, he even doesn't bother to tell.
Though, he introduced not only the full names of the comrades - bolsheviks but also their birthdays, deaths, and other boring details about their careers in the bolshevik party.
Trotsky is terribly secretive - the book lacks reveal his personality, his personal thoughts about the reasons for what he did, and where he got the ideas for his articles from.
The only glimpse was done in the begging of the book when he described his visit to his uncle - a successful entrepreneur. As Leiba Davidovich Bronstein ( original name of Leo Trotsky) mentioned: his uncle has been successful in getting surplus value practically, but he was unable to explain it theoretically. And this was a competitive advantage for Leiba in front of his uncle.
The end of the book is full of caustic criticism of Western countries that did not allow him (who dreamed of a World Revolution and flooded his own country with the blood of 12 million lives in a civil war) to settle on their territory.
Unfortunately, Trotsky "forgot" to provide juicy information about his arrival in Mexico (which gives him the go-ahead to live), where he receives shelter from Diego and immediately begins to flirt with his wife, the naive young Frida, in front of his own wife and sons.
If before I started listening to the book, I felt sympathy for L. Trotsky as a victim of the brutality of Stalin, then after that - only disgust remained. And the words of one of the Karamazov brothers come to mind: "one bastard ate another bastard."
* I read it as an audiobook in the Russian language (https://akniga.org/trockiy-lev-moya-z...)
January 8, 2017
Trotsky's brilliance is on full show throughout, and this is ram-packed of political insight and inspiration, though read as a curiosity or as literature it has its shortcomings.
The early part is cleverly stylised, and Trotsky lets his literary instincts fly a little as he pieces together reminiscences of his early life. It's also really interesting to read his judgement of his young self and his origins. These are the most personal pages of the book.
As the story moves toward Trotsky's political career, the tone becomes more polemical. Luckily, Trotsky is a great polemicist and there was an evident necessity for some polemic in this book. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but wish that Trotsky had maintained some of the personal tone and stylistic creativity of the early parts rather than moving in the direction of political memoir which is leavened with only occasional glimpses into his personal life. The content and tone of the whole thing, though, is inevitably and necessarily dictated by the needs of the moment and the mortal pressure of the Stalinist counterrevolution, and so all these exclusions and changes are quite understandable.
What is left is a unique vision into the world of European socialism in its most tumultuous, tragic, and heroic period. Trotsky's recollections of the revolution, civil war, and degeneration are pure gold, giving insight into the real role played by the famous and hidden characters of the revolution, and providing a more concrete look at what a degeneration in a revolutionary party looks and feels like. All of this is told by a brilliant writer and a genuinely profound mind. As such, this is an invaluable, if somewhat frustrating, book.
The early part is cleverly stylised, and Trotsky lets his literary instincts fly a little as he pieces together reminiscences of his early life. It's also really interesting to read his judgement of his young self and his origins. These are the most personal pages of the book.
As the story moves toward Trotsky's political career, the tone becomes more polemical. Luckily, Trotsky is a great polemicist and there was an evident necessity for some polemic in this book. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but wish that Trotsky had maintained some of the personal tone and stylistic creativity of the early parts rather than moving in the direction of political memoir which is leavened with only occasional glimpses into his personal life. The content and tone of the whole thing, though, is inevitably and necessarily dictated by the needs of the moment and the mortal pressure of the Stalinist counterrevolution, and so all these exclusions and changes are quite understandable.
What is left is a unique vision into the world of European socialism in its most tumultuous, tragic, and heroic period. Trotsky's recollections of the revolution, civil war, and degeneration are pure gold, giving insight into the real role played by the famous and hidden characters of the revolution, and providing a more concrete look at what a degeneration in a revolutionary party looks and feels like. All of this is told by a brilliant writer and a genuinely profound mind. As such, this is an invaluable, if somewhat frustrating, book.
August 29, 2020
This is a difficult and monotonous read because I am not familiar with Russian history, geography, political structure, and culture. The beginning chapters took some time to get acquainted with as I had to read a few peripheral articles to give me a historical context. Somewhere past halfway into the book, I wasn’t engaged in the storyline and I was reading the words so I can finish the book.
Trotsky was one of the central figures in the Bolshevik revolution, who gave us insights into the early intrigues and struggles within the communist government. He wrote this book while he was in exile in 1929 so he gave us a limited view of his interactions with Lenin and other Soviet political party members and his Marxist ideology. I wonder what he would have written about himself up to his assassination in 1940 and not just up to 1929.
While reading this book I was curious as to how can a person have such a different, well-structured childhood to become a revolutionary and political theorist. Even in his book, there’s a line that stood out to me “Ideas are handed down from generation to generation, although, like grandmother’s pillows and covers, they reek of staleness. Even those who are obliged to change the substance of their opinions force them into ancient moulds.” It brought me back to The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell, if there’s one single event or series of incremental changes when we look in retrospect of our lives that altered our paths.
“There is no evil without good.”
Trotsky was one of the central figures in the Bolshevik revolution, who gave us insights into the early intrigues and struggles within the communist government. He wrote this book while he was in exile in 1929 so he gave us a limited view of his interactions with Lenin and other Soviet political party members and his Marxist ideology. I wonder what he would have written about himself up to his assassination in 1940 and not just up to 1929.
While reading this book I was curious as to how can a person have such a different, well-structured childhood to become a revolutionary and political theorist. Even in his book, there’s a line that stood out to me “Ideas are handed down from generation to generation, although, like grandmother’s pillows and covers, they reek of staleness. Even those who are obliged to change the substance of their opinions force them into ancient moulds.” It brought me back to The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell, if there’s one single event or series of incremental changes when we look in retrospect of our lives that altered our paths.
“There is no evil without good.”
February 7, 2022
I don't give this 5(maybe 4.5) stars because of how I feel about Trotskys politics. I give a high rating because Trotsky's story - to which this is missing the last 10ish years of - is quite phenomenal. In fact the way L.D writes this you almost feel optimistic that the Left Opposition will suddenly overtake the Stalin faction following Lenin's illness and death as L.D conveys his emotions and personal optimism of the time in such a way - even though we all know the ending. In some respects Trotsky's own bias shows - he undeniably downplays Stalin's role in the October Revolution and that's to be expected and I don't blame him to be fair.
All told I've come away from this with a new appreciation for Trotsky and his accomplishments but also with another viewpoint of what I consider to be the most interesting events of 20th century history.
All told I've come away from this with a new appreciation for Trotsky and his accomplishments but also with another viewpoint of what I consider to be the most interesting events of 20th century history.
February 6, 2020
Писательский талант у Троцкого однозначно имелся, красивые описания земель и быта удачно перетекают в описания политической борьбы. Но в книге совсем не описываются те репрессии, которые проводились Троцким и компартией, за это ставлю 1.
Насчет истории же я примерно это и представлял. Большевики летали в облаках, жили идеей и не хотели видеть реальности. Удержали власть только благодаря "земля - крестьянам", которую потом обратно и отобрали. Насчет Сталина иллюзий у меня никогда не было - подлец и проходимец - и книга это подтвердила.
Насчет истории же я примерно это и представлял. Большевики летали в облаках, жили идеей и не хотели видеть реальности. Удержали власть только благодаря "земля - крестьянам", которую потом обратно и отобрали. Насчет Сталина иллюзий у меня никогда не было - подлец и проходимец - и книга это подтвердила.
July 12, 2017
Um excelente livro pessoal e politico.
May 13, 2019
Took me a long time but I finally finished this book. This book is such a valuable source for our exploration of the Russian Revolution and the Bolshevik Party. No other leading Bolshevik produced works quite like Trotsky.
Don't let this academic tone fool you, however, Trotsky had a gift with a pen; his prose are captivating and full of interest.
Highly recommended for those interested in history or politics.
Don't let this academic tone fool you, however, Trotsky had a gift with a pen; his prose are captivating and full of interest.
Highly recommended for those interested in history or politics.
February 8, 2018
Loving Trotsky is a guilty pleasure.
November 3, 2018
I had just given birth to my daughter and asked my partner to bring a book into hospital for me to read - he bought me this... typical of him and just right for me.
September 24, 2023
Huvitav ülevaade oktoobrirevolutsiooni olulisemast kujust Lenini järel. Trotski roll revolutsioonilise teooria kirjutamisel, 1917. aasta sündmuste korraldamisel ja organiseerimisel. Lisaks võib teda pidada Punaarmee loojaks ja kõige olulisemaks organiseerijaks. Tema tegutsemine kodusõja erinevatel rinnetel ning võime inimesi kõnedega inspireerida aitas korduvalt kaasa võitude saavutamisele.
Kriitikat ei tohi unustada - Trotski oli vägagi egoistlik ning nartsissitlik inimene. See väljendus tema enda jaoks saatuslikuna, sest osalt alahindas ta Stalini võimekust poliitiliste intriigide punumisel, teisalt pidas ta oma positsiooni pärast revolutsiooni ja kodusõja triumfe liiga kindlaks.
Väga huvitav lugemine. Kel pole aega tervet teost lugeda, soovitan kasvõi peatükke oktoobrirevolutsiooni korraldamisest Lenini surmani ja tema parteist välja heitmiseni.
Tasuta e-raamat:https://www.marxists.org/archive/trot...
Kriitikat ei tohi unustada - Trotski oli vägagi egoistlik ning nartsissitlik inimene. See väljendus tema enda jaoks saatuslikuna, sest osalt alahindas ta Stalini võimekust poliitiliste intriigide punumisel, teisalt pidas ta oma positsiooni pärast revolutsiooni ja kodusõja triumfe liiga kindlaks.
Väga huvitav lugemine. Kel pole aega tervet teost lugeda, soovitan kasvõi peatükke oktoobrirevolutsiooni korraldamisest Lenini surmani ja tema parteist välja heitmiseni.
Tasuta e-raamat:https://www.marxists.org/archive/trot...
July 7, 2022
Only the second best book Trotsky wrote in 1930, but still a masterwork of autobiography.
April 5, 2020
goes on a bit at times but v entertaining and gets to details not covered in the history of the revolution. a bit too much score settling from retrospect but sure, comes with the man
June 17, 2022
While the book was interesting, Trotsky suffers from a "I didn't do anything wrong" ego that justifies everything he did and his dogmas. There is essentially no internal reflection or evaluation. He clearly thinks Lenin is of the highest standard but does not address the horrors of the revolution. He does not so much as mention executions etc. done by the state. His only qualms are when the state attacks him.
He concludes with the book expressing the "obvious fact" of the success of the revolution. Unfortunately, he does not get a little more perspective of this opinion, due to the revolution assassinating him.
Edit: While I may be harsh above, I should say that Trotsky does strike me is someone who sincerely believes in the equality of humans. I just differ from him on how to best achieve such a noble goal.
He concludes with the book expressing the "obvious fact" of the success of the revolution. Unfortunately, he does not get a little more perspective of this opinion, due to the revolution assassinating him.
Edit: While I may be harsh above, I should say that Trotsky does strike me is someone who sincerely believes in the equality of humans. I just differ from him on how to best achieve such a noble goal.
January 4, 2022
BRONX MAN LEADS REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA! So read the headline in the JEWISH DAILY FORWARD on November 8, 1917. Lev Davidovich Bronstein could have been a contender, changing the course of the twentieth century. The artist (he was never truly a politician) to be forever known as Trotsky here tells the tale of a nice Jewish boy from Ukraine who led the Bolshevik Revolution on the military side, commanded the Red Army during the Civil War that followed, and then lost his power to "the greatest mediocrity in the Party." Lev had a great sense of humor too; he renamed himself after the guard who had watched over him in Siberia.
May 30, 2007
leon trotski ya be ghole khode russ ha:lev trotski'i!tarikhe enghelabo khoondam hamintor yaddashthaye roozane,commune paris va barnameye enteghali.zendegie mano tooye avale rahnamayi khoondam va avale daneshgah dobare moroor kardam.kheili baram jale budeh va hast nasresh va zehni ke dare.dar morede shakhsiate siasish bahsi nadarm inja.fagahat mitoonam begam man trotskist nistam amma trotski ra doost daram;)
September 8, 2012
I'm a bit surprised that this book has so few ratings. In my opinion it is one of the greatest works of the 20th century. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, given the hatchet job that has been done on Trotsky's reputation and the Left oppposition (no pun intended). A great revolutionary and a great man, and what a life! This autobiography would make a brilliant film, but I won't hold my breath waiting for it.
January 7, 2015
Awesome Book!!!!!!!!!! By far the best autobiography that I have ever read. Trotsky was highly intelligent and his thinking and writings transcend generations and will continue to do so. Many of his insights and predictions came true. Will the others? Time will tell..... If he and the left opposition had been successful, communism and the world that we know, would be a much different place.
February 5, 2022
I had it left over from college years. Hundreds of pages and not a word about murdering the Czar and his family.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews