Return to Leon Trotsky Caricature

In every successful revolution, victory is followed by a period of chaos where the separate factions once more split up, and their disparate ideologies nearly destroy the country they forged. Americans like to thump their chests and say, "But not after our revolution." That's true if you forget that pesky little episode from 1861 to 1865 known as the Civil War. It just took us a little longer.

Leon Trotsky emerged in 1917 as one of the leaders of the Russian Revolution. But as time went on he found himself in oppositon to fellow Bolshevik and former divinity student Iosef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili. Fortunately for English speakers Iosef Vissarionovich took on the more pronouncable name of Stalin. But unfortnately for Leon, Iosef also wanted to be the head cheese in Russia. And Uncle Joe was not a nice man.

Eventually Leon was thrown out of the Communist Party and booted out of Russia. After a rather convoluted series of wanderings, he ended up in Mexico. There he lived with muralist Diego Rivera and Diego's pretty wife (and nice painter), Frida Kahlo. Frida and Leon hit it off quite well, particularly since Diego was hitting it quite well off with a lot of other ladies. Although Diego didn't have any reason to get holier-than-thou with either Frida or Leon, eventually Leon soughts accomodations elsewhere that chez Rivera.

Possibly because Leon lost out, the word "Trotskyism", Leon's brand of Marxism, soon began to be spoken of with a gibe and a sneer. H. G. Wells once disparagingly referred to writer George Orwell as a "Trotskyite with big feet". One author has pointed out that this was both true and false. Yes, Orwell's feet were enormous, but he was not really a Trotskyite. In fact, George, a socialist, hated communism.

Nowadays Marxism is universally written off as a bankrupt ideology, and with Leon we have a bankrupt splinter group of a bankrupt ideology. So it's unlikely we'll see Leon's or any other brand of Marxism as the basis for any world revolution (at least not under that name). Instead the world's nations are taking on the American model of capitalism. The government is then able to reserve social expenditures - like those for government funded health care and retirement pensions - only for those who are truly incapable of gaining meaningful employment and being productive members of society. In other words, senators, representatives, and members of judiciary.

And, of course, the former presidents. Most of these worthies, need we add, are so filthy rich that they could pay for their health care and retirement from the interest from investing their lobbyist funded speaking fees. Your tax dollars at work, ladies and gentlemen.

Leon died in 1940 at aged 60. As he sat working at his desk in Mexico City, an assassin snuck up behind him and drove an ice-ax into his head. Leon was taken to the hospital but died the next day.

Well, Leon, that's what you get for going into politics.