Lenin and Trotsky are the two outstanding figures of the Russian Revolution. Despite differences of opinion over the course of their lives, after the October Revolution the two men were so widely identified as the leaders of the Bolshevik Party that it became colloquially known as “the Party of Lenin-Trotsky.”

However, after Lenin’s death, the Stalinist counter-revolution dredged up any disagreements between the two, stripped of context. They also invented all manner of lies and slander in their war on so-called Trotskyism. This culminated in Trotsky’s exile and eventual assassination in 1940 by a Stalinist agent.

As Jack Halinski-Fitzpatrick from the RCI’s international leadership explains, Trotsky defended the authentic ideas and traditions of October, which is precisely why the Stalinists were compelled to discredit him. In reality, Trotsky fought a courageous battle to preserve Lenin’s legacy and ideas.