In early 1921, sailors and workers in the city of Kronstadt rebelled against the Bolshevik regime. They demanded greater democracy, freedom, and economic reforms. Trotsky was sent to suppress the rebellion, and he did so with brutal force. Thousands of rebels were killed, and the rebellion was crushed.
Purge of the Left Opposition
In the late 1920s, Trotsky and his supporters formed the Left Opposition, a faction within the Bolshevik Party that opposed the policies of Joseph Stalin. Stalin responded by purging the Left Opposition from the party, and many of its members were arrested, exiled, or executed. Trotsky himself was exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929.
Assassination of Sergei Kirov
In 1934, Sergei Kirov, a prominent Bolshevik leader and a close ally of Stalin, was assassinated. Stalin blamed the assassination on Trotsky and used it as a pretext to launch the Great Purge, a wave of repression that saw millions of people arrested, imprisoned, or executed.
Alleged Collaboration with Nazi Germany
During the Second World War, Trotsky was living in exile in Mexico. Stalin accused him of collaborating with Nazi Germany, and he was eventually assassinated by a Soviet agent in 1940. There is no evidence to support the claim that Trotsky was collaborating with the Nazis, and it is generally believed that Stalin had him killed because he feared his influence and popularity.