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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:00,501 --> 00:00:05,501 (ominous music) 2 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:17,050 Mexico, 20th of August, 1940. 3 00:00:18,394 --> 00:00:21,624 Trotsky was murdered, an ice pick to the head. 4 00:00:21,625 --> 00:00:23,148 With his death came the end of a duel 5 00:00:23,149 --> 00:00:25,610 at the very heart of the communist movement. 6 00:00:27,194 --> 00:00:29,279 Stalin, at the head of the Kremlin 7 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:31,949 had finally eliminated his long-standing rival. 8 00:00:35,110 --> 00:00:36,120 Stalin, 9 00:00:36,121 --> 00:00:37,772 Trotsky. 10 00:00:37,773 --> 00:00:39,625 They were worlds apart. 11 00:00:39,626 --> 00:00:42,167 One was the son of a Georgian cobbler, 12 00:00:42,168 --> 00:00:44,393 the other a Jewish intellectual. 13 00:00:44,394 --> 00:00:47,005 One a methodical, calculating man, 14 00:00:47,006 --> 00:00:50,172 the other a brilliant, enthusiastic mind. 15 00:00:50,173 --> 00:00:52,845 One a cynic, the other an idealist. 16 00:00:55,974 --> 00:00:59,265 It was the end of a duel that had lasted 20 years. 17 00:00:59,266 --> 00:01:01,471 A political duel, a power duel. 18 00:01:02,772 --> 00:01:05,920 A duel between two men who were radically different. 19 00:01:05,921 --> 00:01:08,152 But above all, a duel to the death. 20 00:01:12,490 --> 00:01:14,243 But there is one question that lingers. 21 00:01:15,285 --> 00:01:18,871 Why did Joseph Stalin want to have Leon Trotsky executed 22 00:01:18,872 --> 00:01:21,039 when he had already removed him from power 23 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:22,867 and exiled him far away? 24 00:01:26,463 --> 00:01:31,463 (bold Russian music) 25 00:02:01,372 --> 00:02:06,085 (crowd screaming) 26 00:02:06,086 --> 00:02:09,254 (tense music) 27 00:02:09,255 --> 00:02:12,589 Petrograd, February 1917. 28 00:02:12,590 --> 00:02:15,971 Czar Nicholas II abdicated under pressure from the people. 29 00:02:18,473 --> 00:02:20,433 But for Lenin, the revolutionary, 30 00:02:20,434 --> 00:02:22,351 getting rid of the czar wasn't enough. 31 00:02:23,478 --> 00:02:26,438 He needed to establish a new order, communism. 32 00:02:30,402 --> 00:02:35,240 He methodically orchestrated his take over in October, 1917, 33 00:02:35,241 --> 00:02:38,325 and this would ensure the success of his revolution. 34 00:02:40,619 --> 00:02:42,954 He had two lieutenants by his side. 35 00:02:42,955 --> 00:02:44,789 They had been there for 30 years, 36 00:02:44,790 --> 00:02:46,625 and were both promising characters, 37 00:02:46,626 --> 00:02:48,795 but were diametrically opposed. 38 00:02:48,796 --> 00:02:51,172 Joseph Stalin, and Leon Trotsky. 39 00:02:52,716 --> 00:02:54,716 But the duel between Stalin and Trotsky 40 00:02:54,717 --> 00:02:56,594 had begun a good decade earlier. 41 00:03:05,262 --> 00:03:07,521 London, 1907, 42 00:03:07,522 --> 00:03:10,525 the congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. 43 00:03:13,278 --> 00:03:15,571 Trotsky and Stalin met for the first time. 44 00:03:17,481 --> 00:03:19,282 Trotsky was on the stage, 45 00:03:19,283 --> 00:03:21,035 Stalin in the audience. 46 00:03:22,829 --> 00:03:25,539 Trotsky's brio both fascinated and exasperated 47 00:03:25,540 --> 00:03:27,708 his frustrated comrade Stalin. 48 00:03:28,876 --> 00:03:31,754 A slow poison began to seep into their relationship. 49 00:03:32,589 --> 00:03:34,506 (speaking foreign language) 50 00:03:34,507 --> 00:03:35,799 It was Stalin's first time 51 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:37,384 {\an8}out of the Caucuses. 52 00:03:37,385 --> 00:03:40,503 {\an8}It was his first time in London, the metropolis of the west, 53 00:03:40,504 --> 00:03:42,097 and he couldn't believe his eyes. 54 00:03:42,098 --> 00:03:43,723 He was a party delegate at a congress 55 00:03:43,724 --> 00:03:45,434 of the Social Democratic Party 56 00:03:45,435 --> 00:03:47,178 that brought together all the stars 57 00:03:47,179 --> 00:03:49,146 he had heard talk of in the papers, 58 00:03:49,147 --> 00:03:52,103 and he was going to be able to speak to them. 59 00:03:52,104 --> 00:03:55,110 And it was clear that Stalin was in awe of Trotsky, 60 00:03:55,111 --> 00:03:57,826 something he'd struggled to hide all his life. 61 00:03:57,827 --> 00:04:00,142 He was in awe of the man. 62 00:04:00,143 --> 00:04:01,075 (speaking foreign language) 63 00:04:01,076 --> 00:04:03,619 Stalin had obviously noticed Trotsky. 64 00:04:03,620 --> 00:04:05,746 {\an8}Trotsky was everything he despised, 65 00:04:05,747 --> 00:04:09,167 {\an8}an orator, an extrovert, and a brilliant mind. 66 00:04:09,168 --> 00:04:10,541 {\an8}He wasn't brilliant. 67 00:04:10,542 --> 00:04:13,086 Stalin was a very poor orator. 68 00:04:13,087 --> 00:04:16,997 When you listen to recording of him speaking it's amazing. 69 00:04:16,998 --> 00:04:18,842 When he became the leader of the USSR 70 00:04:18,843 --> 00:04:22,596 he'd say a phrase, pause, and everyone would applaud. 71 00:04:22,597 --> 00:04:25,475 (audience applauding) 72 00:04:25,476 --> 00:04:30,476 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 73 00:04:38,331 --> 00:04:39,487 He'd drink some water, 74 00:04:39,488 --> 00:04:40,956 he says a second sentence, 75 00:04:40,957 --> 00:04:42,742 he stops, and everyone applauds. 76 00:04:42,743 --> 00:04:44,325 It's absolutely extraordinary. 77 00:04:44,326 --> 00:04:46,156 {\an8}He's like some kind of machine. 78 00:04:47,081 --> 00:04:50,323 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 79 00:04:50,324 --> 00:04:52,711 {\an8}Physically Stalin had a great handicap. 80 00:04:54,211 --> 00:04:56,632 He was pockmarked, and he was small. 81 00:04:58,383 --> 00:04:59,967 And Trotsky was, of course, 82 00:04:59,968 --> 00:05:02,220 physically, very imposing. 83 00:05:06,140 --> 00:05:07,474 The two revolutionaries 84 00:05:07,475 --> 00:05:09,853 fought the czarist regime under pseudonyms. 85 00:05:11,729 --> 00:05:15,897 Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili called himself Stalin, 86 00:05:15,898 --> 00:05:17,443 the man of steel. 87 00:05:17,444 --> 00:05:18,770 He had it all figured out. 88 00:05:20,322 --> 00:05:22,614 And Lev Davidovich Bronshtein 89 00:05:22,615 --> 00:05:24,741 hid under the name of Leon Trotsky. 90 00:05:26,327 --> 00:05:28,528 They each dreamed of changing the world, 91 00:05:28,529 --> 00:05:30,706 but socially, they couldn't have been more different. 92 00:05:34,169 --> 00:05:35,210 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 93 00:05:35,211 --> 00:05:37,462 {\an8}Trotsky had a supposedly happy childhood 94 00:05:37,463 --> 00:05:40,132 {\an8}in a family that loved him, that cared for him, 95 00:05:40,133 --> 00:05:42,342 that supported him through his studies, 96 00:05:42,343 --> 00:05:44,836 and which envisaged a great future for him. 97 00:05:47,556 --> 00:05:51,309 Whereas Stalin was pretty much born in the gutter, 98 00:05:51,310 --> 00:05:52,685 and he was exposed to a great deal 99 00:05:52,686 --> 00:05:54,438 of violence in his own home. 100 00:05:56,065 --> 00:05:58,442 His father was a drunk who would beat him badly. 101 00:06:02,104 --> 00:06:03,273 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 102 00:06:03,274 --> 00:06:04,655 {\an8}Stalin is very interesting in terms 103 00:06:04,656 --> 00:06:06,449 {\an8}of the Russian Social Democrats, 104 00:06:06,450 --> 00:06:08,410 {\an8}which became the Bolshevik party, 105 00:06:08,411 --> 00:06:10,370 {\an8}because he's about the only Bolshevik, 106 00:06:10,371 --> 00:06:11,914 and the only Social Democrat, 107 00:06:11,915 --> 00:06:13,207 who was working class. 108 00:06:14,459 --> 00:06:15,834 All the other came from the families 109 00:06:15,835 --> 00:06:18,129 of intellectuals, civil servants. 110 00:06:19,131 --> 00:06:21,705 Stalin would never be quite like them. 111 00:06:21,706 --> 00:06:23,175 They would always feel that he hadn't had 112 00:06:23,176 --> 00:06:26,012 the same education, that he wasn't one of their own. 113 00:06:30,886 --> 00:06:32,433 Stalin and Trotsky each grew up 114 00:06:32,434 --> 00:06:34,479 in a Russia ruled over by the czar. 115 00:06:37,148 --> 00:06:39,483 For centuries, this autocratic regime 116 00:06:39,484 --> 00:06:41,110 had fostered inequality. 117 00:06:43,019 --> 00:06:44,863 The huge majority of the population 118 00:06:44,864 --> 00:06:46,272 was made up of peasants, 119 00:06:46,273 --> 00:06:49,326 and they lived in very poor social and economic conditions. 120 00:06:51,954 --> 00:06:54,124 The country dreamed of a different society. 121 00:06:59,002 --> 00:07:00,921 Stalin was 20 years old when he embarked 122 00:07:00,922 --> 00:07:03,374 upon his revolutionary career, 123 00:07:03,375 --> 00:07:05,444 Trotsky was 17. 124 00:07:05,445 --> 00:07:08,091 But their struggles took on radically different forms. 125 00:07:09,598 --> 00:07:11,264 Through his culture and training 126 00:07:11,265 --> 00:07:14,310 Trotsky had a more intellectual vision of revolution. 127 00:07:14,311 --> 00:07:15,519 He loved to debate. 128 00:07:17,146 --> 00:07:19,565 He developed theories on ways to take power. 129 00:07:22,109 --> 00:07:23,735 His analysis was influenced by 130 00:07:23,736 --> 00:07:26,613 the great European socialist and Marxist thinkers 131 00:07:26,614 --> 00:07:28,658 with whom he was in regular contact. 132 00:07:30,242 --> 00:07:31,161 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 133 00:07:31,162 --> 00:07:32,986 {\an8}Trotsky was in exile, 134 00:07:32,987 --> 00:07:36,247 {\an8}and in exile he lived in a socialist society, 135 00:07:36,248 --> 00:07:37,916 a high society. 136 00:07:37,917 --> 00:07:39,751 He traveled around the whole of Europe, 137 00:07:39,752 --> 00:07:42,253 and he rubbed shoulders with all the great revolutionaries, 138 00:07:42,254 --> 00:07:45,006 all the great European socialists. 139 00:07:45,007 --> 00:07:46,843 He lived a life that was, one might say, 140 00:07:46,844 --> 00:07:48,594 in high socialist society. 141 00:07:51,263 --> 00:07:53,224 It was during his exile in London 142 00:07:53,225 --> 00:07:56,390 that Trotsky met Lenin and became one of his collaborators. 143 00:07:58,136 --> 00:07:59,856 His travels and his lengthy discussions 144 00:07:59,857 --> 00:08:02,064 with foreign intellectuals drove Trotsky 145 00:08:02,065 --> 00:08:04,351 to think of revolution on a global scale. 146 00:08:06,903 --> 00:08:08,947 For him, taking power would not be 147 00:08:08,948 --> 00:08:10,934 limited to just one country. 148 00:08:10,935 --> 00:08:15,935 (upbeat Russian music) 149 00:08:20,585 --> 00:08:22,919 On the other hand, Stalin, the Georgian, 150 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:24,505 was a provincial man. 151 00:08:24,506 --> 00:08:26,005 A willing man who was scorned 152 00:08:26,006 --> 00:08:28,174 by the socialist intelligentsia. 153 00:08:28,175 --> 00:08:30,637 His only priority was revolution in Russia. 154 00:08:31,637 --> 00:08:33,337 For Lenin, Comrade Stalin was the man 155 00:08:33,338 --> 00:08:35,349 to carry out the dirty work. 156 00:08:36,301 --> 00:08:38,512 His delinquent past was skillfully exploited 157 00:08:38,513 --> 00:08:40,758 to fill the party coffers. 158 00:08:40,759 --> 00:08:42,731 Stalin blanched at nothing. 159 00:08:42,732 --> 00:08:44,640 Extortion, sabotage, 160 00:08:44,641 --> 00:08:47,111 and robbery posed no problems. 161 00:08:47,112 --> 00:08:48,021 (speaking foreign language) 162 00:08:48,022 --> 00:08:50,697 He was the revolutionary king of the Caucuses. 163 00:08:50,698 --> 00:08:52,365 He played cat and mouse with the police 164 00:08:52,366 --> 00:08:54,868 and he pulled off masterstrokes, holdups, 165 00:08:54,869 --> 00:08:58,330 ran revolutionary rackets, and murdered people. 166 00:08:58,331 --> 00:09:00,499 And he played a very important role, 167 00:09:00,500 --> 00:09:02,047 because it was through these heists 168 00:09:02,048 --> 00:09:04,085 and this revolutionary racketeering 169 00:09:04,086 --> 00:09:05,922 that he raised the funds to ensure the survival 170 00:09:05,923 --> 00:09:08,174 of the Bolshevik faction in exile. 171 00:09:09,644 --> 00:09:12,093 Because when you're in exile and you have no income, 172 00:09:12,094 --> 00:09:14,387 what else do you do? 173 00:09:14,388 --> 00:09:15,926 That's why Lenin referred to him as 174 00:09:15,927 --> 00:09:17,265 the wonderful Georgian, 175 00:09:17,266 --> 00:09:19,862 the wonderful Georgian who brought him the cash. 176 00:09:19,863 --> 00:09:20,935 It was great. 177 00:09:20,936 --> 00:09:25,898 (ominous music) 178 00:09:25,899 --> 00:09:29,110 In 1913, Stalin and Trotsky met again, 179 00:09:29,111 --> 00:09:30,405 this time in Vienna. 180 00:09:32,272 --> 00:09:35,563 And this encounter confirmed Stalin's first impressions. 181 00:09:35,564 --> 00:09:36,944 He felt snubbed. 182 00:09:38,570 --> 00:09:39,954 Stalin had a complex, 183 00:09:39,955 --> 00:09:42,749 something gnawing at him that he never got over, 184 00:09:42,750 --> 00:09:44,877 his desire to eliminate Trotsky. 185 00:09:47,463 --> 00:09:50,174 (speaking foreign language) 186 00:09:50,175 --> 00:09:53,051 The hour of revolution was approaching. 187 00:09:53,052 --> 00:09:56,180 Although Stalin and Trotsky were now both working for Lenin, 188 00:09:56,181 --> 00:09:59,057 it was already clear that beyond the ideals they shared 189 00:09:59,058 --> 00:10:00,810 they were totally opposed to one another. 190 00:10:08,937 --> 00:10:12,988 (booming explosions) 191 00:10:12,989 --> 00:10:15,324 1917 was a pivotal year in the history 192 00:10:15,325 --> 00:10:17,783 of the First World War. 193 00:10:17,784 --> 00:10:20,057 Russia was fighting alongside France, 194 00:10:20,058 --> 00:10:22,330 and the British had been weakened by a conflict 195 00:10:22,331 --> 00:10:24,374 that had already been going on for three years. 196 00:10:24,375 --> 00:10:28,661 (solemn music) 197 00:10:28,662 --> 00:10:31,125 The soldiers were revolting. 198 00:10:31,126 --> 00:10:33,926 1917 was a year of mutiny in the trenches 199 00:10:33,927 --> 00:10:35,927 and the start of the Russian Revolution. 200 00:10:40,349 --> 00:10:42,350 In February there were increasing numbers 201 00:10:42,351 --> 00:10:44,895 of strikes and protests in Petrograd. 202 00:10:47,398 --> 00:10:49,190 The czar was forced to abdicate. 203 00:10:51,527 --> 00:10:53,612 A provisional government was established 204 00:10:53,613 --> 00:10:56,281 but the Bolsheviks overthrew it a few months later. 205 00:10:58,243 --> 00:11:00,119 In October, Lenin took his place 206 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:02,871 at the head of the first communist regime in history. 207 00:11:04,457 --> 00:11:07,000 He appointed brilliant revolutionaries to support him. 208 00:11:08,670 --> 00:11:09,836 Trotsky, of course, 209 00:11:10,964 --> 00:11:12,590 along with Lev Kamenev, 210 00:11:13,875 --> 00:11:15,384 Grigory Zinoviev, 211 00:11:17,794 --> 00:11:19,514 and Nikolai Bukharin. 212 00:11:21,765 --> 00:11:23,601 Stalin, the man of the people, 213 00:11:23,602 --> 00:11:25,602 stood out among these intellectuals. 214 00:11:27,646 --> 00:11:29,347 In the face of this new regime, 215 00:11:29,348 --> 00:11:32,832 the czar's partisans dreamed of their return to power. 216 00:11:32,833 --> 00:11:34,277 They ended up fighting the Bolsheviks 217 00:11:34,278 --> 00:11:36,488 in a civil war that lasted five years. 218 00:11:37,741 --> 00:11:39,616 During this struggle, Lenin realized 219 00:11:39,617 --> 00:11:42,193 that he needed Trotsky's eloquence and charisma. 220 00:11:45,072 --> 00:11:47,198 Stalin was relegated to the background. 221 00:11:52,170 --> 00:11:54,293 (speaking foreign language) 222 00:11:54,294 --> 00:11:56,300 Trotsky had some eminent qualities. 223 00:11:56,301 --> 00:11:58,677 He was a great orator, a great revolutionary, 224 00:11:58,678 --> 00:12:00,054 and a great leader of men. 225 00:12:01,420 --> 00:12:03,181 {\an8}Physically he was scared of nothing. 226 00:12:05,142 --> 00:12:06,767 {\an8}He moved around in his armored train 227 00:12:06,768 --> 00:12:08,353 to the front during the civil war. 228 00:12:09,646 --> 00:12:11,056 That wasn't a problem for him. 229 00:12:11,057 --> 00:12:13,693 As for Stalin, he was developing his own method. 230 00:12:16,518 --> 00:12:19,104 (speaking foreign language) 231 00:12:19,105 --> 00:12:20,198 Trotsky would turn up 232 00:12:20,199 --> 00:12:22,701 at Bolshevik or Soviet Party congresses 233 00:12:22,702 --> 00:12:25,953 and would stir up the crowd with his brilliant oratory. 234 00:12:25,954 --> 00:12:28,498 People would applaud, and he'd already have left. 235 00:12:29,701 --> 00:12:31,532 Stalin would go around shaking hands, 236 00:12:31,533 --> 00:12:33,336 paying attention to the lowly militants, 237 00:12:33,337 --> 00:12:35,756 being interested in what was happening to them, 238 00:12:35,757 --> 00:12:37,006 knowing their names even. 239 00:12:37,007 --> 00:12:39,592 {\an8}All kinds of things that were totally foreign to Trotsky, 240 00:12:39,593 --> 00:12:42,975 {\an8}so Stalin gained a reputation as a good guy. 241 00:12:42,976 --> 00:12:44,014 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 242 00:12:44,015 --> 00:12:45,139 {\an8}You have to remember 243 00:12:45,140 --> 00:12:46,682 {\an8}that as soon as the Bolsheviks 244 00:12:46,683 --> 00:12:48,977 {\an8}moved from Saint Petersberg to Moscow 245 00:12:48,978 --> 00:12:52,522 in the spring of 1918, and moved into the Kremlin, 246 00:12:52,523 --> 00:12:54,857 Stalin had his own apartments in the Kremlin 247 00:12:54,858 --> 00:12:56,985 and worked out of the office next to Lenin's. 248 00:12:58,321 --> 00:13:00,321 It was really no coincidence that Lenin 249 00:13:00,322 --> 00:13:02,907 appointed him Secretary General. 250 00:13:02,908 --> 00:13:05,702 He was the party man, close by Lenin's side. 251 00:13:07,246 --> 00:13:09,455 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 252 00:13:09,456 --> 00:13:11,165 {\an8}And Stalin, in that role, 253 00:13:11,166 --> 00:13:14,587 gradually started weaving his network of contacts 254 00:13:16,046 --> 00:13:17,505 that would give him free reign 255 00:13:17,506 --> 00:13:20,468 over the party officials and their appointment. 256 00:13:23,345 --> 00:13:27,432 (ominous music) 257 00:13:27,433 --> 00:13:28,308 Stalin understood 258 00:13:28,309 --> 00:13:30,176 what he could get out of the party. 259 00:13:31,218 --> 00:13:32,437 But for the time being, 260 00:13:32,438 --> 00:13:35,483 Trotsky was the hero of the Revolution and the Civil War. 261 00:13:38,026 --> 00:13:40,278 He traveled thousands of miles to rally the troops 262 00:13:40,279 --> 00:13:41,905 that would make up the Red Army. 263 00:13:50,246 --> 00:13:52,237 On his armored train Trotsky traveled 264 00:13:52,238 --> 00:13:54,077 back and forth across the country 265 00:13:54,078 --> 00:13:56,826 using the weapon he understood best, words. 266 00:13:59,422 --> 00:14:01,206 He gave hope to the Reds 267 00:14:01,207 --> 00:14:04,219 while demoralizing the counterrevolutionary Whites. 268 00:14:10,844 --> 00:14:13,936 For Trotsky, the train was as much a weapon of war 269 00:14:13,937 --> 00:14:15,939 as it was a weapon of propaganda. 270 00:14:17,608 --> 00:14:20,527 Each day he wrote a journal that he had printed on board 271 00:14:20,528 --> 00:14:22,352 and he distributed it as he went. 272 00:14:26,909 --> 00:14:28,284 Like a real war chief, 273 00:14:28,285 --> 00:14:30,828 he shared stories of the soldier's daily lives, 274 00:14:30,829 --> 00:14:32,862 encouraging them and rewarding them. 275 00:14:38,003 --> 00:14:40,255 But Trotsky also used force and repression 276 00:14:40,256 --> 00:14:42,423 to make men sign up for the Red Army, 277 00:14:42,424 --> 00:14:45,176 which went from one million soldiers in 1918, 278 00:14:45,177 --> 00:14:47,095 to five million two years later. 279 00:14:48,797 --> 00:14:50,089 He had no hesitations about 280 00:14:50,090 --> 00:14:52,259 having anyone who opposed him shot. 281 00:15:02,393 --> 00:15:04,561 Empowered by his success in Russia, 282 00:15:04,562 --> 00:15:07,231 Trotsky hoped to spread revolution across Europe. 283 00:15:08,242 --> 00:15:10,367 In 1920, he launched an offensive 284 00:15:10,368 --> 00:15:12,193 on the Polish army in Warsaw, 285 00:15:12,194 --> 00:15:15,039 which was allied to the White counterrevolutionaries. 286 00:15:17,417 --> 00:15:19,877 But just when victory was within his grasp, 287 00:15:19,878 --> 00:15:21,830 Stalin thwarted his plans. 288 00:15:24,675 --> 00:15:26,760 (speaking foreign language) 289 00:15:26,761 --> 00:15:27,968 As head of the Red Army, 290 00:15:27,969 --> 00:15:30,138 Trotsky ordered the troops to attack. 291 00:15:30,139 --> 00:15:32,265 Tukhachevsky, who was the commander in chief, 292 00:15:32,266 --> 00:15:35,911 was attacking from east to west directly on Warsaw. 293 00:15:35,912 --> 00:15:38,646 To the south, there was a column under Stalin's command 294 00:15:38,647 --> 00:15:40,148 that was supposed to come up from the south 295 00:15:40,149 --> 00:15:41,474 directly to Warsaw. 296 00:15:42,568 --> 00:15:45,518 {\an8}But Stalin never listened to anyone else, as usual, 297 00:15:45,519 --> 00:15:47,238 {\an8}and instead of heading for Warsaw 298 00:15:47,239 --> 00:15:49,150 {\an8}to take the Poles in a pincer movement, 299 00:15:50,159 --> 00:15:53,590 he stopped in front of a different city and besieged it. 300 00:15:53,591 --> 00:15:54,787 He just didn't show up. 301 00:15:58,407 --> 00:16:00,126 Rather than obeying orders, 302 00:16:00,127 --> 00:16:01,878 Stalin wanted a personal victory 303 00:16:01,879 --> 00:16:04,120 by taking the Polish city of Lvov. 304 00:16:07,217 --> 00:16:09,345 His stubbornness led to a Soviet defeat. 305 00:16:10,503 --> 00:16:12,055 They were subsequently obliged to make 306 00:16:12,056 --> 00:16:15,490 important territorial concessions to Poland. 307 00:16:15,491 --> 00:16:16,976 Between Stalin and Trotsky, 308 00:16:16,977 --> 00:16:19,553 this episode felt like a declaration of war. 309 00:16:21,231 --> 00:16:21,816 (speaking foreign language) 310 00:16:21,816 --> 00:16:22,657 And there were some fierce 311 00:16:22,658 --> 00:16:24,391 disputes after that, 312 00:16:24,392 --> 00:16:25,995 which explained what happened next. 313 00:16:25,996 --> 00:16:27,987 Because obviously, Lenin demanded 314 00:16:27,988 --> 00:16:29,571 reports of what had happened, 315 00:16:29,572 --> 00:16:30,866 and Trotsky presented a report 316 00:16:30,867 --> 00:16:33,075 that was highly critical of Stalin. 317 00:16:33,076 --> 00:16:35,120 Tukhachevsky also presented a report 318 00:16:35,121 --> 00:16:36,945 that was highly critical of Stalin, 319 00:16:36,946 --> 00:16:38,706 and it goes without saying that Comrade Stalin 320 00:16:38,707 --> 00:16:41,518 would settle his scores 15 years later. 321 00:16:41,519 --> 00:16:45,494 (ominous music) 322 00:16:45,495 --> 00:16:47,257 Stalin pondered his revenge, 323 00:16:47,258 --> 00:16:50,093 but for the moment he just had to grin and bear it. 324 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:54,931 Trotsky ensured the Bolsheviks 325 00:16:54,932 --> 00:16:57,743 were able to seize power across the country. 326 00:16:57,744 --> 00:17:00,185 The Red Army final defeated the partisan soldiers 327 00:17:00,186 --> 00:17:02,690 of the former czarist regime, the Whites. 328 00:17:09,790 --> 00:17:12,784 But this also reduced Russia to a devastated battleground. 329 00:17:17,372 --> 00:17:20,247 In 1921, after a terrible drought, 330 00:17:20,248 --> 00:17:21,791 famine ravished the country, 331 00:17:21,792 --> 00:17:24,252 and 1.5 million people starved to death. 332 00:17:32,177 --> 00:17:34,011 However, within the party, 333 00:17:34,012 --> 00:17:36,181 Trotsky was at the peak of his popularity. 334 00:17:39,142 --> 00:17:41,394 He emerged as the natural heir to Lenin, 335 00:17:41,395 --> 00:17:42,803 who was seriously ill, 336 00:17:42,804 --> 00:17:44,689 and who would soon need to be replaced. 337 00:17:47,568 --> 00:17:49,652 In his post as secretary general, 338 00:17:49,653 --> 00:17:52,397 Stalin knew that he wasn't a favorite for the job, 339 00:17:52,398 --> 00:17:54,189 but he had already planned 340 00:17:54,190 --> 00:17:56,202 how he was going to get back in the race. 341 00:18:03,125 --> 00:18:04,000 (speaking foreign language) 342 00:18:04,001 --> 00:18:05,408 {\an8}Stalin, who was less brilliant 343 00:18:05,409 --> 00:18:09,047 {\an8}than the others, was nonetheless a remarkable strategist. 344 00:18:09,048 --> 00:18:10,964 {\an8}Not just a remarkable pragmatist, 345 00:18:10,965 --> 00:18:12,884 but also a remarkable strategist. 346 00:18:14,052 --> 00:18:15,428 He had a veritable strategy 347 00:18:15,429 --> 00:18:17,629 for the creation of the Lenin myth, 348 00:18:17,630 --> 00:18:19,937 in which he made sure he had his place. 349 00:18:19,938 --> 00:18:23,228 (somber music) 350 00:18:23,229 --> 00:18:24,771 Creating the Lenin myth 351 00:18:24,772 --> 00:18:26,179 was the Machiavellian idea 352 00:18:26,180 --> 00:18:28,816 hatched by Stalin to deflect any criticism, 353 00:18:28,817 --> 00:18:30,694 and win the battle against Trotsky. 354 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:34,939 His plan had two phases. 355 00:18:36,409 --> 00:18:38,785 The first took place on the day of Lenin's funeral. 356 00:18:40,078 --> 00:18:43,581 Lenin had been incapacitated by a series of three strokes 357 00:18:43,582 --> 00:18:45,167 that had left him weakened, 358 00:18:45,168 --> 00:18:47,459 and the founder of Soviet Russia eventually died 359 00:18:47,460 --> 00:18:50,296 on the 21st of January, 1924. 360 00:18:50,297 --> 00:18:51,632 He was 53. 361 00:18:56,455 --> 00:18:58,888 A huge crowed gathered in Gorki, near Moscow, 362 00:18:58,889 --> 00:19:00,891 to pay homage to the revolutionary. 363 00:19:04,769 --> 00:19:07,517 His faithful companions were also in attendance, 364 00:19:07,518 --> 00:19:10,233 Kamenev, Zinoviev, and Bukharin. 365 00:19:20,703 --> 00:19:22,789 They carried the coffin, along with Stalin. 366 00:19:25,624 --> 00:19:28,333 These three Bolsheviks, old friends of Lenin's, 367 00:19:28,334 --> 00:19:31,171 may also have been thinking about succeeding him, 368 00:19:31,172 --> 00:19:32,380 but what they didn't know was that 369 00:19:32,381 --> 00:19:33,996 Stalin was counting on using them 370 00:19:33,997 --> 00:19:36,092 to take power for himself, 371 00:19:36,093 --> 00:19:38,626 and that he had already sealed their own deadly fates. 372 00:19:43,810 --> 00:19:47,354 Only one top party figure was missing, Trotsky. 373 00:19:50,221 --> 00:19:51,431 (speaking foreign language) 374 00:19:51,432 --> 00:19:54,433 {\an8}Trotsky was fairly seriously ill at the time, 375 00:19:54,434 --> 00:19:58,365 {\an8}and was being treated in a seaside resort in the Caucasus. 376 00:19:58,366 --> 00:20:00,815 We now know, and they knew at the time, 377 00:20:00,816 --> 00:20:03,068 that Stalin had lied to him, 378 00:20:03,069 --> 00:20:05,855 telling him not to come back, that there was no point, 379 00:20:05,856 --> 00:20:08,083 as Lenin would be buried immediately. 380 00:20:08,084 --> 00:20:10,157 However, the decision had already been taken 381 00:20:10,158 --> 00:20:12,378 to construct a mausoleum. 382 00:20:12,379 --> 00:20:13,962 So Trotsky did was Stalin said, 383 00:20:13,963 --> 00:20:16,006 thinking he wouldn't get back in time, 384 00:20:16,007 --> 00:20:18,538 as it would have taken several days by train. 385 00:20:18,539 --> 00:20:20,219 He took a decision not to return 386 00:20:20,220 --> 00:20:22,013 which had lasting consequences. 387 00:20:22,014 --> 00:20:27,014 (somber music) 388 00:20:37,571 --> 00:20:38,729 (speaking foreign language) 389 00:20:38,730 --> 00:20:39,681 Stalin had organized 390 00:20:39,682 --> 00:20:41,981 an absolutely extraordinary funeral. 391 00:20:43,467 --> 00:20:45,370 This was a new kind of event. 392 00:20:45,371 --> 00:20:47,539 They were no longer in an imperial system, 393 00:20:47,540 --> 00:20:49,791 now they were in a revolutionary system. 394 00:20:52,001 --> 00:20:54,004 Embalming Lenin, 395 00:20:54,005 --> 00:20:57,340 so he could be on display forever to the bedazzled public 396 00:20:57,341 --> 00:20:59,680 was an aberrant idea, 397 00:20:59,681 --> 00:21:01,052 and it came from Stalin. 398 00:21:04,657 --> 00:21:07,475 Lenin's widow tried to stop the embalming, 399 00:21:07,476 --> 00:21:08,966 {\an8}and the funeral arrangements. 400 00:21:08,967 --> 00:21:10,978 {\an8}She was against it all. 401 00:21:10,979 --> 00:21:12,522 {\an8}And that was when Stalin said, 402 00:21:12,523 --> 00:21:13,563 {\an8}"Be careful. 403 00:21:13,564 --> 00:21:16,671 {\an8}"I can find another widow for Lenin immediately." 404 00:21:16,672 --> 00:21:19,320 That was a threat, and not an implicit one. 405 00:21:19,321 --> 00:21:22,287 That was what he actually said. 406 00:21:22,288 --> 00:21:26,369 (solemn music) 407 00:21:26,370 --> 00:21:28,453 Krupskaya, Lenin's widow, 408 00:21:28,454 --> 00:21:30,707 had to bow to all of Stalin's wishes. 409 00:21:34,002 --> 00:21:36,129 The second phase of his plan to seize power 410 00:21:36,130 --> 00:21:37,923 involved Lenin's testament. 411 00:21:40,342 --> 00:21:42,676 On the 23rd of May, 1924, 412 00:21:42,677 --> 00:21:44,345 four months after the funeral, 413 00:21:44,346 --> 00:21:47,056 the 13th Communist Party Congress was held 414 00:21:47,057 --> 00:21:48,850 and Stalin read out the document. 415 00:21:52,521 --> 00:21:54,146 A few months before he died, 416 00:21:54,147 --> 00:21:56,356 aware that he didn't have much time left, 417 00:21:56,357 --> 00:21:58,142 the father of the revolution dictated 418 00:21:58,143 --> 00:21:59,861 a few words to his secretary. 419 00:22:00,778 --> 00:22:03,113 Without specifically naming his successor, 420 00:22:03,114 --> 00:22:05,491 Lenin gave his opinion on the qualities and flaws 421 00:22:05,492 --> 00:22:07,860 of those Bolsheviks that might succeed him. 422 00:22:11,582 --> 00:22:12,249 (speaking foreign language) 423 00:22:12,250 --> 00:22:13,624 {\an8}This is what he said, 424 00:22:13,625 --> 00:22:16,710 {\an8}"Comrade Stalin, having become Secretary General," 425 00:22:16,711 --> 00:22:18,337 {\an8}and remember, it was Lenin who appointed 426 00:22:18,338 --> 00:22:20,922 Stalin Secretary General in early 1922, 427 00:22:20,923 --> 00:22:22,372 a few months earlier. 428 00:22:22,373 --> 00:22:25,429 "Comrade Stalin, having become Secretary General, 429 00:22:25,430 --> 00:22:28,597 "has unlimited authority concentrated in his hands." 430 00:22:28,598 --> 00:22:30,015 That is a strong statement. 431 00:22:30,016 --> 00:22:31,892 He continues, "And I am not sure 432 00:22:31,893 --> 00:22:33,978 "whether he will be capable of using that authority 433 00:22:33,979 --> 00:22:35,761 "with sufficient caution." 434 00:22:35,762 --> 00:22:38,858 And what happened afterwards proves he was right. 435 00:22:38,859 --> 00:22:40,109 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 436 00:22:40,110 --> 00:22:42,310 {\an8}The paradox is that in his testament 437 00:22:42,311 --> 00:22:45,396 {\an8}Lenin flagged up the dangerous character that Stalin was. 438 00:22:47,034 --> 00:22:49,618 But at the time, Stalin was a lesser player 439 00:22:49,619 --> 00:22:52,362 in the minds of the three other Bolshevik leaders. 440 00:22:53,990 --> 00:22:55,541 Initially, the fight for succession 441 00:22:55,542 --> 00:22:57,784 wasn't between Stalin and Trotsky, 442 00:22:57,785 --> 00:23:00,171 it was between Trotsky, Zinoviev, 443 00:23:00,172 --> 00:23:02,433 Kamenev, and Bukharin, 444 00:23:02,434 --> 00:23:05,176 and at that time, Stalin was still in the background. 445 00:23:08,638 --> 00:23:09,839 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) So that was 446 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:12,433 {\an8}between the 23rd and 31st of December. 447 00:23:12,434 --> 00:23:15,311 {\an8}And on the 4th of January, a week later, 448 00:23:15,312 --> 00:23:16,736 Lenin was feeling better, 449 00:23:16,737 --> 00:23:19,723 and said the last thing he would say about this matter. 450 00:23:19,724 --> 00:23:21,525 It's pretty amazing what he said. 451 00:23:21,526 --> 00:23:23,902 "Stalin is too rude." 452 00:23:23,903 --> 00:23:25,893 About time too, that somebody noticed, 453 00:23:25,894 --> 00:23:28,323 in the middle of all these extremely rude Bolsheviks, 454 00:23:28,324 --> 00:23:31,285 "Stalin is too rude, and this defect, 455 00:23:31,286 --> 00:23:33,371 "although quite tolerable in our midst, 456 00:23:33,372 --> 00:23:35,414 "and in dealings among us communists, 457 00:23:35,415 --> 00:23:38,166 "becomes intolerable in a secretary general. 458 00:23:38,167 --> 00:23:39,794 "That is why I suggest that the comrades 459 00:23:39,795 --> 00:23:42,756 think about a way of removing Stalin from that post." 460 00:23:47,917 --> 00:23:49,178 In this testament, 461 00:23:49,179 --> 00:23:51,462 Lenin is much more lenient with Trotsky. 462 00:23:52,714 --> 00:23:55,352 Granted, he reproaches his excessive confidence, 463 00:23:55,353 --> 00:23:57,896 but he also commends his intellectual qualities. 464 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:00,939 He presents him as the most capable 465 00:24:00,940 --> 00:24:02,567 man in the central committee. 466 00:24:04,182 --> 00:24:05,944 However, Trotsky would never profit 467 00:24:05,945 --> 00:24:07,781 from Lenin's appreciation. 468 00:24:08,698 --> 00:24:10,950 Against all expectations, it was Stalin 469 00:24:10,951 --> 00:24:12,536 who pushed his advantage. 470 00:24:14,736 --> 00:24:15,696 (speaking foreign language) Stalin was 471 00:24:15,697 --> 00:24:17,206 very cunning. 472 00:24:17,207 --> 00:24:20,663 He staged the revelation of Lenin's will and said, 473 00:24:20,664 --> 00:24:24,590 "Comrades, the last words of Comrade Lenin," et cetera. 474 00:24:27,999 --> 00:24:31,304 "Comrade Lenin said I should be removed from my post, 475 00:24:31,305 --> 00:24:34,181 "so therefore I propose to resign from my post." 476 00:24:35,351 --> 00:24:38,101 And of course, because it was he who organized the congress, 477 00:24:38,102 --> 00:24:39,479 all the congress cried out, 478 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:42,398 "Comrade Stalin, no, stay with us." 479 00:24:42,399 --> 00:24:44,525 It was a nice little show. 480 00:24:44,526 --> 00:24:47,987 And so faced with that situation, Trotsky was stuck, 481 00:24:47,988 --> 00:24:49,113 and this is what he said, 482 00:24:49,114 --> 00:24:51,240 and what finished him off for good. 483 00:24:51,241 --> 00:24:53,701 "We can only be right with, and by the party." 484 00:24:55,026 --> 00:24:57,955 Clearly, the party is always right. 485 00:24:57,956 --> 00:25:00,374 Of course, if the party is run by Stalin, 486 00:25:00,375 --> 00:25:03,023 then it's Stalin who will always be right. 487 00:25:03,024 --> 00:25:08,024 (ominous music) 488 00:25:12,470 --> 00:25:13,627 (speaking foreign language) 489 00:25:13,628 --> 00:25:14,804 From the point on, 490 00:25:14,805 --> 00:25:16,934 he created a kind of legacy for Lenin. 491 00:25:18,352 --> 00:25:20,061 {\an8}He created Leninist thinking. 492 00:25:21,479 --> 00:25:23,264 {\an8}That was what they called it. 493 00:25:23,265 --> 00:25:26,316 Like the thinking of Marx, Engels, Lenin, 494 00:25:26,317 --> 00:25:27,985 and then Stalin too. 495 00:25:27,986 --> 00:25:32,986 (triumphant music) (crowd cheering) 496 00:25:33,774 --> 00:25:34,857 So, while Lenin himself 497 00:25:34,858 --> 00:25:36,451 was recommending the utmost caution 498 00:25:36,452 --> 00:25:38,277 with regard to Stalin, 499 00:25:38,278 --> 00:25:39,914 Stalin pulled off the amazing feat 500 00:25:39,915 --> 00:25:41,795 of emerging as his heir. 501 00:25:41,796 --> 00:25:44,991 Trotsky realized that he had underestimated Stalin, 502 00:25:44,992 --> 00:25:47,280 and there were more surprises in store for him. 503 00:25:47,281 --> 00:25:51,509 (solemn music) 504 00:26:01,394 --> 00:26:04,054 In 1926, Stalin and Trotsky met up 505 00:26:04,055 --> 00:26:07,417 at the burial of a former Bolshevik, Gorczynski, 506 00:26:07,418 --> 00:26:09,735 someone to whom they'd been close. 507 00:26:15,909 --> 00:26:17,818 Stalin was walking up ahead, 508 00:26:17,819 --> 00:26:19,495 Trotsky, farther behind. 509 00:26:25,867 --> 00:26:28,618 The man who had led the revolution a decade previously 510 00:26:28,619 --> 00:26:30,797 no doubt knew that his days high up in the party 511 00:26:30,798 --> 00:26:32,174 were now numbered. 512 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:35,761 This was the last time that Stalin and Trotsky 513 00:26:35,762 --> 00:26:37,471 would appear together in public. 514 00:26:40,058 --> 00:26:42,310 Now that the Civil War had left millions dead, 515 00:26:42,311 --> 00:26:44,687 Stalin, like the majority of the Bolsheviks 516 00:26:44,688 --> 00:26:47,786 had abandoned the idea of a global revolution. 517 00:26:47,787 --> 00:26:50,201 However, this was still an obsession for Trotsky. 518 00:26:50,202 --> 00:26:52,102 He wanted to take up arms again. 519 00:26:55,865 --> 00:26:57,825 Stalin had understood that in the country, 520 00:26:57,826 --> 00:26:59,451 as within the Communist Party, 521 00:26:59,452 --> 00:27:02,112 it was not the right time to export the revolution. 522 00:27:03,498 --> 00:27:04,613 (speaking foreign language) 523 00:27:04,614 --> 00:27:05,916 {\an8}Because the people in the system 524 00:27:05,917 --> 00:27:07,601 {\an8}wanted a quiet life. 525 00:27:07,602 --> 00:27:09,461 {\an8}They wanted to benefit from the advantages 526 00:27:09,462 --> 00:27:11,005 {\an8}that Stalin, as Secretary 527 00:27:11,006 --> 00:27:12,914 of the Central Committee, had granted. 528 00:27:14,249 --> 00:27:16,260 These were material advantages, 529 00:27:16,261 --> 00:27:18,856 advantages in a country that was hungry. 530 00:27:18,857 --> 00:27:21,799 Remember, the USSR had always known shortages. 531 00:27:23,934 --> 00:27:28,011 So having a job where you have material advantages, 532 00:27:28,012 --> 00:27:30,191 a food parcel every month, 533 00:27:30,192 --> 00:27:34,310 or a salary that is doubled, then tripled, 534 00:27:34,311 --> 00:27:36,822 then quadrupled, et cetera, was very important. 535 00:27:37,991 --> 00:27:40,701 And what's Trotsky going to say to those people, 536 00:27:40,702 --> 00:27:43,204 that they have to help the revolution in Germany, 537 00:27:43,205 --> 00:27:45,613 in China, in Britain? 538 00:27:45,614 --> 00:27:47,114 No, leave us in peace. 539 00:27:47,115 --> 00:27:49,459 It's the same for any political machinery. 540 00:27:49,460 --> 00:27:51,035 They want to be left in peace. 541 00:27:51,036 --> 00:27:53,255 (speaking foreign language) 542 00:27:53,256 --> 00:27:54,872 Stalin had a very good understanding 543 00:27:54,873 --> 00:27:57,593 of the triggers of human psychology, 544 00:27:57,594 --> 00:27:59,719 and I think that with a certain number of people 545 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:01,472 who were of a similar character to him 546 00:28:02,516 --> 00:28:05,226 {\an8}he knew how to manipulate the triggers of ambition, 547 00:28:06,644 --> 00:28:08,354 {\an8}the triggers of jealousy, envy, 548 00:28:08,355 --> 00:28:09,720 the triggers for violence. 549 00:28:11,024 --> 00:28:11,900 He knew how to bring out 550 00:28:11,901 --> 00:28:14,693 the psychological traits in these people 551 00:28:14,694 --> 00:28:17,069 that would drive them to action. 552 00:28:17,070 --> 00:28:19,453 To action for Stalin's own benefit. 553 00:28:19,454 --> 00:28:23,535 (ominous music) 554 00:28:23,536 --> 00:28:25,360 To reach the very top of the party 555 00:28:25,361 --> 00:28:27,789 Stalin had to use the members of the politburo 556 00:28:27,790 --> 00:28:29,500 and play them off against each other. 557 00:28:31,794 --> 00:28:34,213 First he managed to convince Zinoviev and Kamenev 558 00:28:34,214 --> 00:28:36,591 to team up with him to sideline Trotsky. 559 00:28:39,051 --> 00:28:41,344 Then his manipulation continued. 560 00:28:41,345 --> 00:28:43,420 He got Bukharin on side against Trotsky, 561 00:28:43,421 --> 00:28:45,183 Zinoviev, and Kamenev. 562 00:28:46,100 --> 00:28:47,591 He was a brilliant dissembler, 563 00:28:47,592 --> 00:28:50,062 and slowly but surely managed to rid himself 564 00:28:50,063 --> 00:28:52,775 of all the old Bolshevik revolutionaries in his way. 565 00:28:57,478 --> 00:29:00,738 At the same time, he used his position as Secretary General 566 00:29:00,739 --> 00:29:02,617 to appoint people he could manipulate. 567 00:29:03,576 --> 00:29:05,076 He even went as far as to organize 568 00:29:05,077 --> 00:29:06,953 an intake dedicated to Lenin 569 00:29:06,954 --> 00:29:09,364 of low-ranking soldiers into the party, 570 00:29:09,365 --> 00:29:10,457 which, until then, had been 571 00:29:10,458 --> 00:29:12,785 the reserve of the elite of 1917. 572 00:29:15,839 --> 00:29:17,130 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) It was in fact 573 00:29:17,131 --> 00:29:19,675 a key position because it allowed Stalin, 574 00:29:19,676 --> 00:29:22,469 through a succession of brilliantly managed appointments, 575 00:29:22,470 --> 00:29:25,423 to gradually replace those who had led the Revolution, 576 00:29:25,424 --> 00:29:27,101 and the Civil War especially, 577 00:29:27,102 --> 00:29:29,132 by a certain number of accomplices 578 00:29:29,133 --> 00:29:30,769 who owed their careers to him. 579 00:29:30,770 --> 00:29:31,729 They owed their careers, 580 00:29:31,730 --> 00:29:33,804 not to their revolutionary achievements, 581 00:29:33,805 --> 00:29:36,526 but to the prince of Moscow, Stalin himself. 582 00:29:38,275 --> 00:29:40,446 Stalin created a court of the faithful. 583 00:29:41,781 --> 00:29:43,115 However much Trotsky denounced 584 00:29:43,116 --> 00:29:45,284 the bureaucratization of the party, 585 00:29:45,285 --> 00:29:46,861 however much he criticized Stalin 586 00:29:46,862 --> 00:29:49,288 for being a man of the system, it was too late. 587 00:29:51,457 --> 00:29:54,903 The czar's trap had remorselessly closed around the prophet. 588 00:29:58,723 --> 00:29:59,955 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 589 00:29:59,956 --> 00:30:02,509 {\an8}Trotsky was his own worst enemy, 590 00:30:02,510 --> 00:30:05,220 {\an8}a victim of his remarkable intelligence, 591 00:30:05,221 --> 00:30:08,599 of his brilliant mind, that had indisputably led him, 592 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:11,061 like others, to underestimate Stalin. 593 00:30:14,513 --> 00:30:17,556 "He is mediocrity," Trotsky said. 594 00:30:17,557 --> 00:30:19,600 That's how he described Stalin. 595 00:30:19,601 --> 00:30:21,486 Never in history have we seen such a host 596 00:30:21,487 --> 00:30:25,982 of brilliant, cultivated, and extraordinary minds 597 00:30:25,983 --> 00:30:27,867 that shared the same aim, 598 00:30:27,868 --> 00:30:31,371 to destroy the old order, and establish a new one. 599 00:30:31,372 --> 00:30:34,124 And among them, there was mediocrity, 600 00:30:34,125 --> 00:30:36,642 and it was the mediocrity that won the day. 601 00:30:36,643 --> 00:30:41,632 (ominous music) 602 00:30:41,633 --> 00:30:43,801 In 1927, Stalin settled 603 00:30:43,802 --> 00:30:45,303 his score with Trotsky. 604 00:30:46,175 --> 00:30:48,014 He expelled him from the party. 605 00:30:51,801 --> 00:30:53,268 Trotsky was then sent by force 606 00:30:53,269 --> 00:30:55,813 to Alma-Ata in deepest Kazakhstan. 607 00:31:00,809 --> 00:31:03,278 Stalin wanted to rid himself of his rival, 608 00:31:03,279 --> 00:31:05,564 but he couldn't kill him, not yet. 609 00:31:08,942 --> 00:31:11,287 Barley 10 years after the Russian Revolution 610 00:31:11,288 --> 00:31:13,488 nobody in the party understood such a decision. 611 00:31:15,458 --> 00:31:17,293 Then Stalin exiled Trotsky, 612 00:31:17,294 --> 00:31:19,211 chasing him out of the Soviet Union. 613 00:31:21,923 --> 00:31:23,173 Trotsky didn't know then that he'd 614 00:31:23,174 --> 00:31:25,125 never return to his country again. 615 00:31:28,179 --> 00:31:30,764 Although it seemed that Stalin had won over the party, 616 00:31:30,765 --> 00:31:32,381 the confrontation between the two men 617 00:31:32,382 --> 00:31:34,175 was far from finished. 618 00:31:34,176 --> 00:31:36,478 The duel would continue long distance. 619 00:32:03,006 --> 00:32:06,457 In February, 1929, Trotsky arrived in Turkey 620 00:32:06,458 --> 00:32:08,217 on the island of Buyukada, 621 00:32:08,218 --> 00:32:09,888 off the coast of Istanbul. 622 00:32:12,140 --> 00:32:13,922 His wife, Natalia, was with him, 623 00:32:13,923 --> 00:32:16,008 as well as his son Leon Sedov. 624 00:32:22,651 --> 00:32:25,027 Trotsky thought that Stalin had exiled him to Turkey 625 00:32:25,028 --> 00:32:27,780 to isolate him even more, and to render him powerless. 626 00:32:30,576 --> 00:32:32,075 He knew nobody in the country 627 00:32:32,076 --> 00:32:33,484 and didn't speak the language. 628 00:32:37,331 --> 00:32:39,292 But Trotsky wasn't too downhearted. 629 00:32:41,126 --> 00:32:45,006 By July 1929, he had created the Bulletin of the Opposition 630 00:32:45,007 --> 00:32:47,841 in which he denounced Stalin's behavior and policies. 631 00:32:51,971 --> 00:32:53,296 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) The paradox is 632 00:32:53,297 --> 00:32:56,799 that theyexiled Trotsky, or politically eliminated him, 633 00:32:56,800 --> 00:32:58,810 {\an8}or so they believed. 634 00:32:58,811 --> 00:33:00,145 {\an8}But from that point onwards, 635 00:33:00,146 --> 00:33:02,563 {\an8}and through the 1930s, 636 00:33:02,564 --> 00:33:04,524 Trotsky would continue his activities 637 00:33:04,525 --> 00:33:06,776 and would be a reference point. 638 00:33:06,777 --> 00:33:08,570 The only one to oppose Stalin 639 00:33:08,571 --> 00:33:11,031 and the power of the Russian state in such a way. 640 00:33:14,410 --> 00:33:18,069 He was exiled, not just because he was an irritation, 641 00:33:18,070 --> 00:33:21,291 but also because he refused political compromises, 642 00:33:21,292 --> 00:33:22,617 or to be silenced. 643 00:33:23,941 --> 00:33:27,423 (somber music) 644 00:33:27,424 --> 00:33:29,086 Trotsky tried to form an opposition, 645 00:33:29,087 --> 00:33:30,842 but from outside the USSR he had 646 00:33:30,843 --> 00:33:33,345 much less chance of being heard than from within. 647 00:33:40,395 --> 00:33:42,938 Stalin, the little hoodlum from the Caucuses, 648 00:33:42,939 --> 00:33:44,889 to whom nobody paid any attention, 649 00:33:44,890 --> 00:33:47,526 became the uncontested master of the Soviet Union. 650 00:33:49,695 --> 00:33:52,990 He was given the nickname "The Little Father of the People," 651 00:33:52,991 --> 00:33:55,786 an expression that hitherto had been reserved for the czars. 652 00:33:57,412 --> 00:34:02,412 (triumphant music) 653 00:34:08,915 --> 00:34:11,049 He gradually established his strategy, 654 00:34:11,050 --> 00:34:13,177 his networks, and his men 655 00:34:13,178 --> 00:34:15,347 to hold the USSR in an iron grip. 656 00:34:17,682 --> 00:34:19,807 Stalin had rid himself of any opposition, 657 00:34:19,808 --> 00:34:22,685 and from then on his aim was to industrialize the country 658 00:34:22,686 --> 00:34:25,271 as quickly as possible so that it could defend itself 659 00:34:25,272 --> 00:34:26,725 if there were another war. 660 00:34:32,144 --> 00:34:34,156 In a few years, Stalin would completely 661 00:34:34,157 --> 00:34:36,107 change the face of the Soviet Union. 662 00:34:37,785 --> 00:34:39,536 He built the Moscow Underground, 663 00:34:39,537 --> 00:34:41,037 constructed new towns, 664 00:34:41,038 --> 00:34:43,291 dug canals, and erected dams. 665 00:34:44,907 --> 00:34:47,420 It was all part of the edification of socialism. 666 00:34:54,511 --> 00:34:56,970 The aura he constructed around the Soviet Union 667 00:34:56,971 --> 00:34:58,931 was greeted enthusiastically by most 668 00:34:58,932 --> 00:35:00,974 communist parties in Western Europe, 669 00:35:00,975 --> 00:35:03,061 in particular in Italy and France. 670 00:35:08,316 --> 00:35:13,278 {\an8}(speaking French) 671 00:35:40,974 --> 00:35:45,974 (triumphant music) 672 00:35:48,430 --> 00:35:49,897 (speaking foreign language) No secretary 673 00:35:49,898 --> 00:35:53,850 {\an8}of a communist party at that time, from the early 1930s, 674 00:35:53,851 --> 00:35:56,154 {\an8}could be appointed without Moscow's agreement. 675 00:35:56,155 --> 00:35:58,438 So it was either Stalin who personally oversaw it, 676 00:35:58,439 --> 00:36:00,190 or a secretary, 677 00:36:00,191 --> 00:36:03,612 and they usually chose these secretaries very carefully. 678 00:36:03,613 --> 00:36:05,039 Someone about whom they had some 679 00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:07,770 compromising information they could use again them. 680 00:36:08,720 --> 00:36:11,336 (triumphant music) 681 00:36:11,337 --> 00:36:12,503 Stalin became a hero 682 00:36:12,504 --> 00:36:14,172 for communists the world over. 683 00:36:16,008 --> 00:36:18,168 Moscow was a synonym for the promised land. 684 00:36:21,213 --> 00:36:23,306 Empowered by his strength and his success, 685 00:36:23,307 --> 00:36:25,267 Stalin had joined the big league, 686 00:36:25,268 --> 00:36:26,893 and his portrait now hung besides those 687 00:36:26,894 --> 00:36:28,980 of Lenin, Marx, and Engels. 688 00:36:31,084 --> 00:36:36,084 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 689 00:36:40,825 --> 00:36:42,785 But in order to have absolute power, 690 00:36:42,786 --> 00:36:43,952 he had to get rid of anyone 691 00:36:43,953 --> 00:36:46,315 who in any way would cast a shadow over him. 692 00:36:46,316 --> 00:36:50,167 (ominous music) 693 00:36:50,168 --> 00:36:52,294 Once again, Comrade Stalin pulled off 694 00:36:52,295 --> 00:36:53,787 a Machiavellian coup. 695 00:36:57,374 --> 00:36:59,885 He took advantage of the assassination of Kirov, 696 00:36:59,886 --> 00:37:01,637 a key member of the politburo 697 00:37:01,638 --> 00:37:04,171 who was executed in shady circumstances, 698 00:37:04,172 --> 00:37:07,016 to launch the systematic elimination of every enemy, 699 00:37:07,017 --> 00:37:09,061 and to set in motion a reign of terror. 700 00:37:11,438 --> 00:37:12,399 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 701 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:14,607 {\an8}As soon as he had the information 702 00:37:14,608 --> 00:37:16,935 {\an8}he immediately understood the political advantages 703 00:37:16,936 --> 00:37:19,904 he would be able to gain from this assassination. 704 00:37:19,905 --> 00:37:22,699 He headed off in his special train to Saint Petersberg, 705 00:37:22,700 --> 00:37:25,994 or Leningrad as it was called at the time. 706 00:37:25,995 --> 00:37:27,328 He tidied things up, 707 00:37:27,329 --> 00:37:28,997 got rid of the witnesses who might have 708 00:37:28,998 --> 00:37:30,623 contradicted his version, 709 00:37:30,624 --> 00:37:32,375 and said that Kirov was assassinated 710 00:37:32,376 --> 00:37:36,588 by traitors of the party, and that Zinoviev was responsible, 711 00:37:37,830 --> 00:37:40,833 and so was Kamenev, and above them it was Trotsky. 712 00:37:42,178 --> 00:37:43,919 That allowed him to order the assassination 713 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:45,972 of party members, which until that point 714 00:37:45,973 --> 00:37:48,099 had been virtually unthinkable. 715 00:37:48,100 --> 00:37:51,569 And from then on, obviously, it took on huge proportions. 716 00:37:51,570 --> 00:37:56,566 (ominous music) 717 00:38:00,154 --> 00:38:01,822 As with Lenin's succession, 718 00:38:01,823 --> 00:38:04,399 Stalin proceeded in a very methodical manner. 719 00:38:05,910 --> 00:38:08,820 His strategy began with a huge propaganda campaign 720 00:38:08,821 --> 00:38:11,374 that went far beyond the borders of the Soviet Union. 721 00:38:21,091 --> 00:38:24,135 In 1933, Hitler came to power in Germany. 722 00:38:25,471 --> 00:38:26,971 For communists around the world, 723 00:38:26,972 --> 00:38:29,007 the Fuhrer became the number one enemy. 724 00:38:32,227 --> 00:38:34,270 Stalin didn't hesitate to draw comparisons 725 00:38:34,271 --> 00:38:37,065 between Trotsky and the Chancellor of the Third Reich. 726 00:38:40,902 --> 00:38:42,070 (speaking foreign language) 727 00:38:42,071 --> 00:38:43,655 The anti-Trotsky propaganda 728 00:38:43,656 --> 00:38:46,033 was extremely violent. 729 00:38:46,034 --> 00:38:47,690 For example, the French Communist Party 730 00:38:47,691 --> 00:38:50,694 published a brochure, an anti-Dorio brochure, 731 00:38:50,695 --> 00:38:52,915 with Dorio behind a Trotsky mask, 732 00:38:52,916 --> 00:38:55,352 or a Hitler mask, et cetera. 733 00:38:55,353 --> 00:38:57,575 You can imagine during the height of the popular front, 734 00:38:57,576 --> 00:38:59,921 if you associated Hitler with Trotskyites 735 00:38:59,922 --> 00:39:01,965 and said they were Hitler's allies, 736 00:39:01,966 --> 00:39:03,467 the people were petrified. 737 00:39:06,693 --> 00:39:09,222 You couldn't support Trotsky, that would be unthinkable. 738 00:39:10,299 --> 00:39:11,684 So Stalin set an extraordinary 739 00:39:11,685 --> 00:39:14,054 propaganda steamroller in motion. 740 00:39:14,055 --> 00:39:17,522 In Vietnam as well, and China, everywhere. 741 00:39:17,523 --> 00:39:20,359 During the years 1933 to 1936, 742 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:22,568 if a communist came across a Trotskyite, 743 00:39:22,569 --> 00:39:25,279 they would attack them, and liquidate them, 744 00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:27,536 if necessary, physically. 745 00:39:27,537 --> 00:39:32,287 (ominous music) 746 00:39:33,072 --> 00:39:34,163 Stalin gradually managed 747 00:39:34,164 --> 00:39:37,167 to discredit the men who embodied the party's old guard, 748 00:39:37,168 --> 00:39:39,586 or who showed any kind of loyalty to Trotsky. 749 00:39:41,797 --> 00:39:43,381 The second phase of their elimination 750 00:39:43,382 --> 00:39:45,134 was carried out through three trials 751 00:39:45,135 --> 00:39:49,471 held in Moscow between August 1936, and March 1938. 752 00:39:53,060 --> 00:39:54,601 Stalin had constructed the cases 753 00:39:54,602 --> 00:39:57,020 against the defendants in minute detail. 754 00:39:58,857 --> 00:40:01,233 He ordered the agents of the NKVD, 755 00:40:01,234 --> 00:40:03,402 his political law enforcement agency, 756 00:40:03,403 --> 00:40:05,937 {\an8}to extract confessions from the old Bolsheviks. 757 00:40:07,322 --> 00:40:09,282 During their public examinations, 758 00:40:09,283 --> 00:40:12,202 Zinoviev, Kamanev, and Bukharin, among others, 759 00:40:12,203 --> 00:40:14,245 had to endure the haranguing and insults 760 00:40:14,246 --> 00:40:17,291 of prosecutor Vyshinsky, a close ally of Stalin's. 761 00:40:21,962 --> 00:40:26,962 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 762 00:40:28,052 --> 00:40:33,052 (audience applauds) 763 00:40:34,632 --> 00:40:35,935 (speaking foreign language) We now know 764 00:40:35,936 --> 00:40:38,605 that these trials were totally rigged. 765 00:40:38,606 --> 00:40:40,187 Totally rigged. 766 00:40:40,188 --> 00:40:42,349 They were complete fiction. 767 00:40:42,350 --> 00:40:43,977 The accused learned their parts, 768 00:40:43,978 --> 00:40:45,779 the prosecutor learned his, 769 00:40:45,780 --> 00:40:47,446 and they gave a performance. 770 00:40:48,531 --> 00:40:49,865 It was very well done, because, 771 00:40:49,866 --> 00:40:51,991 as you know, when you're dealing with terror, 772 00:40:51,992 --> 00:40:54,329 you can get people to do exactly what you want. 773 00:40:55,371 --> 00:40:56,371 (speaking French) There are awful 774 00:40:56,372 --> 00:40:58,874 stories of them saying to the accused, 775 00:40:58,875 --> 00:41:01,334 {\an8}"Did you place nails in the butter of the people?" 776 00:41:01,335 --> 00:41:04,379 {\an8}And these intelligent men, these great intellectuals, 777 00:41:04,380 --> 00:41:07,039 would reply, "Yes, we placed nails 778 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:08,748 "in the butter of the people." 779 00:41:08,749 --> 00:41:11,385 And did you put nails in the eggs of the people? 780 00:41:11,386 --> 00:41:13,347 And these brilliant men would reply, 781 00:41:13,348 --> 00:41:15,932 "Uh, no we couldn't because they had shells." 782 00:41:15,933 --> 00:41:17,725 The foreign press corps was at the trials 783 00:41:17,726 --> 00:41:19,206 and thought it was completely normal. 784 00:41:19,845 --> 00:41:24,845 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 785 00:41:25,734 --> 00:41:27,069 (tense music) 786 00:41:27,070 --> 00:41:28,654 (gunshots cracking) 787 00:41:40,656 --> 00:41:42,333 Trotsky was also condemned to death 788 00:41:42,334 --> 00:41:45,378 in absentia, and he knew that Stalin had no intention 789 00:41:45,379 --> 00:41:47,413 of leaving the punishment undelivered. 790 00:41:52,970 --> 00:41:56,764 These trials developed, not from communism, 791 00:41:56,765 --> 00:42:00,602 not from socialism, but from Stalinism, 792 00:42:00,603 --> 00:42:02,854 that is from the irresponsible despotism 793 00:42:02,855 --> 00:42:05,639 of the bureaucracy over the people. 794 00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:08,068 What is now my principal task? 795 00:42:08,069 --> 00:42:10,152 To reveal the truth, 796 00:42:10,153 --> 00:42:12,113 to show and to demonstrate 797 00:42:12,114 --> 00:42:14,073 that the true criminals 798 00:42:14,074 --> 00:42:16,659 hide under the cloak of the accusers. 799 00:42:16,660 --> 00:42:21,205 (solemn music) 800 00:42:21,206 --> 00:42:22,415 But Trotsky's protests 801 00:42:22,416 --> 00:42:24,835 counted for little in the face of the Stalinist machine 802 00:42:24,836 --> 00:42:26,586 crushing everything in its path. 803 00:42:28,621 --> 00:42:30,872 All Trotsky's books, all the works in which 804 00:42:30,873 --> 00:42:33,093 Trotsky appeared as a hero of the revolution 805 00:42:33,094 --> 00:42:34,552 were removed from libraries, 806 00:42:34,553 --> 00:42:36,679 until the image of the founder of the Red Army 807 00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:38,306 had been completely erased. 808 00:42:44,063 --> 00:42:45,023 (speaking foreign language) And there is 809 00:42:45,024 --> 00:42:48,098 that famous photo that has been retouched 810 00:42:48,099 --> 00:42:51,232 of one of Lenin's speeches on an open-air stage. 811 00:42:51,233 --> 00:42:53,697 And there's a little staircase up to the stage, 812 00:42:53,698 --> 00:42:55,656 and Trotsky is on the staircase. 813 00:42:55,657 --> 00:42:57,359 Then one day, he disappears. 814 00:42:58,452 --> 00:42:59,952 There's nobody on the staircase, 815 00:42:59,953 --> 00:43:01,412 and everything was like that. 816 00:43:01,413 --> 00:43:03,831 That was typical of Stalin's methods, 817 00:43:03,832 --> 00:43:05,333 the retouching of photographs. 818 00:43:05,334 --> 00:43:10,334 (ominous music) 819 00:43:15,001 --> 00:43:15,970 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) Those photos 820 00:43:15,971 --> 00:43:18,637 {\an8}weren't intended to trick the old Bolsheviks, 821 00:43:18,638 --> 00:43:21,142 {\an8}to trick the heads of the party. 822 00:43:21,143 --> 00:43:23,475 They were there to send a message, 823 00:43:23,476 --> 00:43:25,019 and the message was 824 00:43:25,020 --> 00:43:27,564 don't talk about these people any more. 825 00:43:27,565 --> 00:43:29,640 Now, talking about so-and-so, 826 00:43:29,641 --> 00:43:31,776 and talking about Trotsky in particular 827 00:43:31,777 --> 00:43:34,569 is not only punishable, but can be dangerous for you. 828 00:43:34,571 --> 00:43:37,156 (solemn music) 829 00:43:37,157 --> 00:43:38,241 After Turkey, 830 00:43:38,242 --> 00:43:41,369 Trotsky was given asylum in France, and then in Norway. 831 00:43:46,907 --> 00:43:50,129 But gradually, he became undesirable right across Europe. 832 00:43:52,413 --> 00:43:54,340 No leader wanted to risk offending Stalin 833 00:43:54,341 --> 00:43:56,416 by welcoming Trotsky to their country. 834 00:44:05,604 --> 00:44:07,563 Only Mexico agreed to take him in. 835 00:44:09,440 --> 00:44:12,609 Trotsky arrived in Mexico City in January, 1937. 836 00:44:15,474 --> 00:44:17,321 He and his wife Natalia were put up 837 00:44:17,322 --> 00:44:19,449 by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. 838 00:44:21,952 --> 00:44:23,318 These two Mexican painters 839 00:44:23,319 --> 00:44:25,748 and militant communists agreed to welcome them. 840 00:44:28,417 --> 00:44:31,450 Trotsky still hoped to unify the partisans behind him. 841 00:44:31,451 --> 00:44:35,250 He created a new organization, the Fourth International. 842 00:44:35,251 --> 00:44:37,050 He also set up a commission to pull apart 843 00:44:37,051 --> 00:44:39,135 the accusations of the Moscow trials. 844 00:44:43,974 --> 00:44:46,851 But even thousands of miles away from the Soviet Union, 845 00:44:46,852 --> 00:44:49,387 Trotsky could feel the noose tightening around his neck. 846 00:44:50,231 --> 00:44:54,193 In 1938, he learned of the death of his son, Leon Sedov. 847 00:44:55,819 --> 00:44:57,434 He had undergone surgery in Paris 848 00:44:57,435 --> 00:44:59,863 for a simple case of appendicitis, 849 00:44:59,864 --> 00:45:02,358 but Sedov died on the operating table. 850 00:45:02,359 --> 00:45:05,496 For Trotsky, how he died left no room for doubt. 851 00:45:09,625 --> 00:45:11,544 Stalin had assassinated his son, 852 00:45:13,128 --> 00:45:15,047 and now he was next on the list. 853 00:45:18,133 --> 00:45:19,508 (speaking foreign language) 854 00:45:19,509 --> 00:45:21,428 {\an8}He retreated into his bedroom 855 00:45:21,429 --> 00:45:24,347 {\an8}for several days with Natalia. 856 00:45:24,348 --> 00:45:26,058 {\an8}He took a little tea, 857 00:45:26,059 --> 00:45:29,477 and then afterwards he emerged. 858 00:45:29,478 --> 00:45:32,355 He had aged a great deal during those days of mourning. 859 00:45:38,655 --> 00:45:41,021 Often, when the secretaries, 860 00:45:41,022 --> 00:45:44,440 the comrades and the guards talked to me, 861 00:45:44,441 --> 00:45:49,309 he would tell them, "Don't talk politics with my grandson." 862 00:45:52,110 --> 00:45:55,420 He wanted to keep me away from all that. 863 00:45:58,341 --> 00:46:01,384 His whole family had succumbed, 864 00:46:01,385 --> 00:46:04,762 perished as part of that struggle, 865 00:46:04,763 --> 00:46:09,142 so with me, he wanted his grandson to survive. 866 00:46:11,478 --> 00:46:13,146 And he succeeded. 867 00:46:17,068 --> 00:46:21,646 Nobody else in my family lived to be 88, as I am now. 868 00:46:23,115 --> 00:46:26,784 (tense music) 869 00:46:26,785 --> 00:46:29,162 But Trotsky could still be a threat to Stalin. 870 00:46:31,456 --> 00:46:33,792 At least that's what the head of the Kremlin feared. 871 00:46:37,755 --> 00:46:41,131 In 1939, Stalin, who just a few years previously 872 00:46:41,132 --> 00:46:43,425 had denounced the Hitler Trotskyites, 873 00:46:43,426 --> 00:46:46,012 signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler's Germany 874 00:46:46,013 --> 00:46:47,431 to general amazement. 875 00:46:50,966 --> 00:46:53,513 He wanted to give himself time to fight the Nazis, 876 00:46:53,514 --> 00:46:55,387 but he knew his strategy hadn't been understood 877 00:46:55,388 --> 00:46:57,982 by a good number of militant communists around the world. 878 00:47:01,987 --> 00:47:03,889 (speaking foreign language) Hostility towards 879 00:47:03,890 --> 00:47:06,441 {\an8}the German-Soviet pact ran deep. 880 00:47:06,442 --> 00:47:08,410 {\an8}Everyone toed the line to a certain extent, 881 00:47:08,411 --> 00:47:09,734 {\an8}but if they could get out of this 882 00:47:09,735 --> 00:47:11,412 unlikely alliance with Hitler, 883 00:47:11,413 --> 00:47:13,374 they would all have been in agreement. 884 00:47:15,194 --> 00:47:17,618 Trotsky was a known quantity, 885 00:47:17,619 --> 00:47:21,588 he was credible, he had the revolutionary prestige. 886 00:47:21,589 --> 00:47:25,667 He'd never negotiated with Stalin since he'd been exiled. 887 00:47:25,668 --> 00:47:27,552 And just imagine if he'd clearly 888 00:47:27,553 --> 00:47:30,099 and determinedly taken up a position 889 00:47:30,100 --> 00:47:33,602 calling on all militant communists to bury their differences 890 00:47:33,603 --> 00:47:35,770 and reject the German-Soviet pact. 891 00:47:36,846 --> 00:47:41,733 (solemn music) 892 00:47:41,734 --> 00:47:43,319 Despite being politically defeated 893 00:47:43,320 --> 00:47:44,779 and condemned to exile, 894 00:47:44,780 --> 00:47:46,813 Trotsky was still a danger to Stalin. 895 00:47:50,278 --> 00:47:54,331 By 1939, his physical elimination had become a priority. 896 00:48:07,761 --> 00:48:10,054 On the 24th of May, 1940, 897 00:48:10,055 --> 00:48:12,464 around 20 men dressed as Mexican police 898 00:48:12,465 --> 00:48:14,393 entered Leon Trotsky's house. 899 00:48:17,729 --> 00:48:19,015 Armed with machine guns, 900 00:48:19,016 --> 00:48:20,522 they fired into the bedroom where he was 901 00:48:20,523 --> 00:48:22,359 sleeping with his wife Natalia. 902 00:48:23,693 --> 00:48:25,820 Esteban, Trotsky's grandson, 903 00:48:25,821 --> 00:48:27,989 woke with a start in the neighboring room. 904 00:48:29,116 --> 00:48:30,608 (speaking foreign language) My grandfather 905 00:48:30,609 --> 00:48:34,786 {\an8}was half-asleep because he used to take sleeping pills. 906 00:48:34,787 --> 00:48:37,445 {\an8}Natalia quickly dragged him out of bed 907 00:48:37,446 --> 00:48:39,708 {\an8}and pushed him into a corner, 908 00:48:39,709 --> 00:48:43,421 the southern, south-eastern corner of the bedroom 909 00:48:43,422 --> 00:48:46,332 under the table, and that's what saved his life. 910 00:48:47,384 --> 00:48:52,384 (solemn music) 911 00:48:59,104 --> 00:49:00,104 Miraculously, 912 00:49:00,105 --> 00:49:02,274 Leon Trotsky and Natalia were spared. 913 00:49:03,233 --> 00:49:05,308 The investigation showed that Siqueiros, 914 00:49:05,309 --> 00:49:07,319 a member of the Mexican Communist Party 915 00:49:07,320 --> 00:49:10,198 and a fervent partisan of Stalin, had led the attack. 916 00:49:11,616 --> 00:49:13,577 He and his accomplices were arrested, 917 00:49:13,578 --> 00:49:15,912 but quickly released due to a lack of evidence. 918 00:49:18,083 --> 00:49:19,707 In the days following the attack 919 00:49:19,708 --> 00:49:21,586 security at the house was improved. 920 00:49:22,868 --> 00:49:24,202 Bulletproof doors were installed, 921 00:49:24,203 --> 00:49:26,839 along with an electric fence, and an alarm system. 922 00:49:29,792 --> 00:49:31,042 But Trotsky knew that the attack 923 00:49:31,043 --> 00:49:33,546 of the 24th of May was just a dress rehearsal. 924 00:49:34,722 --> 00:49:36,799 The next time it would succeed. 925 00:49:39,102 --> 00:49:41,938 That's when Ramon Mercader entered the scene. 926 00:49:42,981 --> 00:49:44,514 This young Spanish communist, 927 00:49:44,515 --> 00:49:46,733 an agent of the Soviet Secret Services 928 00:49:46,734 --> 00:49:50,018 who went by the names Jacques Mornard and Frank Jackson, 929 00:49:50,019 --> 00:49:52,408 had been plotting to assassinate Trotsky for months. 930 00:49:54,659 --> 00:49:56,525 First, he seduced a young militant 931 00:49:56,526 --> 00:49:58,329 by the name of Sylvia Ageloff. 932 00:49:59,456 --> 00:50:01,500 She introduced him into Trotsky's household. 933 00:50:02,752 --> 00:50:05,493 Ramon Mercader gradually became a familiar figure. 934 00:50:07,213 --> 00:50:09,174 {\an8}(speaking foreign language) 935 00:50:09,175 --> 00:50:12,252 {\an8}Sometimes he'd take us out for a drive 936 00:50:12,253 --> 00:50:14,553 {\an8}through the Mexican countryside. 937 00:50:16,431 --> 00:50:18,725 Yes, he'd give us gifts too. 938 00:50:23,021 --> 00:50:23,814 (speaking foreign language) 939 00:50:23,815 --> 00:50:25,189 Trotsky was so isolated 940 00:50:25,190 --> 00:50:26,817 in his locked down Mexican house. 941 00:50:27,902 --> 00:50:29,319 He saw this young guy turn up, 942 00:50:29,320 --> 00:50:31,486 he seemed to be Belgian, or maybe Canadian. 943 00:50:31,487 --> 00:50:34,198 Nobody really knows anymore, and it doesn't really matter, 944 00:50:34,199 --> 00:50:36,316 but he was a great admirer of Leon Trotsky. 945 00:50:38,537 --> 00:50:39,995 {\an8}I don't really know much about politics, 946 00:50:39,996 --> 00:50:41,665 {\an8}but I'd love to learn, and I'd really like to 947 00:50:41,666 --> 00:50:43,499 {\an8}try writing an article in support of you. 948 00:50:46,110 --> 00:50:47,309 And there you have it. 949 00:50:47,310 --> 00:50:49,297 (ominous music) 950 00:50:49,298 --> 00:50:51,465 On the 20th of August, 1940, 951 00:50:51,466 --> 00:50:53,677 Ramon Mercader said he wanted to show Trotsky 952 00:50:53,678 --> 00:50:55,137 an article he had written. 953 00:50:58,515 --> 00:51:00,174 Trotsky was sitting at his desk. 954 00:51:01,268 --> 00:51:02,801 When he leant over to read it, 955 00:51:02,802 --> 00:51:04,437 Mercader grabbed the ice pick 956 00:51:04,438 --> 00:51:06,188 he'd been hiding in his raincoat, 957 00:51:06,189 --> 00:51:08,308 and plunged it deep into Trotsky's skull. 958 00:51:17,700 --> 00:51:19,993 Then, Esteban, Trotsky's grandson, 959 00:51:19,994 --> 00:51:22,738 who was 13 at the time, was coming home from school. 960 00:51:25,782 --> 00:51:28,587 (speaking foreign language) 961 00:51:28,588 --> 00:51:30,879 Immediately I felt this anguish 962 00:51:30,880 --> 00:51:33,717 that something terrible had happened. 963 00:51:33,718 --> 00:51:37,136 {\an8}So I hurried home, I went into the garden, 964 00:51:37,137 --> 00:51:40,472 {\an8}and immediately bumped into one of the guards, 965 00:51:40,473 --> 00:51:44,017 and through the half-open door I could see my grandfather, 966 00:51:44,018 --> 00:51:48,470 lying there on the wooden floor, covered in blood 967 00:51:48,471 --> 00:51:50,192 with Natalia and the guards. 968 00:51:51,902 --> 00:51:55,144 And when Grandfather heard me coming, 969 00:51:55,145 --> 00:51:58,992 he said to the guards, "Get Esteban away from here. 970 00:52:00,953 --> 00:52:03,121 "My grandson mustn't see this." 971 00:52:10,713 --> 00:52:13,620 And at the same time he said to the guards 972 00:52:13,621 --> 00:52:16,633 when he heard the moans of his killer, 973 00:52:16,634 --> 00:52:19,053 "Don't kill him, he has to speak." 974 00:52:22,641 --> 00:52:27,641 (solemn music) 975 00:52:28,355 --> 00:52:30,357 Trotsky was immediately taken to hospital. 976 00:52:31,556 --> 00:52:33,652 He died from his wounds the following day. 977 00:52:38,448 --> 00:52:41,526 300,000 people attended his funeral in Mexico. 978 00:52:44,829 --> 00:52:47,572 Before he died, he spoke the following words, 979 00:52:50,168 --> 00:52:52,619 "Tell our friends I'm certain of the victory 980 00:52:52,620 --> 00:52:54,380 "of the Fourth International." 981 00:53:01,137 --> 00:53:05,058 Ramon Mercader was sentenced 20 years in prison. 982 00:53:05,059 --> 00:53:07,350 When he returned to Moscow in the 1960s 983 00:53:07,351 --> 00:53:09,771 he was greeted as a hero of the Soviet Union. 984 00:53:12,097 --> 00:53:15,234 Trotsky went down in history as the thwarted heir, 985 00:53:15,235 --> 00:53:17,236 the man of a different communism. 986 00:53:19,322 --> 00:53:23,117 But his death also bears testimony to the power of Stalin, 987 00:53:23,118 --> 00:53:24,410 capable of murdering an enemy 988 00:53:24,411 --> 00:53:26,288 thousands of miles away from Moscow. 989 00:53:27,611 --> 00:53:29,916 Killing him politically wasn't enough. 990 00:53:29,917 --> 00:53:32,001 The czar had to slay the prophet. 991 00:53:38,216 --> 00:53:41,844 After Hitler broke the German-Soviet pact in 1941 992 00:53:41,845 --> 00:53:44,963 Stalin fought an epic fight against Nazi Germany 993 00:53:44,964 --> 00:53:47,851 to stake his place as one of the great post-war victors, 994 00:53:49,227 --> 00:53:50,845 right up there with Churchill, 995 00:53:53,190 --> 00:53:54,389 and Roosevelt. 996 00:53:57,069 --> 00:53:59,819 Stalin had not only vanquished Trotsky, 997 00:53:59,820 --> 00:54:01,322 but he had carved out a definitive 998 00:54:01,323 --> 00:54:03,198 place for himself in history. 999 00:54:03,199 --> 00:54:08,199 (stately music) 77143

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