| “ | I shall die a proletarian revolutionist, a Marxist, a dialectical materialist, and, consequently, an irreconcilable atheist. My faith in the communist future of mankind is not less ardent, indeed it is firmer today, than it was in the days of my youth.
— Trotsky's Testament
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Lev Davidovich Bronstein, better known as Leon Trotsky, was a Russian revolutionary, Marxist theorist, and Soviet politician whose particular strain of Marxist thought is known as Trotskyism.
Initially supporting the Menshevik-Internationalists faction within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, he joined the Bolsheviks just before the 1917 October Revolution, immediately becoming a leader within the Communist Party. He would go on to become one of the seven members of the first Politburo, founded in 1917 to manage the Bolshevik Revolution.
During the early days of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) and the Soviet Union, he served first as People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs and later as the founder and commander of the Red Army, with the title of People's Commissar of Military and Naval Affairs. He became a major figure in the Bolshevik victory in the Russian Civil War.
After leading a failed struggle of the Left Opposition against the policies and rise of Joseph Stalin in the 1920s and against the increasing role of bureaucracy in the Soviet Union, Trotsky was removed from the Politburo (October 1926), removed from the Central Committee (October 1927), expelled from the Communist Party and exiled from the Soviet Union. As the head of the Fourth International, Trotsky continued to oppose the Stalinist bureaucracy in the Soviet Union while in exile.
Later Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico City by Ramón Mercader, a Spanish-born NKVD agent, with an ice pick.
Battle vs. Pancho Villa (by Deathblade 100)[]
A rural town, 1918
Trotsky: 
Villa: 
Leon Trotsky looks up from the map of the nearby countryside. One of his Red Army fighters shuts the loading gate of his Nagant M1895 revolver, while another finishes cutting down a Mosin 1891 rifle to pistol size. The other two Bolsheviks stand on guard; one with a Mosin, the other with a Fedorov Avtomat. In the distance, a train sounds its horn.
Pancho Villa takes hold of a Winchester 1886 and gathers four of his Villistas as they disembark the transport train they were using to carry their supplies. They had heard of a group of men from the European mainland in a nearby town.
As the Mexicans approach the town where the Europeans where sighted, a rifle shot fills the air. As the Mexicans duck for cover, a Bolshevik soldier rechambers his Mosin and fires again. A Villista turns and fires several shots from his Winchester; fatally wounding the Bolshevik. As the Villistas continue their assault, a crack from a Nagant revolver hits a Mexican guerrilla in the neck.
A Villista opens fire with his Mondragon; scoring a couple of hits on a Bolshevik. As the Russian fires back desperately, a third shot from the Mondragon finishes him off. As the Mexicans advance, a Mosin fires; killing the Villista with the Mondragon. Villa orders his remaining men to split up. One, drawing his SAA, fires several shots at the Russians before darting to cover. Villa and his remaining soldier head for cover, with Villa firing two shots from his Winchester, before passing it to his subordinate.
Trotsky signals for his Fedorov gunner to follow him, before the Russians hear movement. Turning, a Russian fires and misses with his Obrez; clumsily cycling the bolt. The Villista opens fire with his SAA, injuring the Russian with the Obrez. Trotsky draws his Nagant and fires two shots at the Villista; one hitting the Mexican in the leg. Trotsky's Fedorov gunner fires twice with the semi-auto rifle; finishing off the Mexican.
Trotsky picks up a dropped Mosin rifle and fixes its spike bayonet to it, before helping his wounded colleague back to his feet. Handing the injured Russian the Mosin, Trotsky draws his revolver and checks the ammunition. A yell from the Fedorov gunner caused the two Bolsheviks to turn. As the Villista pulled the machete from the Russian's back, the Russian with the Mosin fires one shot before charging the Mexican; bayoneting him. A shot from Villa's Bisley finished off the Russian.
Trotsky and Villa exchanged gunfire with their revolvers. When both ran dry, Villa drew his machete and ran at Trotsky. Trotsky runs and collects the dropped Obrez, chambers, and fires it. Walking up to the wounded revolutionary, Trotsky chambers the Obrez again and pulls the trigger.
Trotsky raises his hand and yells "Long live the Revolution!" in victory.
Winner: Leon Trotsky
Expert's Opinion[]
While Villa was an effective commander of the Villistas and a prominent politician, he couldn't hope to defeat Trotsky due to the Bolshevik's superior weaponry and firepower; especially the superiority of the Red Army's Fedorov semi-auto rifle and the faster reload of the Mosin compared to the Winchester.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
Battle vs. Geronimo (by Pygmy Hippo 2)[]
Redacted Location, Mexico
After one successful revolution in Russia, it made sense for Lenin to send Leon Trotsky with some Bolshevik soldiers to Mexico after their previous revolutionary died. Said revolutionary was killed by the same man who had killed an American leader as well so Leon had intentions to recruit him to the cause. Unfortunately for him, Geronimo had other plans and watched the camp from some nearby woods with his own group of Apache warriors.
"Get to higher ground but don't start firing until I give the order." Geronimo's Apache nodded and ten of them climbed up a hill to get a better view of the Bolshevik camp as they hid behind some boulders. "Ленин мертв, а Сталин новый лидер ?! Кто это допустил ?!" (Lenin's dead and Stalin's the new leader?! Who let that happen?!) Trotsky's men angrily grumbled at the orders they had received, stop promoting a communist revolution and return to Russia, and he slowly got up and started walking out the tent.
It was at this moment that the Apache decided to strike with one Bolshevik guard getting shot in the head and another getting shot through the heart with .30-30 Winchester rounds. The warriors yelled out war cries that shook up the soldiers even more from the unexpected attack but Leon picked up a Mosin-Nagant and shot one of the killers in the stomach which wasn't lethal but restored some morale. "Пожар!" (Fire!) Both sides began firing a barrage of shots at each other with the Bolsheviks' 7.62×54mmR rounds hitting the Apache from longer distances than their Winchester 1894s but both took some casualties.
Head shots, torso shots, and even limb shots happened as the soldiers lost eight more men but the warriors lost ten men in the carnage. With a third of both sides gone, now was the time for the real surprise to begin as Geronimo cried out. "Now!" The hidden Apache leapt out from behind their boulders with war cries and fired a variety of arrows from their Bows which hit some poor Bolshevik who had a bad shoulder from the previous encounter in the knee, luckily that wasn't poisoned.
Others were more unfortunate as five immediately died to getting arrows through the eyes or just getting turned into human porcupines in the bombardment, five others got rusted or rattlesnake poison coated arrows in their torso, but once again, Trotsky had an idea and rushed over to the weapons cache to pull out some Model 1914 Grenades. The warriors didn't know what the soldiers and their leader had thrown at them until they were blown away by shrapnel and the three that survived that were disfigured by picric acid. The Apache were put out of their misery quickly by some more Mosin-Nagant shots as the Bolsheviks regrouped.
"Это последний из них?" (That the last of them?) "Я так думаю, но будь настороже и помоги этому бедному человеку!" (I think so but be on the lookout and get that poor man some help!) If this couldn't get any worse the two who went to pick up the wounded man dropped dead from rattlesnake poison and Leon cursed under his breath before the man next to him got shot through the heart with a .45 Colt round and he returned the favor by putting a 7.62×38mmR round through the man next to Geronimo's head. Both leaders stared at each other with hatered before getting to cover as Nagant M1895 and Colt Single Action Army shots filled the air with the occasional cries of pain as there were now only ten men left in the battle.
Both sides cylinders clicked and they pulled out their melee weapons which the Bolsheviks had to hastily attach their Spike Bayonets to their Mosin-Nagants as the Apache rushed them with one accurately throwing his Tomahawk at his foe's forehead but another missed. A fellow warrior tackled the charging soldier and knocked the rifle out of his hands before hacking his face open with the axe before a blade punched through his chest. The Apache who had just gotten his Tomahawk back was smacked in the face by a buttstroke before the Bolshevik stabbed through his throat with a Spike Bayonet.
The soldier yelled in pain as his hand was cut off by another warrior before he disarmed his foe with a quick shove before running for another Bayonet and his opponent saw an odd-looking axe on the ground which he picked up. The Apache ran at the Bolshevik with his Ice Axe raised and inadvertently impaled himself through the heart with his opponent’s blade. As his foe toppled over, the man saw Geronimo aiming his Colt Single Action Army and dropped his Bayonet to desperately try to free his Mosin-Obrez from its holster which he barely did before getting shot between the eyes.
"Отвратительное оружие." (Disgusting weapon.) Trotsky's cold response to his Bolshevik's death was interrupted by an Apache yelling as he threw another Tomahawk at the Russian leader who dodged it and accidentally fired both Nagant M1895 shots into his foe's chest. Geronimo dropped his revolver and Leon did the same as neither was of any use to them now but they both stood back, pulling out their melee weapons, and waited for an opportunity. His opponent got impatient and stabbed forwards with a Spike Bayonet which the Bedonkohe leader dodged before going for a hack which was caught on the Mosin-Nagant and he was disarmed in a single lifting movement.
However that was Geronimo's plan as he dug his stone Knife into Trotsky's stomach and went for a throat slice but a crack deafened both leaders for a moment. Leon's hearing slowly came back to him and he realized that Geronimo was bleeding heavily onto the ground from his head as his last Bolshevik unsteadily stood with his smoking rifle lowered. "Спасибо товарищ. Это принесло вам повышение, если мы выберемся отсюда." (Thanks comrade. That earned you a promotion if we get out of here.) The two wounded Russians staggered back to the tent to gather their things for the return trip even as Leon Trotsky already dreaded meeting the new leader.
Winner:Leon Trotsky
Expert's Opinion[]
Leon Trotsky had a better Short Range, Mid Range, and Long Range weapon and his morale-boosting tactics helped keep his force together in this fight. Geronimo had an equally effective Special Weapon and had better overall Tactics along with being the more experienced warrior himself although the Apache and Bolsheviks were equal in that regard. Ultimately Leon's technology advantage and psychological control of his forces overcame Geronimo's guerrilla warfare tactics.