Trotsky's USSR

[Zionist1973]

If Leon Trotsky had ascended to the top of Soviet leadership in the 20's rather than Stalin, how might Europe be different? Would the Great International Revolution as dreamed of by Lenin have become a reality as opposed to Stalin's "Socialism in One Country" doctrine? What about Industrialization? Could the USSR have become an industrial power or resist the Fascist war machine without collectivization? Would Fascism have been stopped in its tracks if German Reds had enough Russian support? What about the Winter War? I would love to hear all your thoughts.

[Paintbucket]

This is quite interesting. I'll give it a gander.

Europe would have some changes, that's for sure. I think Lenin's GIR was unattainable as he had dreamed it up, but perhaps Trotsky could have changed a few things. I think that Germany would have still had a similar historical course, the question would be which side the USSR would join.

Much of the Soviet failure in the Finnish war was due to the Great Purge. The Soviets lost a lot trained officers and used many troops from the southern regions, which were ill-suited to weather in Finland. Germany really lost the war as much as the Allied forces won it. The issue of Labor Camps would be interesting, as Stalin loved them. I think Trotsky would have been a little more lenient on the people and more in tune with Lenin than Stalin.

[undead]

If Leon Trotsky had ascended to the top of Soviet leadership in the 20's rather than Stalin, how might Europe be different?

It was the Molotov-Ribbentrop that paved the way for the invasion of Poland and the subsequent invasion of Russia. The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact would probably never have been authorized by Trotsky, and so neither Poland nor Russia would have been invaded, or at least not at the time that they were. Ukraine would not have become depopulated by famine. The Red Army would have remained a strong force rather than as weakened by the purges of Stalin. Hilter probably would have remained in power in Germany for much longer, but unlikely to have invaded Russia in a war he knew he could not win with Trotsky at the helm.