Show Notes
Trotsky has lost his struggle with Stalin for leadership of the Soviet Union
But his revolutionary fire still burns bright.
The man who helped seize power and build the Red Army is now a political exile, hunted by the regime he helped create.
In this third episode, we follow Trotsky from exile in Kazakhstan to Turkey, France and Norway as Stalin's campaign against his former rival intensifies.
We explore Trotsky's bitter confrontation with the liberal democracies that refused him entry, the contradiction between his demands for political freedom and his own defence of revolutionary dictatorship, and his growing isolation from the Communist movement.
But Stalin's vengeance reaches far beyond Trotsky himself.
As the Moscow Trials and Great Terror begin, Trotsky watches helplessly as his supporters, friends and family are arrested, imprisoned and executed. His name becomes the centrepiece of Stalin's vast conspiracy theory.
Finally, Norway withdraws its protection and Trotsky is forced to leave Europe.
Across the Atlantic, an unlikely refuge awaits.
Mexico.
But as Trotsky sails towards his new home, Stalin's most dangerous enemy is about to enter the final and most terrifying chapter of his life.
Can Trotsky survive when the full power of the Soviet state is determined to destroy him?
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