The Prophet Armed

Trotsky: 1879-1921

Few political figures of the 20th century have aroused as much controversy as the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. His extraordinary life and extensive writings have left an indelible mark on the revolutionary conscience. Yet there was once a danger that his name would disappear from history. Originally published in 1954, Deutscher’s masterful three-volume biography was the first major publication to counter the powerful Stalinist propaganda machine that had sought to expunge Trotsky from the annals of the Soviet Union. In these pages Trotsky emerges in his real stature, as one of the two central leaders of the Russian revolution.

The Prophet Armed is the first volume of the trilogy. It traces Trotsky’s early years, the formation of his distinctive theory of permanent revolution, his long feud and reconciliation with Lenin and Bolshevism, and his role in the 1917 October insurrection. The volume ends in 1921 with Trotsky at the pinnacle of his prestige and influence.

Isaac Deutscher was born in 1907 near Krakow and joined the Polish Communist Party, from which he was expelled in 1932. He then moved to London where he died in 1976. His other books include Stalin and The Unfinished Revolution. The two other titles in the Trotsky trilogy are The Prophet Unarmed and The Prophet Outcast.

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