Trotsky. The museum

Lev Davidovitch Bronstein (1879-1940), “nom de guerre” Trotsky, was a Soviet revolutionary, the founder of the Red Army, assassinated by orders of Stalin in 1940. His museum in Mexico city is privately run by his descendants, grandson and great-granddaughters. (Photo: (c)ourtesy the Trostky museum, Mexico city.

The back of Trostky’s last house is, strangely enough, on Vienna Street. Trotsky must have stopped at Vienna on the way to exile.

After the Revolution in 1917, Trotsky founded the Red Army, which was soon used in the civil war that tore Russia for years until the Soviets established their power.

Trotsky’s house to-day. (2019). The house has been preserved very well. As often in similar places, it is a strange feeling to walk in a “normal” property where a major actor of History lived. (Whether one shares his opinions or  not)

Mexican President Lázaro Cardenas (1895-1970). Cárdenas was President from 1934 to 1940. He welcomed a large number of Spanish Republican exiles, and granted asylum to Trotsky. He also nationalized the oil industry, securing Mexico’s main source of income for many years to come.

The photo on the left shows Trotsky with (I assume) his daughter, Zinaida Lvovna Bronsteina, born in 1900. There is a wealth of material in the museum, but some lack of captions. Again, the museum is privately funded, probably not enough resources for some detailed curation.

 

L. to r. Natalia Ivanovna Sedova (1882-1962), Trotsky’s second wife; Trotsky and his grandson, Esteban Volkov, born in 1926. Esteban stayed in Mexico after his grandfather’s assassination and has four daughters. Natalia had had a son with Trotsky, assassinated in Paris (by Stalin orders) in 1938. She left Mexico after Trotsky’s murder for France where she died in 1962.

On which stairs did they sit, as a “normal” family?

Esteban, left, Natalia, centre, Trotsky below. I don’t know who the other couple is… (remember to always put the names on the family pictures…) I wonder if Esteban Volkov still speaks or understands Russian. (It seems not)

Trotsky’s study and desk. With the inevitable copy of Karl Marx:

The book seems to be written in German. “Schriften”? Writings? Trotsky probably spoke German. And Yiddish… (On a personal note, I did study Marx in College. Always found it near unreadable… But that’s me. 😉)

Zinaida Trotsky, (eldest daughter) and her husband, Platon Volkov. They are the parents of “Esteban” Volkov. Born in 1900, Zinaida was banned from the Soviet Union and committed suicide in Berlin on January 5th, 1933. Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on the 30th of January 1933. Always remember Hitler was legally elected. Some, or many dictators come into power legally. Platon Volkov was executed or “disappeared” by Stalin in 1936. (Such times.)

Trotsky, left, with Diego Rivera, right. Rivera and Frida Kahlo were instrumental in convincing President Cardenas to grant asylum to Trotsky. All three remained friends until Trotsky’s assassination. I now wonder whether Trotsky’s spoke Spanish? Rivera, I’m almost sure spoke no Russian.

Trotsky’s bed in the house in Coyoacán.

The wall in the North. (Of here). A portrait of Trotsky to the left.

The Berlin wall crashing down in 1989. Watch the expression of the young East German  military behind the wall, as they see the a big chunk torn down… This picture was part of a great expo at the Trotsky Museum when we went. Walls and frontiers are rising everywhere.  No worry. Walls always crash down… Eventually.

All images (c)ourtesy the Trotsky museum and, unbeknownst to them, the Volkov family. Thank you for keeping alive that part of history.

Captain and crew thank you for traveling the meanders of space and time on Equinoxio’s shuttle. Y’all stay safe, ye hear? 🙏🏻😉😷