Vladimir Lenin -- the founder of the Soviet Union -- realized that of his two right-hand men, foreign affairs minister Leon Trotsky was the one best-suited to lead the country upon his death. But the sly, scheming Stalin had used his position as party secretary to build a power base that owed him big-time. So when Lenin finally died in 1924, Stalin cut Trotsky out of the party, exiled him from the country and, to top it all off, sent someone to kill him with a mountaineer's ice axe. Tuesday, Jan. 21
You need to be a member of NewsPageDesigner to add comments!
Join NewsPageDesigner