I am fairly certain that someone else has already started a discussion on this topic or wrote a timeline surrounding it (but since I couldn't find one I'll start my own). It's easily one of the biggest what-ifs in early 20th century history, what if Leon Trotsky succeeded Vladimir Lenin as the leader of the USSR instead of Joseph Stalin?
How exactly would the USSR be influenced by Trotsky's leadership and his diametrically opposed views to Stalin?
Let's for a second imagine a timeline in which Trotsky's Left Opposition gained enough power to effectively split the party in two, resulting in something not too dissimilar from Gorbachev's Perestroika occurring 60 years ahead of schedule, a complete implementation of the concept of soviet democracy and multi-candidate elections comprising candidates from the two separate factions of the Communist party. Trosky's Left Opposition manages to be elected into power with Trotsky being declared the Supreme Soviet in a term-limited position starting on January 1928.
The Western world looks with curiosity at the USSR and its newfound democracy and the eastern world is changed forever.
What do you think would happen next?
How exactly would the USSR be influenced by Trotsky's leadership and his diametrically opposed views to Stalin?
Let's for a second imagine a timeline in which Trotsky's Left Opposition gained enough power to effectively split the party in two, resulting in something not too dissimilar from Gorbachev's Perestroika occurring 60 years ahead of schedule, a complete implementation of the concept of soviet democracy and multi-candidate elections comprising candidates from the two separate factions of the Communist party. Trosky's Left Opposition manages to be elected into power with Trotsky being declared the Supreme Soviet in a term-limited position starting on January 1928.
The Western world looks with curiosity at the USSR and its newfound democracy and the eastern world is changed forever.
What do you think would happen next?