Trotsky Assassinated: Stalin's Rival Dies in Mexico
Ramon Mercader, a Spanish communist operating under Soviet intelligence orders, gained Leon Trotsky's trust by dating one of his secretaries and visiting his fortified compound in Mexico City repeatedly. On August 20, 1940, Mercader struck Trotsky in the head with an ice axe while the exiled revolutionary was reading a manuscript. Trotsky fought back, biting Mercader's hand, and bodyguards subdued the assassin. Trotsky died the following day at age 60. Stalin had been hunting Trotsky for over a decade, seeing him as the only credible alternative to Stalinist communism. Mercader served twenty years in a Mexican prison, never revealing his identity, and was later awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union medal.
August 20, 1940
86 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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