The Assassination of Trotsky
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
4.7 • 13.7K Ratings
🗓️ 23 April 2026
⏱️ 66 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This is the true story of the plot to kill Stalin's greatest enemy. It involves ice axe, a bloody study in Mexico City, and a betrayal years in the making.
At its centre is Ramón Mercader, a Soviet-trained agent who infiltrated Leon Trotsky’s inner circle and killed him. But this was more than a simple murder - it was the result of Stalin’s ruthless drive to eliminate all rivals and consolidate power.
With us is Josh Ireland, author of "The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy". He explains the shadowy politics of Stalin's Kremlin, and how manipulation and conviction put Mercader on a path to Mexico City...
Produced by James Hickmann and McKenna Fernandez, and edited by Matthew Wilson.
At its centre is Ramón Mercader, a Soviet-trained agent who infiltrated Leon Trotsky’s inner circle and killed him. But this was more than a simple murder - it was the result of Stalin’s ruthless drive to eliminate all rivals and consolidate power.
With us is Josh Ireland, author of "The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy". He explains the shadowy politics of Stalin's Kremlin, and how manipulation and conviction put Mercader on a path to Mexico City...
Produced by James Hickmann and McKenna Fernandez, and edited by Matthew Wilson.
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Transcript
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| 0:30.2 | Stalin versus Trotsky, whoever wins, we lose. |
| 0:34.0 | This is a battle for control of global revolution revolution for control of the Soviet Union. The winner |
| 0:39.4 | becomes one of the most influential figures in modern history. The loser, well, winds up dead. |
| 0:46.3 | His line wiped out. We got Trotsky, a revolutionary, electrifying, a commander of men. He helped |
| 0:53.4 | orchestrate the Bolshevik revolution. |
| 0:55.0 | He led the Red Army to victory in the brutal Russian civil war. |
| 0:59.0 | He dreamed of spreading revolution across the world. |
| 1:02.0 | But that brilliance provoked jealousy, hatred, enmity, |
| 1:06.0 | and he was unlucky enough to draw the rage of one Joseph Stalin. |
| 1:12.6 | He ended up exiled, hunted across continents. |
| 1:15.1 | Trotsky's life became a deadly game of sex, betrayal and survival. |
| 1:19.9 | From the streets of Petrograd to the sun-soaked shores of Mexico, |
| 1:23.6 | this story is one of ambition, ideology, farce, honey traps and relentless danger. In this episode, we're going to follow every twist of that extraordinary journey from the revolutions of the early 20th century to the shocking events of his assassination itself. Spoiler alert, sorry. For all this, I'm joined by Josh Island. He's just written a fantastic book, The Death of Trotsky, the True Story, the true story of the plot to kill Stalin's greatest enemy. |
| 1:45.4 | Josh, thanks for coming on. This is a crazy story. I'm delighted to be here. I think it's one of the most amazing stories of the 20th century, because it's one of those stories where everyone knows a few details about it. You know, you know that Trotsky dies in Mexico. You know it's an ice axe, but you don't know why he's in Mexico. |
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