The Youth of Trotsky

Trotsky was born in Western Russia, or modern day Ukraine, on November 7, 1879. His father, David Leontyevich Bronstein, had originally named his son Lev Davidovich Bronstein. At an early age, Lev Bronstein started practicing law and became interested in the writings of Karl Marx At age 17, in 1897, he had mastered practicing revolutionary means. He was arrested and exiled to Siberia the following year for participating in an attempted uprising. It was while in exile that he took up the name Leon Trotsky.