Leon Trotsky's years on Büyükada (1929-1933)

WHAT IS TROTSKY'S PLACE  IN THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION? 

Lenin,  described Trotsky as a party member who joined the Bolsheviks last but then  became more Bolshevik  than anyone else.  Indeed, Trotsky played a crucial role in the creation  of the revolution's cadres,  He was one of the most important actors  in the founding of the Red Army  and in emerging victorious  from the civil war.    He was one of the key figures. 

Bukharin, Kamenev, Zinoviev, Trotsky, and Stalin, who are the most frequently mentioned names in the literature of the socialist revolution,  were the primary actors   in the ideological and political conflict within the party.  became.  It is significant that the ultimate winner of this conflict was Stalin,  who had the least intellectual background. 

WHY WAS TROTSKY'S SITUATION DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS?

After Lenin's death, the revolution's  brain trust,  through tactics of gradual discrediting, exile to remote regions, and forced oblivion,  from the agenda  was removed by being  toppled.

The purge, which began with exile sentences,  expanded with  an ever-increasing  intensity until 1938. Those loyal to  Stalin's   faction  outside of  all opposition factions  were eliminated through show trials. This  process,  in Soviet history, is known as the  Great Purge.   

Trotsky's situation, however, was different. Lenin  after  the leadership  would pass to Kamenev or Trotsky  was expected. Stalin, the right-wing opposition led by  headed by  Bukharin  the right-wing opposition,  Trotsky's  led    against the Left Opposition  by using  to remove anyone who could be a rival  from the Politburo,  from the Central Committee,  and finally from the party  distanced him.  

Ultimately, Trotsky  lost the political struggle   he waged against Stalin between 1924 and 1927.  He was removed  from the Communist Party  leadership and the party itself.  Stalin had him  with a sham trial   could not risk eliminating him.  Along with key leaders of the Left  Opposition such as Radek, he was sent  into exile  to Alma-Ata. Stalin    was not satisfied with this. Outside  the Soviet Union  thought it would be more  appropriate to send him somewhere else. But where could that country be? 

WHAT WAS THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN EUROPE? 

 The international climate and the  political environment in Europe  did not make it possible  for Trotsky to be sent to any European country. 

The Weimar Republic was in the midst of a major political and economic crisis.   Hitler's party was steadily gaining power.  Despite being strong in parliament  and even leading  the establishment of the republic,  the Social Democratic Party (SPD)   Trotsky's  in such an environment  his presence in Germany   could not be accepted. 

In France and England, the left-wing conciliators  were close to socialism,   that is, the Second International. The theorist of the European Revolution (permanent  revolution)  theorist  They did not want   a charismatic  political   figure like Trotsky  to be in their countries.  Meanwhile, the Communists in these countries had adopted a stance close to the Stalinist line. 

To put it more clearly, for  European governments, Trotsky  was a figure who carried  political risks. For socialist and communist parties, Trotsky was also a name that—for their own  reasons—should not be  supported. 

WHY TURKEY?

It was in such an  international  environment  Mustafa Kemal's Turkey was a young republic with   friendly and good neighborly relations. The Soviet  government  through its Ankara ambassador Lev   Suritz facilitated such a   residency for   made a request. The request  came through Stalin and  Foreign Minister Karahan.  

ARRIVAL IN TURKEY 

As of 1929,  President Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who had firmly consolidated his power,  accepted the request  conditionally.  accepted. Turkey  him  not as a political exile, but as a guest  would accept. If he wished, to another country  he could go, and what he wrote in Turkey  on the condition that it be published abroad  would not be interfered with. His  safety  would be the responsibility of the  Turkish government.  The Soviet government, for its part, would   pledge not to organize  an assassination attempt against Trotsky on Turkish soil. The conditions were mutually  as  accepted. Thus began the stay of Trotsky and his family in Turkey   as guests.

THE WINTER OF 1929 AND THE ILYICH SHIP 

First of all, there is something that must be said. The winter of 1929 was an exceptionally harsh  winter.  It was the year the Bosphorus was filled with ice floes coming from the Danube. Trotsky and his family   from Alma-Ata to Odessa  under harsh winter  conditions, they were brought by a journey made by bus and train. His wife Natalia and son  Lev Sedov were with him.  His daughter  was not permitted to accompany him. Later,  she would also come and  go to Germany for treatment. 

The journey  It lasted about  20 days. Departing from Alma-Ata on January 22,  Trotsky and  his family  arrived in Odessa on February 10. For the journey, Kalinin  ship had been planned. 

However, since the ship was stuck in the ice, instead of it—as a strange manifestation of history—the Ilyich  (Lenin) ship was allocated.   Since the Black Sea was covered with ice,  a ship with an "icebreaker" was needed. Quite interestingly, the "Ilyich," which bore the name of the leader  of the revolution,  ship, of the revolution's  most important theorists  one of-  Trotsky- became the ship that would bring him to Istanbul. 

FIRST DAYS IN ISTANBUL 

The founder of the Comintern and the Red Army, the Brest-Litovsk  peace  negotiator, former commissar for foreign affairs, war, and  navy, Trotsky, from the entrance of the strait, to the President of Turkey Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha  a telegram  sent.  When the Ilyich ship  Büyükdere arrived off the coast.

The main idea  of the telegram was that he did not come to Turkey of his own volition. The telegram showed that Trotsky  was concerned about  being assassinated  in Turkey.  Turkish authorities    would alleviate  his anxiety  even though they offered suggestions, Trotsky would long harbor the concern  that he would be the target of an assassination. 

Trotsky at the Tophane  pier, was personally met by Istanbul  provincial officials and the Soviet  Consul General. On February 12 at 16:00 Soviet citizen  Leon Sedov    with a passport  he had entered.  His family  and his accompanying staff were taken to the consulate general.

On February 14  so much so that the Turkish press  must have been warned, as no news mentioning Trotsky was published.  In the early days, there was an atmosphere of uncertainty. The Turkish  government did not want to  get involved  in anything other than  his safety and comfort. 

Surprisingly  in a way that was not expected, the British consulate was aware of Trotsky's arrival.  Consul General Sir George Clark was in office at that time. 

Within  a short time, foreign  press representatives  stationed themselves  around the Soviet consulate. The London Times and Reuters began monitoring  entries and exits at the consulate. The Markiz and Parissien patisseries became the  hubs for  reporters  awaiting news.  A few days later, the first to go out was his son Lev  Sedov. He went to the Galatasaray Post Office. At that time, Lev Sedov was a young man  in his early twenties.  He returned with  books and newspapers. 

At that time, the administration in Istanbul was headed by the governor and   mayor Muhittin Üstündağ. was present.  He was given 1500  USD  as an allowance. As exile expenses. To maintain contact  with European and American leftist circles  and to  to earn a living  by writing  articles  was his intention. 

The articles he sent by telegram  from the Galatasaray Post Office, starting from February 26, appeared in the Paris Journal, New York Times, and London Daily Express  newspapers. began to be published. 

Trotsky's  Western  in media outlets against the Soviet administration  articles  beginning to publish  brought his residence at the consulate to an end. On March 8, he moved to the Tokatlıyan Hotel.  Rooms numbered 67, 68, and 69  were allocated.  

INTERVIEW WITH JOURNALISTS AT THE TOKATLIYAN HOTEL 

During the days when Trotsky  was expelled from the Russian consulate   and moved to the  Tokatlıyan Hotel,  he gave an interview to the local and foreign press.  At the  press conference that drew great interest,  Vala Nurettin, who had gone to Russia with Nazım in the 20s  and received a university education at KUTV, was also present. I believe at that time he was a writer for the Akşam newspaper . 

He had been a student at KUTV  and Trotsky  was an admirer. He wanted to ask  questions in Russian. With the air of a  diligent student  seeking to impress his teacher. He was  warned by his former teacher that they should speak  in a common Western language  that everyone could understand.  At the press conference  The views expressed by Trotsky resonated widely in the West.  The Turkish  press was also  keen on following  this famous  politician.  There were even some strange reports, such as  claims that Trotsky was going to convert to Islam.  They were highlighting the tabloid side of the matter rather than political issues.  Even any implication that could affect Turkey's friendship with the Soviet Russian administration  was not being brought up. 

THE SEARCH FOR A PERMANENT  AND SECURE RESIDENCE 

Once it was understood that Trotsky's stay  would be long-term,  Istanbul  the provincial  administration began searching for  a sufficiently secure house for him.  

The authorities, regarding such an  extremely  closely watched  and  significant figure, sought to ensure his safety  in some way  he could live   he explored the options. First, the Yeniköy area was considered. It was abandoned. As of April 1, in Bomonti, the Arab Izzet Pasha  Mansion (Holo Pasha)  as a residence  was rented. 

 Trotsky's  His residence at the Arap İzzet Pasha mansion did not last very long.  28 days later,  he moved to the mansion  known today on Büyükada as the Trotsky house,  which also belonged to the heirs of Arap İzzet Pasha. The point that needs to be clarified here  is this: Holo Pasha, Abdulhamid's Jurnal  at the head of the  organization. He was one of the  monarchy's  palace  secretaries at Yıldız.  Thanks to his closeness    to Abdülhamit, he had significant  had amassed wealth and drawn the reaction of the Young Turk opposition. After the  Committee of Union and Progress came to power, he  disappeared. 

The mansions in Bomonti and on Büyükada  might have even been  abandoned  in the Turkey of the 1920s. Whether or not there was any rent payment involved  is not entirely  clear. My view: Trotsky  was considered a guest  of the Republic of Turkey.  In the mansion on the island, serious renovations and even  some  windows being walled  up and closed off  given that it is in question, it  is understood that his heirs at that  time were not  in a position to  claim the estate.  The Arab Izzet Pasha  mansion, in fact, It is known as the Iliasko mansion. The reason is that  it belonged to Konstantinos Iliasko, the manager of the  Bank of Athens in Yüksek Kaldırım.  Ownership  later passed to Arab Izzet Pasha. 

SPOUSES AND CHILDREN 

His first wife, Alexandra Sokolovskaya,  was the woman  who introduced Trotsky  to Marxism. She was the mother of Zinaida and Nina.  While it is more or less certain  that she was killed in a labor camp in 1938,  there are also some sources that claim  she survived and lived until the Khrushchev era.  exists. His second wife, Natalia Sedova, is the mother of Lev and Sergei. She lived until 1962.  She died in Paris. 

Trotsky had two  daughters and two sons. The daughters were Zinaida Volkova and Nina Nevelson. They were born during the couple's  Siberian exile.  In 1901 and 1902.  His young daughter Nina had passed away from tuberculosis in 1928.  Stalin did not  allow his daughter  Zinaida and  his young son Sergei  to come  and join him.   They remained in Russia as hostages.  Lev Sedov,  born in 1905, and Sergei, born in 1909. 

ZINAIDA'S SUICIDE   

Zinaida, who was ill and suffering from severe mental health issues,  was granted permission to join her father in 1931. Zinaida arrived on Büyükada. After a while, she  went to Germany with her half-brother  Lev Sedov to receive treatment,  Hitler's rise to power and Stalin by the Soviet  citizenship  upon being stripped of  ended his life by committing suicide. 

THE FATE OF LEV AND SERGEI 

From his second wife Natalia,  his eldest son Lev Sedov, had come to Turkey   with his father.  In 1931, he went to Germany with Zinaida. When Hitler came to power,   he moved on to Austria and France.  In Paris,  following an emergency appendectomy,  he died. Just like Frunze. It is highly probable that Lev's   death on the  operating table  was the work of  Stalin's agents. 

His younger son, Sergei Sedov, was born in  Vienna in 1908.. He was a young engineer who had received his engineering education in Moscow and was not very interested in political affairs. He was forced to remain in Russia. In 1935, he was arrested on fabricated charges. He was sent into exile. In 1937, he was killed in exile. Ultimately, all of Trotsky's children  either died due to  severe health problems, or were  murdered by Stalin through a conspiracy. 

TROTSKY'S VISITORS 

After Trotsky  moved to Büyükada,  he engaged in intense writing activity  we see. My Life  and The Russian Revolution were written on Büyükada. 

During his years  in Turkey,   he had many visitors. Most were European socialists and  communists. All of these  took place in Mustafa Kemal's Turkey.  Some of the  figures can be listed as follows: French  former leader of the Communist Party  Albert Treint  (the new one  naturally Stalinist) among other visitors were Spanish, American, and Austrian communists who were ideologically close to him  it must be  stated  that. 

For the Turkish History Congress,  having come to Ankara as a guest of Atatürk,  the German biographer   Emil Ludwig  met with Trotsky in Istanbul upon his return and published his impressions Living Age in the 1930 issue of the magazine  published.  British Labour Party  in the government (Ramsey MacDonald government)  who served as a minister  Sydney Webb  was  among the visitors.  was among the visitors.   An interesting name was the deposed  Afghan King Amanullah Khan. He was also  among those who visited Trotsky. 

There is also a Chinese man, Ling Che,  who was in all likelihood a member of the  anti-Stalinist  faction of the Chinese communists. In China at that time,  there was an alliance between bourgeois revolutionaries and socialist-communist forces against  feudalism.  Mao's Long March and  There is still more time  for the Chinese Revolution. 

OTHER DETAILS OF TROTSKY'S  LIFE IN ISTANBUL: FISHING, HUNTING, AND TARGET PRACTICE

Trotsky likely did not anticipate  that he would stay in Turkey for such a long time.  After a while, he must have found  the residence provided to him by the Turkish government to be secure, because,  fishing,  and began target practice  on Sedef Island. He started  In photographs remaining from those years, the size of the fish  caught by Trotsky shows what kind of  abundance existed around the Islands.  fish  productivity  shows. 

Trotsky, who was keen on hunting, went through the forests of Kartal-Küçükyalı-Alemdağ  as far as Ömerli.  He evenwent.  had reached as far as Sahilköy, which is now a village in Şile. It was evening, and when a heavy rain began,  the Red  Army  founder  was hosted that night  in Sahilköy. The house he stayed in is interesting:  the imam's house. 

A YOUNG GIRL CLINGING TO THE GUNWALE OF TROTSKY'S BOAT: MİNA URGAN   

A pleasant anecdote  from Trotsky's   days on Büyükada is mentioned in Mina Urgan's "Memoirs of a Dinosaur."  When Mina's     father  passed away, her mother  entered into her second marriage with Falih Rıfkı Atay .  They are sending Mina to Robert  College as well.  To the Arnavutköy American College for Girls.  She is a classmate of Behice Boran. They spend  the summers on the island. Mina loves the sea very much,  and has been an excellent swimmer since she was very young. 

One day, she had swum quite far out.  And very  exhausted, off the coast of the island  clung to the gunwale of Trotsky's boat  while he was out fishing. One of the armed security  officers  prevented him from holding onto the boat  with the butt of his rifle.  Lev Davidovich Bronstein Trotsky,  looking on coldly, did not say a word  did not pull her out. Yet, from a revolutionary,  tired from swimming  a young  girl, I would have expected him to take her hand and pull her onto the boat,  and allow her to rest on the boat. In fact, since Mina knew English, and Trotsky had learned German,  English,  and French  at the Odessa gymnasium,  who would later become Halide Edib's    assistant,  a professor of  English Language and Literature, and the wife of Cahit Irgat, Mina Urgan and  Trotsky, off the coast of Büyükada,  in a fishing boat  could have had a conversation. But it didn't happen. Armed  by the men  was intimidated. 

A STUDENT STRANDED ON A FERRY IN KARAKÖY: AZİZ NESİN

Another event that interests me is,  Trotsky's  In February 1929, when he arrived in Istanbul, ice floes that had broken off from the Danube  had filled the Bosphorus. 

At that time Aziz Nesin  was living with his father, Abdülaziz Efendi,  on Heybeliada. His mother had recently  died of tuberculosis. He was attending  Davutpaşa Middle School. Due to renovations, Davutpaşa Middle School had moved to the  vicinity of Cağaloğlu. 

He was late for school every day and was not being admitted to class because he could not get his books  is not being done. He writes in his memoirs, in particular, that his English book is very expensive.  The Bosphorus  is covered  with ice,  so the ferries  cannot make their trips. Voyages are being canceled. Aziz  Nesin is penniless  on the ferry  gets stranded. Fortunately,  an acquaintance who lives on Heybeliada and works at the   Archaeology Museum  takes Aziz Nesin in. 

That night, they stay  with a relative in the vicinity of Şehzadebaşı.  Aziz Nesin finds the  daughters  of the house  where they are guests to be very strange in their free behavior. Faced with the extreme  conservatism of his father, Abdülaziz  Efendi, the republic's  concept of a  "new life" is a middle school   seems strange to his student.  

It was during such a harsh  winter of 1929 that Trotsky, who had been  expelled from Russia, held a press conference at the Tokatlıyan Hotel,  while at the same time,  a middle school student named Mehmet Nusret,  who was struggling to find money for a ferry ticket,  (Aziz Nesin) was left stranded at the Karaköy pier.  After a while, Trotsky would move to Büyükada, while Aziz Nesin would continue to commute to school from Heybeliada until he moved into the garden of the abandoned mansion in Mevlanakapı.  continue to commute to school. 

GOING TO THE CINEMA: CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S  CITY LIGHTS FILM 

We know that the Great Atatürk went to the cinema in Istanbul. There are photographs  and they are very valuable.  The President of Turkey  is at the cinema with the citizens. In the Turkey of the 30s. 

While in Istanbul, Trotsky  also went to see Charlie Chaplin's film  "City Lights."  The cinema  where the film was shown was the Artistik Cinema. Trotsky's experience of  going to the cinema and watching films in Istanbul is worth remembering.   One truly dreams of being among the audience    in the cinema where Atatürk and Trotsky  came to watch  a film. 

HIS DEPARTURE FOR AND RETURN FROM THE CONFERENCE IN DENMARK 

We know that from the moment Trotsky arrived in Turkey, he preferred  to go to France.  Germany  Developments over time had shown that the option was not possible.  Going to France was also, in the  political  conditions  of those days,  not seen as possible. 

However, 1932  in December of  the year  he received  an invitation  to a conference and went to Denmark. He traveled  to Europe as a guest of the Young Socialist League with a passport  issued in the name of Leon Sedov.   Via the ship Prague and through France. The journey lasted  between November 14 and 23. 

After giving a lecture in German on the Bolshevik Revolution  in Copenhagen, on December 12 aboard the ship Adria he arrived  in Istanbul.  returned. Upon his return, he went from Paris to Venice. Although Mussolini was in power and Gramsci  was in prison,  he passed through Italy with a transit visa and returned to Turkey. 

TROTSKY'S DEPARTURE FROM TURKEY 

While Trotsky was living in the Arap İzzet Pasha  mansion on the island, a fire broke out on the upper floor and the house was destroyed. Initially, it  was thought that this  could be an assassination attempt. It was understood that the fire started due to the carelessness of the maid, Kolyapi. From the hot water installation. In the newspapers Trotsky's documents were completely destroyed  there is news. 

After residing in Moda for a while  again  on Büyükada  Arab Izzet Pasha  which is a smaller house near the mansion Triandafilidis   to his mansion. After a while (in 1933),   he left Turkey and went to France. 

This is the story of the  four-year stay of Leon Trotsky, one of the leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution, on Büyükada.  This is it.