Statesman.
One of the three closest associates of Vladimir Lenin. He held several key positions in the Soviet state apparatus and was considered by Stalin to be one of his most dangerous opponents.
Background
Lived: 1883-1936.
Born in Moscow as Lev Rosenfeld, he studied law at the Moscow University. He was a party member since 1901 and spent five years in exile in Western Europe working closely together with Lenin. He was married to Trotsky’s sister Olga. For many years he worked as the editor of Pravda.
October Revolution
He initially opposed Lenin’s idea of armed rebellion and dreamed of the all-socialist coalition government. His opposition with Lenin made him briefly leave the party.
After the October Revolution, his mistake was pardoned and in the next eight years Kamenev was among the top five party leaders and key figures of Soviet Russia.
Stalin’s rise to power
The question of Lenin’s successor was far from being settled and a fierce struggle for power took place in the party. Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev teamed up with Joseph Stalin in a Triumvirate (1922-25) to prevent Leon Trotsky from becoming the next leader. His “Trotskyism” was publicly criticized and he was pushed aside.
By 1925 Stalin secretly grabbed the actual power and openly attacked the other two opponents. After a series of exclusions and readmissions to the party, occasional imprisonments and stripping of their positions, Kamenev and Zinoviev were publicly accused of “Trotskyism”, later of treason and conspiracy to kill Kirov and Stalin.
Death
In 1936 Stalin orchestrated a show trial where Kamenev and Zinoviev were falsely accused of several fantastic crimes. They confessed in order to save their families and were shot in August 1936.
Lev Kamenev
Statesman.
One of the three closest associates of Vladimir Lenin. He held several key positions in the Soviet state apparatus and was considered by Stalin to be one of his most dangerous opponents.
Background
Lived: 1883-1936.
Born in Moscow as Lev Rosenfeld, he studied law at the Moscow University. He was a party member since 1901 and spent five years in exile in Western Europe working closely together with Lenin. He was married to Trotsky’s sister Olga. For many years he worked as the editor of Pravda.
October Revolution
He initially opposed Lenin’s idea of armed rebellion and dreamed of the all-socialist coalition government. His opposition with Lenin made him briefly leave the party.
After the October Revolution, his mistake was pardoned and in the next eight years Kamenev was among the top five party leaders and key figures of Soviet Russia.
Stalin’s rise to power
The question of Lenin’s successor was far from being settled and a fierce struggle for power took place in the party. Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev teamed up with Joseph Stalin in a Triumvirate (1922-25) to prevent Leon Trotsky from becoming the next leader. His “Trotskyism” was publicly criticized and he was pushed aside.
By 1925 Stalin secretly grabbed the actual power and openly attacked the other two opponents. After a series of exclusions and readmissions to the party, occasional imprisonments and stripping of their positions, Kamenev and Zinoviev were publicly accused of “Trotskyism”, later of treason and conspiracy to kill Kirov and Stalin.
Death
In 1936 Stalin orchestrated a show trial where Kamenev and Zinoviev were falsely accused of several fantastic crimes. They confessed in order to save their families and were shot in August 1936.
Grigory Zinoviev