The Russian Revolution's Unknown Hero: Mikhail Tomsky

This episode of The Russian Revolution: How the Tsars Lost Everything explores the life and tragic fate of Mikhail Tomsky, a key Bolshevik leader who rose from the factory floor to head the trade unions. We trace his journey from a young revolutionary in the 1905 uprising to his role in organizing the Red Guard and his bitter conflict with Stalin over the role of unions in the 1920s. The episode covers Tomsky's involvement in the Union of Metalworkers, his defense of workers' autonomy against the rising party bureaucracy, and his ultimate fall from grace during the Great Purge. We also examine the broader struggle between Lenin's vision of unions as 'schools of communism' and the reality of Bolshevik control. Key figures include Mikhail Tomsky, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Alexei Rykov. The discussion sheds light on a lesser-known but pivotal figure who embodied the revolutionary spirit of the working class and paid the ultimate price for his convictions.

#RussianRevolution #MikhailTomsky #TradeUnions #Bolsheviks #SovietHistory #Lenin #Stalin #GreatPurge #RedGuard #1905Revolution #UnionOfMetalworkers #WorkersRights #CommunistParty #AlexeiRykov #SovietUnion #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast

Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo