If you think American politics are brutal, imagine the life of one Leon Trotsky, the Jewish intellectual and philosopher who picked the wrong side in the debates over the form of post-Tsarist Russia. Like Lenin and Stalin, Trotsky spent time in jail and exile, and joined the socialist-democratic party the other two belonged to. But the party split, with Lenin creating the bolshevik majority in their philosophy of central planning, and Trotsky favoring the menshevik minority and their more cooperative vision.

On this day, August 20, in 1940, Leon Trotsky, now in exile after being politically outmaneuvered by Stalin for the role of Russia leadership, had all of his lasting claims to challenge Stain removed by an axe. The wielder of the the axe was Ramon Mercader, a Spanish communist (though it took 10 years to discover his real identity.)

When Lenin’s health was fading, Stalin took advantage to ally himself with other high-ranking socialist leaders to make sure Trotsky, then then number two man behind Lenin, would not take over power. Stalin’s position of power enabled him to gradually replace the power of the government with loyalists, and the entire base began taking potshots at the generally more conciliatory Trotsky. He was soon removed from his position in the government, marking the end of his influence.