How Far Was The Importance Of Leon Trotsky

How far has the importance of Trotsky in creating political change in Russia in 1917 been exaggerated?

We know that Leon Trotsky was crucial in creating political change in Russia in 1917. We know that in the 1917 Revolution, his great orating skills helped further the Bolshevik cause. This is shown in Source 76 with use of “oratorical talent, his organising ability, first with the army and then with the railways...” and this led to political change as his involvement sped up the Bolshevik take-over of Russia. Evaluating the source, the fact that it is written by a Bolshevik could make it bias, as the follower will want to exaggerate Trotsky’s role as a great leader. Furthermore, Victor Serge wrote this in 1945, much after 1917, lowering the
However, there were other faithful Russians that claimed that Trotsky’s influence was crucial to creating political change. An example of this is in Source 78, with the use of “He was the idol of mass meetings in Petrograd...Trotsky was one of the best orators of the Revolution. He spoke everywhere with amazing brilliance and had the ability to popularise even difficult ideas with great skill”, showing Trotsky’s influence over the whole country, leading to political change. Evaluation of the source shows that it was written in 1918, just a year after 1917, the year in question, giving it a high reliability compared to Source 76. A.P. Spunde even uses the words “Trotsky displayed his best qualities in 1917”, something that many sources suggest. The source will show some bias, as it is yet another Bolshevik writer, but it can be cross-referenced with Source 79. The speech took place on the 22th October 1917 in Petrograd, and Trotsky’s own words were “The Soviet Government will give