A small, but important, part of international working class history is under threat. The Trotsky museum in Coyoacan, Mexico has put out an appeal for $1 million to preserve the memory of Leon Trotsky, a leader of the Russian Revolution who was murdered at the address on August 21, 1940.
The Trotsky museum is the house and grounds of Trotsky’s last residence in what is now an inner suburb of Mexico. Thousands of people visit the site every year, and revenue from visitors once sustained the institution, along with funding from the Federal, State and City governments. But the global financial crisis has been used as an excuse to cut back all kinds of cultural funding, and money for the preservation of working class history is at the bottom of the list of priorities. While the museum has funding for the current financial year, courtesy of the Mexico City government, there is no guarantee of support after that.
Visitors to the museum have the opportunity to personally engage with one of the most important events in our history. Not the assassination of Trotsky by an agent of Russian dictator, Joseph Stalin — although Trotsky’s office remains in the same state it was on the day of the attack. It’s the opportunity to “touch” the momentous revolutionary upsurges of the early twentieth century, at one degree of separation. Our history must not be allowed to go unremarked and uncelebrated!
There is another side to the work of the museum. Its full name is Institute on the Right of Asylum, House-Museum of Leon Trotsky. Trotsky was stateless when Mexican President, Lazaro Cardenas, offered him asylum in 1936. In honour of that decision, the museum is dedicated to promoting the right of asylum for all those fleeing persecution. That’s another important reason to give to this appeal.
What You Can Do
The Australian and the U.S. Sections of the Freedom Socialist Party are International Friends of the Leon Trotsky Museum and have contributed to this appeal. We invite you to contribute too.
Send a cheque, payable to Freedom Socialist Party, making it clear that the donation is for the Trotsky museum appeal. Our address is:
PO Box 308, Brunswick Vic 3056. Please be sure to include your postal address so we can send you a receipt. We will then forward the payment to the International Friends of the Trotsky museum in Coyoacan.
