Christian Georgievich Rakovsky (August 13 (August 1, Old Style), 1873 - 1941) was a Bolshevik revolutionary. Born in Kotel, Bulgaria, Rakovsky's political work would take him throughout the Balkans and into Russia.

Rakovsky was the son of wealthy parents and became a major funder of revolutionary groups and newspapers such as Iskra and Pravda. His political activities resulted in his expulsion from Bulgaria, Romania, France and Tsarist Russia.

He tried to incite a revolution in Romania in 1917 but was forced to flee by the arrival of the German Army.

Rakovsky moved to Russia after the October Revolution and was made the leader of the Ukrainian Soviet government by Lenin and helped defeat the White Army in the Ukraine during the Russian Civil War.

After Lenin's death, Rakovsky joined Leon Trotsky's Left Opposition and came into conflict with Stalin, who had Rakovsky expelled from the Communist Party and exiled to Central Asia.

In 1937, during the Great Purge, Rakovsky was put on trial with Bukharin, Alexei Rykov and Genrikh Yagoda on charges of conspiring with Trotsky to overthrow Stalin, Trial of the Twenty One. He was sentenced to twenty years hard labour and then executed in 1941.

External link

• Christian Rakovsky Internet Archive