Lev Borisovich Kamenev

Lev Borisovich Kamenev (Russian: Лев Борисович Каменев - his original family name was Rosenfeld, Розенфельд) (July 6 (old calendar) / July 18 (new calendar) 1883 - August 25, 1936) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a prominent Soviet politician, an early member of the powerful Politburo.

He was born to a Jewish family in Moscow, Russia.

After Lenin's death in 1924. Kamenev formed an alliance with Stalin and Zinoviev, which became know as the troika. The troika was in opposition to Trotsky. The 14th Party Congress of 1925 disfavoured Trotsky's idea of 'permanent revolution' and he was forced to resign as commissar for war.

With Trotsky's influence reduced, the troika collapsed and Stalin turned against his former allies Kamenev and Zionviev. Kamenev, now a leader of the left opposition, argued for the termination of the NEP (New Economic Policy) and immediate industrialisation. However, the left opposition, now consisting of Kamenev, Zionview and Trotsky, proved no match for Stalin. Gradually all left-wing motions were defeated and by 1927, these left-wing leaders were expelled from the party. Zinoviev and Kamenev were later readmitted to the party after they acknowledged their 'errors'.

In 1935, Kamenev became a victim of Stalin's Great Purges, which eliminated almost all "Old Bolsheviks" from the Soviet government. He was charged with involvement in the assassination of Sergei Kirov (a charge that was most likely false), and sentenced to ten years in prison. In 1936 he was tried again, this time for treason, along with Zinoviev. On August 25, 1936, he was executed in Moscow after being found guilty.

He was married to the sister of Leon Trotsky.