▁suggests ▁that ▁the ▁first ▁approach ▁has ▁become ▁dominant ▁in ▁historical ▁research ▁for ▁two ▁major ▁reasons . ▁The ▁first ▁one ▁is ▁the ▁coinc idence ▁of ▁the ▁goals ▁in ▁this ▁respect ▁of ▁two ▁major ▁historical ▁schools : ▁of ▁the ▁official ▁pro - S ov iet ▁school ▁with ▁the ▁tradition ▁of ▁demon izing ▁of ▁T rot sky ▁and ▁T rot sky ism ▁and ▁of ▁the ▁anti - S ov iet , ▁anti - Comm un ist ▁school , ▁with ▁its ▁tradition ▁of ▁demon izing ▁the ▁whole ▁Commun ist ▁movement , ▁for ▁which ▁purpose ▁it ▁was ▁convenient ▁to ▁attribute ▁the ▁tra its ▁of ▁St alin ism ▁to ▁Commun ism ▁as ▁a ▁whole . ▁The ▁second ▁reason ▁is ▁that ▁with ▁a ▁few ▁exceptions ▁of ▁é migr és , ▁all ▁T rot sky ists ▁were ▁phys ically ▁elimin ated ▁by ▁St alin ▁so ▁that ▁there ▁are ▁virt ually ▁no ▁mem oir s , ▁and ▁nearly ▁all ▁documents ▁of ▁the ▁Left ▁O pp osition ▁were ▁made ▁in access ible . ▁Therefore ▁the ▁historical ▁picture ▁has ▁become ▁dist orted ▁in ▁this ▁area ▁for ▁both ▁subject ive ▁and ▁objective ▁reasons . ▁ ▁During ▁Per estro ika ▁a ▁large ▁amount ▁of ▁mem oir s ▁of ▁repr essed ▁people ▁have ▁become ▁available . ▁ ▁Unfortunately ▁the ▁mem oir s ▁of ▁" true " ▁ ▁T rot sky ists ▁( as ▁opposed ▁to ▁the ▁ones ▁f als ely ▁accused ▁of ▁T rot sky ism ▁during ▁Soviet ▁repr essions ), ▁are ▁close ▁to ▁none , ▁because ▁all ▁these ▁real ▁political ▁oppon ents ▁were ▁phys ically ▁elimin