Very soon after the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1934, a number of young Bolsheviks jostled for power, amongst them a young and ambitious comrade by the name of Joseph Stalin. But, in order to achieve this position, he needed to somehow surpass Leon Trotsky, another central figure of the Red Revolution and someone who Lenin had trusted and respected. Stalin knew something had to be done.
Trotsky was too trustful though. He believed Stalin when Stalin told him that Lenin’s funeral was a day after it actually occurred. This made Trotsky appear disrespectful of Lenin and all that he meant to the revolution.
A minuscule decision to trust Stalin eventually resulted in Trotsky’s assassination in Mexico by a Spanish Communist, Ramon Mercader, who fatally wounded Trotsky with an ice-ax. If only Trotsky had not listened to Stalin. If only he had showed up for Lenin’s funeral on time. There were definitely other factors in play, but this relatively small decision had long-lasting consequences on future generations.