In Part 3 of The Lacuna, protagonist Harrison Shepherd works for artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in Mexico City while they shelter Communist leader Leon Trotsky, known as Lev, in the story. A central conflict during this time is the split between the leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, and Trotsky. Both Trotsky and Stalin were leading figures in the 1905 Russian Revolution, which overthrew the monarchy and led to the establishment of a Communist regime in the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was originally led by Vladimir Lenin. Lenin died on January 21, 1924. Following his death, there was a power struggle for leadership of the party, which Stalin won. During Stalin’s reign, Trotsky became an increasingly vocal critic of Stalin’s policies. Trotsky argued that Stalin was suppressing democracy in the Soviet Union and pursuing disastrous economic policies. As a result, Stalin expelled Trotsky from the Communist Party in 1927 and had him deported from the country in 1929. Trotsky lived in exile until his assassination in 1940.

While living in exile, Trotsky remained a vocal opponent of Stalin’s dictatorship and isolationism. He advocated for Communism around the world in keeping with his theory of proletarian internationalism.