Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Soviet Union because of his opposition to the policies of Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union. Trotsky was a founder of the Red Army and a key leader in the Bolshevik Revolution that established the Soviet state, but he soon fell out of favour with Stalin. Trotsky advocated for the spread of revolution globally and criticised the policies of the Soviet government under Stalin, who was consolidating power and suppressing dissent.

In 1927, Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party, and in 1929 he was exiled from the Soviet Union. He spent the rest of his life as a political exile, travelling to Turkey, France, and Norway before settling in Mexico in 1937. He lived in Frida Kahlo's home, where he and Frida developed a close relationship. Some of Frida's paintings from this period, including "The Two Fridas" and "The Broken Column," are thought to reflect her feelings about their relationship and her own experiences with physical and emotional pain.

Frida and Trotsky were involved in leftist political circles and were critical of capitalist and colonialist ideologies. Their relationship was a symbol of the cross-pollination of political ideas and cultural exchange that took place between Mexico and the rest of the world during the Cold War era.

Frida Kahlo's life and works have indirectly influenced the Cold War era, as her art and political views have been embraced by cultural and political movements that sought to challenge the dominant narratives of the time. For example, Frida's representation of Mexican and indigenous identity and her opposition to colonialism has made her a symbol of cultural resistance, which was important during the Cold War as the United States and the Soviet Union sought to influence cultural and political developments around the world.

The assassination of Leon Trotsky in 1940 was carried out by an agent of the Soviet government and marked the end of a life dedicated to revolutionary activism and Marxist politics. The conflict between Trotsky and Stalin was one of the most critical events in the early history of the Soviet Union, and it helped to shape the development of the Soviet state and the broader Communist movement.