Difference between revisions of "Permanent revolution"
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Trotsky broke with [[Joseph Stalin]] in the 1920s and was expelled from Russia, but before he was murdered at Stalin's command in 1940 Trotsky preached "permanent revolution" as a rallying cry for the anti-capitalist far left. | Trotsky broke with [[Joseph Stalin]] in the 1920s and was expelled from Russia, but before he was murdered at Stalin's command in 1940 Trotsky preached "permanent revolution" as a rallying cry for the anti-capitalist far left. | ||
| − | + | Paleoconservative historians in recent years have alleged that [[Neoconservative]] believe in the Trotskyite Permanent Revolution because most of them came out of the Trotskyite cause in the 1930s. That is false. There are four fundamental flaws in the paleoconservatives' attack: most of the neoconservatives were never Trotskyites; none of them ever subscribed to the right-wing Socialism of Max Shachtman; the assertion that neoconservatives subscribe to 'inverted Trotskyism' is misleading; and neoconservatives advocate democratic globalism, not permanent revolution.<ref>See King (2005) </ref> Thus very few neoconservatives ever were Trotskyites, and even those discarded permanent Revolution when they rejected all forms of Communism.<ref> [[Irving Kristol]] for a while was a Trotskyite. As he noted, "I’ve been a neo-something: a neo-Marxist, a neo-Trotskyist, a neo-liberal, a neo-conservative and, in religion, always a neo-orthodox, even while I was a neo-Trotskyist and a neo-Marxist."</ref> | |
| − | + | ==Further reading== | |
| + | * King, William F. "Neoconservatives and 'Trotskyism'." ''American Communist History'' 2004 3(2): 247-266 | ||
| + | * Thatcher, Ian. "Leon Trotsky and 1905" ''History Review,'' Sept 2005, Issue 52, pp 21-25, in [[EBSCO]] | ||
| + | * Trotsky, Leon. ''The Age of Permanent Revolution: A Trotsky Anthology'' ed. by Isaac Deutscher (1965) | ||
====references==== | ====references==== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[Category:Communism]] | [[Category:Communism]] | ||
Revision as of 09:17, September 19, 2009
Permanent Revolution is a plan for the overthrow of capitalism throughout the world, as envisioned by Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky in 1905.
Marxist theory from the days of Karl Marx had stated that the socialist revolution would automatically happen some years after capitalism and the bourgeoisie had triumphed over feudalism. It would happen when the industrial proletariat, organized by the party, overthrows capitalism in advanced industrial states. Thee revolution, according to this theory, could not happen in undeveloped countries like Russia in 1905 because they had not yet reached the proper stage of development.
Yet the left hoped to start a revolution in Russia--it almost succeeded in 1905 and did succeed in 1917. Trotsky was there to adjust Marxist theory to real life. He argued for an immediate seizure of power everywhere in order to telescope the bourgeois and socialist revolutions into one seamless sequence. That was "permanent revolution."
Trotsky broke with Joseph Stalin in the 1920s and was expelled from Russia, but before he was murdered at Stalin's command in 1940 Trotsky preached "permanent revolution" as a rallying cry for the anti-capitalist far left.
Paleoconservative historians in recent years have alleged that Neoconservative believe in the Trotskyite Permanent Revolution because most of them came out of the Trotskyite cause in the 1930s. That is false. There are four fundamental flaws in the paleoconservatives' attack: most of the neoconservatives were never Trotskyites; none of them ever subscribed to the right-wing Socialism of Max Shachtman; the assertion that neoconservatives subscribe to 'inverted Trotskyism' is misleading; and neoconservatives advocate democratic globalism, not permanent revolution.[1] Thus very few neoconservatives ever were Trotskyites, and even those discarded permanent Revolution when they rejected all forms of Communism.[2]
Further reading
- King, William F. "Neoconservatives and 'Trotskyism'." American Communist History 2004 3(2): 247-266
- Thatcher, Ian. "Leon Trotsky and 1905" History Review, Sept 2005, Issue 52, pp 21-25, in EBSCO
- Trotsky, Leon. The Age of Permanent Revolution: A Trotsky Anthology ed. by Isaac Deutscher (1965)
references
- ↑ See King (2005)
- ↑ Irving Kristol for a while was a Trotskyite. As he noted, "I’ve been a neo-something: a neo-Marxist, a neo-Trotskyist, a neo-liberal, a neo-conservative and, in religion, always a neo-orthodox, even while I was a neo-Trotskyist and a neo-Marxist."