boy does he look as attractive as his ideas of permanent international revolution. also a self reminder that my robert service book is waiting for my love and attention but i’m here reading trotsky’s “history of the russian revolution” instead. i guess that counts as extra reading too?
Key ideas:
Joined the Bolshevik Party in 1917
Skilled, persuasive orator who was popular among young radicals
But an arrogant and aloof man
“Neither peace nor war” during Brest-Litovsk talks as Commissar of Foreign Affairs
Vital role in the Civil War as War Commissar (but don’t forget that it was Lenin who provided the support that made this possible)
Use of “former people” and brutal, unorthodox methods
Hated the NEP but accepted it so long it was “temporary”
In detail:
Born to a rich farming family; almost became an engineer but didn’t
Probably the only guy who could rival Lenin in intellect and Marxist theory
Skilled, persuasive orator
Popular among younger / radical party members
Only joined the Party in 1917
Planned the Oct. Rev.
Persuaded Lenin to wait until the end of October
War Commissar
Re-organized the Red Army
Vital to Civil War victory
Used unorthodox methods, e.g.) the reintroduction of former people
Arrogant, aloof, often dismissed other party members
Many felt his unwillingness to compromise would undermine party unity (and it did, multiple times)
Trotsky was loyal to the party, despite the speculation of many
Too loyal -- accepted decisions that he didn’t agree with because he did not want to damage the party (aww)
1923+ Trotsky suffered multiple illnesses and had to take leave; left him under attack by opponents; absent for some Politburo votes, even if some meetings were held at his bedside
Did Trotsky behave like a dictator?
Perhaps he was dictatorial / authoritarian in style but it is clear that he had no intention of creating a dictatorship
1904: warned that if the Vanguard party comes to power “the organization of the the Party [then] takes the place of the Party itself; the Central Committee takes the place of the organization; ... the dictator takes place of the Central Committee”
Aware of the possibility of bureaucracy undermining democratic centralism
Didn’t use Red Army to secure position and argued for more democracy and openness within Party
--> would he have acted like a dictator should he come to power?
CONSIDER the circumstances that gave the Bolshies an opportunity to seize power
- weakness of opposition
- collapse of the Russian army
- the Economic Mess russia was in
- kornilov & kerensky just being themselves
Lenin the leader
Actually held the party together, even if he had to implement a ban on factionalism
E.g.) for party disputes over the Oct. Revolution, Red Army, NEP, etc.
Had administrative and organizational superpowers!
Evidence? His pragmatism and ability to cope with Russia’s problems in a way that never lost sight of Bolshevik dogma.
E.g.) during War Communism, Lenin and Sverdlov made all the day-to-day decisions (until Sverdlov died in 1919)
Flexible, pragmatic; willing to use “bourgeois specialists” and single managers in factories as pushed for in the Kronstadt Manifesto; willing to introduce NEP
Survival = paramount aim, or at least until the end of the Civil War
Lenin the theorist
Adapted Marxism to suit the Russian proletariat
Vanguard Party small, disciplined, revolutionary
Symbiotic working with Trotsky
Trotsky helped develop the idea that the “masses” (proletariat) could carry through a socialist revolution without having to deal with “bourgeois democracy”
--> Fiehn, Terry, and Chris Corin. Russia Under Tsarism and Communism 1881-1953. Hodder Education, 2011.
Our beloved Cool Uncle™ tried vv hard to consolidate the revolution, to mobilize russia toward his bolshevik state that would wither away into his marxist-leninist utopia
April Theses
Despite opposition in the party, Lenin pushed for the Theses
Outlined the Bolshevik vision and party policies
End Russia’s involvement in war (--> Decree on Peace)
Give power to Soviets
“All power to the Soviets!”
Promise of “peace, bread and land”
Actually brought support and gave credibility to the Bolshies
Made them (look) better than other socialist parties and the prov. govt.
Bolshies had clear vision, clear promise
Versus a failing and dysfunctional and bourgeois prov. govt.
October Revolution
Bolshevik CC (central committee) felt Russia wasn’t ready for revolution yet but Lenin pushed for it
Zinoviev and Kamenev strongly opposed the idea of staging a revolution in Oct. 1917
Honestly though, the fact that Lenin pushed for it was probably why the Bolshies had the chance to actually assume power?
Beating up ‘em socialists (and Kautskian democracy)
One-party state
Who knows if Lenin ever intended for a totalitarian rule, but sure thing was that he intended to rule as a one-party state.
Forced it against wishes of other party members who wanted a socialist coalition (which might not have made the Civil War inevitable)
Dissolution of the Constituent Assembly with force
Undermined legitimately elected government (a.k.a. the SRs)
Brest-Litovsk (B-L) & Red Army things
Lenin: accept the B-L peace at all costs
Opposed by left Commies who wanted a revolutionary war
Supported Trotsky
Trotsky wanted to reintroduce hierarchy to the Red Army & use “former people” to help win the Civil War
Opposed by e.g.) Stalin
Trotsky wouldn’t have been able to flex his brutal methods (that worked) without Lenin’s approval --> could the Bolshies have won the Civil War without this?
NEP
Convinced a reluctant party to make “economic concessions” to survive
War Communism after the Civil War = a lot of discontent!
