Trotskyism is a Marxist political ideology named after Leon Trotsky, a Russian revolutionary and Marxist theorist. It is a form of communism that emphasizes the need for an international "permanent revolution" and promotes the idea that socialism cannot sustain itself in one country alone. Trotskyism is distinct from other Marxist theories, particularly Stalinism, with which it has been in a continuous struggle since the late 1920s.
Leon Trotsky was a key figure in the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia during the October Revolution of 1917. He later served as the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs and the People's Commissar of Military and Naval Affairs. He was a central leader in the early days of the Soviet Union until he was expelled from the Communist Party and exiled in the late 1920s by Joseph Stalin, who adopted a policy of "Socialism in One Country."
Trotskyism's central theory is the concept of "permanent revolution," which argues that in countries delayed in their economic and political development, an initial bourgeois-democratic revolution led by the proletariat must inevitably lead to a socialist revolution. This is in contrast to the Stalinist concept of "socialism in one country," which posited that socialism could be built in a single country, even one as underdeveloped as Russia.
Trotskyists also criticize the bureaucracy that developed in the Soviet Union under Stalin, arguing that it was a degenerated workers' state; that is, a state in which the working class had lost political control. Trotskyists aim to create a dictatorship of the proletariat, based on democratic principles, to facilitate the transition to a socialist society.
Trotskyism has been influential in some communist or anti-Stalinist left-wing circles, particularly in the 1930s in the United States and in the 1960s and 1970s in Western Europe. It has been associated with various political movements and parties worldwide, including the Socialist Workers Party in the United States and the Revolutionary Communist Party in France. Despite its influence, Trotskyism has never been the leading ideological current within the international communist movement.
In conclusion, Trotskyism is a form of Marxism that emphasizes international revolution and criticizes the bureaucratic tendencies of Stalinism. It has had a significant impact on various left-wing movements throughout the 20th century, despite its marginal status within the broader communist movement.
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