/r/TheTrotskyists
A subbreddit for discussion regarding Trotskyism. We welcome both Trotskyists and non-Trotskyists seeking to learn.
Disclaimer
Bigotry, harassment, trolling, flaming, spamming and similar behaviour will not be tolerated in this subreddit.
Supporting bourgeois parties and bourgeois politics is banned (this includes of any kind of support for imperialism).
What Is Trotskyism?
"Trotskyism is not a new movement, a new doctrine, but the restoration, the revival, of genuine Marxism as it was expounded and practised in the Russian revolution and in the early days of the Communist International."
— James P. Cannon (1944)
"The liberation of the workers can come only through the workers themselves. There is, therefore, no greater crime than deceiving the masses, palming off defeats as victories, friends as enemies, bribing workers’ leaders, fabricating legends, staging false trials, in a word, doing what the Stalinists do.
These means can serve only one end: lengthening the domination of a clique already condemned by history. But they cannot serve to liberate the masses. That is why the Fourth International leads against Stalinism a life and death struggle."
— Leon Trotsky (1938).
Resources For Trotskyists
Trotskyist Education Programme
The Stalin School of Falsification Revisited
Marx & Engels Internet Archive
Vladimir Lenin Internet Archive
First International Internet Archive
Third International Internet Archive
/r/TheTrotskyists
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What is Trotsky talking about here?
In his essay about the Comintern’s Third Period, he wrote that the Comintern had Zinovievist ultra left mistakes from 1924-25, when they thought a revolutionary wave was about to occur when it wasn’t. This was followed by right wing opportunism from 25-27, and finally the repetition of the Zinovievist mistakes since 1928. What mistakes is he referring to?
21:42 UTC
Is a "workers' embargo" the right response to Israel's assault in Gaza and Lebanon?
I read this today. The blog is from a Trotskyist/Marxist group. What are your thoughts on this? Is it possible/feasible?
"As with the struggle against Apartheid South Africa, the route forward is through large scale, independent action by the working class. In the UK this would mean the refusal to handle any material or cargo known, or suspected, to be destined for the Israeli military or security apparatus or for use in the suppliers active in the UK. It is this pressure, from the organised working class, which can cripple the Israeli war machine and push them to a peace agreement."
https://thestruggle.home.blog/2024/10/03/the-struggle-against-the-zionist-regime/
09:54 UTC
What is the Trotskyist analysis of the third period?
In the early 30s Stalinist policy in Europe was to attack the social democrats as “social fascists.” Why would a degenerated workers state call for such an aggressive position, instead of telling the KPD to work with the SPD?
14:59 UTC
This is a slideshow/document, displaying all the infomation you need to know about the 18 Trotskyist Internationals
23:18 UTC
Carpenters Union Local 503 calls for workers action to stop arms shipments to Israel
On 6/14/2024 at Carpenters Local 503 a motion was made, seconded, and the membership present passed the following motion:
WHEREAS solidarity with workers everywhere is a crucial part of labor unionism, and the workers' struggle has no borders.
WHEREAS every day now we are seeing the horrifying bombing and massive killing of the working people of Gaza and their families with arms supplied by the same U.S. government that carries out strike breaking against workers here. Over 37,000, including at least 15,000 children, have already been killed and the death toll grows higher day by day while millions more suffer from displacement and starvation.
WHEREAS working-class opposition to this U.S./Israel war goes hand in hand with the labor motto, "An injury to one is an injury to all."
THEREFORE, be it resolved that UBC Local 503 supports the Palestinian trade unions' call for labor everywhere to stop the shipment of arms for this U.S./Israel war; that we salute dock and transport workers such as in Tacoma WA and San Francisco CA, as well as across the globe such as in India, Belgium and Spain, who have stated their refusal to handle arms shipments for this war; and that we support and encourage efforts for further workers' actions to stop the arms shipments; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, opposing what is in effect yet another U.S. war, this time against the people of Gaza; we call for the immediate end to Israel's bombing of Gaza; for Israel to vacate Gaza and the West Bank, and to end all arming and funding for it now.
18:14 UTC
Use Tails OS OTR XMPP Chat over Tor to communicate with other socialists. Spread to as many as possible! Tails OS requires 8GB+ USB runs off USB Live USB look into documentation at tails.net how to create persistent storage tick Pidgin save in encrypted storage on USB Stick. Vid old no IRC accounts
14:09 UTC
What are texts that explain the Trotkyist position on Yugoslavia?
Looking for analysis texts by trotskyists on Tito's Yugoslavia and its collapse after the Tito-Stalin split.
Yugoslavia seemed to enact some elements of trotskyism, perhaps unconsciously, so I am curious what trotskyists think of it?
11:04 UTC
The Struggle against imperialism in Ukraine
A longer read, but worth it:
"Such is the scope and scale of events over the past two and a half years that it is entirely possible to be overwhelmed, and to be overwhelmed quickly. Between the press, social media (which the bourgeoisie have now fully adapted to) and the ‘we must do something!’ types in the Labour party, the drumbeat became ‘death to Russia, arm Ukraine!’ at ear-splitting volume. It is precisely for these periods of intense turmoil at every level within the capitalist system that we dedicate what little spare time we have to the careful study of history, theory and philosophy during those periods of (relative) peace. Without the map and compass offered by Marxism, bombarded by propaganda in the media, our voices drowned out by the drumbeat for escalation and direct intervention, it is all too easy to become lost, drifting and isolated."
https://thestruggle.home.blog/2024/07/15/the-struggle-against-imperialism-in-ukraine/
19:43 UTC
ICL-LFI Debate (January 2024)
16:16 UTC
Bordiga, Trotsky and democracy
12:34 UTC
Bolshevik Tendency statement on the upcoming British general election
No Vote to Labour!Down with Starmer—no to austerity, genocide and war!
https://bolsheviktendency.org/2024/06/26/no-vote-to-labour-2/
Break with Starmer’s pro-business Labour Party!
No vote to Labour ‘left’ fraudsters!
Vote for working-class opponents of austerity, genocide and war!
Forward to a mass revolutionary workers’ party!
18:19 UTC
How do you define sect and ultra-left?
Title, I guess.
06:36 UTC
Protests on campus
Hello Comrades, is any of you involved in the occupation of universities?
08:18 UTC
The Left Opposition Podcast
Hey folks, we are three episodes in to our new podcast where we talk about news, politics but more casually. With a heavy emphasis of Marxism as the center of our analysis, we take on the current events of the world as well as deep dives into some of the more colorful fraudulent grifters from the MAGA communist movement.
18:17 UTC
The Transitional Program: a comparison between the Russian and English texts
Sources: Luciano Dondero; https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/document/transprog/tp02.htm / https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/document/transprog/tp03.htm
This comparison is based on the Russian-language text as published in the Bulletin of Left Opposition (issue no.66/67, 1938) and the English-language text from the 1974 Pathfinder edition. (Page numbers and position on the pages apply to those editions only, obviously).
The Russian text is not included here, but replaced instead by an English-language translation in parentheses. (Please keep in mind that English is not my first language).
Where text is simply missing from one language or the other, this is indicated in square brackets.
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| Title, page 1: (Agony) | (page 72) Death Agony |
| Subtitle, page 1: (The mobilisation of the masses on the basis of transitional demands as preparation to the seizure of power) | [missing from this text] |
| Heading, bottom of page 1 (Action program, proposed to the attention of the sections of the F.I. by the International Secretariat) | [missing from this text] |
| Page 1, 2nd column [missing from this text] | (page 72, 4 lines from bottom) political perplexity |
| Page 3, at the top ... (When the bourgeoisie with the right hand takes back every time twice as much as it gave with the left (taxes, custom duties, inflation, “deflation”, high prices, unemployment, police control of strikes etc.) | page 75, end 2nd para (five lines of text missing, between the words “living standards” and “when every serious demand”) |
| page 8, 2nd column, 13 lines from bottom (They make an exception only for the fascist countries, i.e. those in which they don't play any role) | page 88, 5 lines from bottom: (2 lines of text missing) |
| page 9, end column one: (In the pacifism and even patriotism of the oppressed there is a progressive kernel, on which it is necessary to seize upon in order to draw the requisite conclusions. It is necessary to counterpose against each other this two aspects of pacifism and patriotism) | page 90, end 1st para (text is different) In the pacifism and even patriotism of the oppressed there are elements which reflect on the one hand a hatred of destructive war, and on the other a clinging to what they believe to be their own good elements which we must know how to seize upon in order to draw the requisite conclusions. |
| page 10, col.1, last line (agitation in favor of the workers’ state and of the colonial country (...) | page 92, mid page: (text is different) agitation (...) in favor of a workers' state in a colonial country (...) |
| Page 13,2nd column, 3rd para (in Italy) | Page 100, 3rd line from top: in Spain [this is internally contradictory, as can be seen from the next para, which says: “... in Italy and Germany.” |
| Page 14, last para col.: [missing sentence] | Page 101, mid page: (after the words “democratic slogans”, the English continues with: “as a means of mobilizing the masses against fascism.“ |
| Page 14, subhead 2nd column: (The situation of the USSR and the tasks of the transitional epoch) | Page 102, subhead: (The USSR and problems of the transitional epoch |
| Page 16, end 1st column: [The organizers of the forgeries must bear the punishment they deserve. It is impossible to put this program into practice without overthrowing the bureaucracy, which maintains itself through violence and forgery] | Page 106 [Five lines of text missing] |
| Page 16, last para 2nd col.: – the same again: Page 17, 1st line 1st col.: (“of new words”) | Page 107, at the top: – the same again: Page 107, end 1st para.: of “new ways” |
| Page 17 last para before subhead (to base oneself on the logic) | Page 108 (to base one's program on the logic) |
| Page 18, 2nd col. after subhead: (But has the moment for the creation of a new International yet arrived?) | Page 111, after subhead: But has the moment for the creation of the Fourth International yet arrived?” |
| Page 18, 5 lines from end: (in general) | Page 111, 2nd line from end: of the world |
12:59 UTC
Help me understand the difference between all of the Trotskyist orgs/internationals.
Revolutionary Communist of America/IMT member here. From what I can tell there are 3+ organizations that claim the heritage of the fourth international. I apologize as I am sure there are more I don’t know: IMT/RCI TF-FI ISA
Help me understand the main differences, and why there is not an attempt to have some kind of international congress with all of them involved. What are their relative sizes/strengths? Is one substantially larger and more impactful?
I’ve also heard of: International Communist Party International Communist Tendency International Communist Current Which are left-coms? So not Trotskyists?
03:01 UTC