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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 22. 1973

Trotskyism

Trotskyism

Trotskyism is a form of revisionism aptly described by Mao Tsetung as being "Left in form and right in essence" i.e. having the outward trappings of Marxism—Leninism but being objectively a servant of the bourgeoise. Trotskyism has not had any significant working class support for many years, it has been predominantly reduced to movements of petty bourgeoise youth and students in western countries. (In New Zealand the Socialist Action League and their campus front the Young Socialists.) Trotskyism denies the possibility of building socialism in one country (a position proved false by history). Trotskyism fails to distinguish between the bourgeoise democratic stage and the proletariat socialist stage of the revolution. In the countries where the peasants constitute a large mass of the rural proletariat and petty bourgeoise it denies the revolutionary role of the peasantry. This position has also been disproved in practice. Trotskyism also takes the anti Marxist—Leninist position of demanding factions within the workers' party.

"The essence of Trotskyism is, lastly, denial of the necessity for iron discipline in the party, recognition of freedom for factional groupings in the party, recognition of the need to form a Trotskyist party. According to Trotskyism the communist Party must not be a single- united militant party, but a collection of groups and factions, each with its own centre, its own discipline, its own press and so forth. What does this mean it means proclaiming freedom for political factions in the party. It means that freedom for political groupings in the party must be followed by freedom for political parties in the country, that is, bourgeoise democracy," (as opposed to proletarian democracy.) (Stalin)

The opinion of Lenin on Trotsky may be indicated by an excerpt from a letter written in 1917: "Trotsky arrived, and this scoundrel at once ganged up with the right wing of Novy Mir against the left Zimmerwaldists!! Thai's it!! That's Trotsky for you!! Always true to himself twists, swindles, poses as left, helps the right, so long as he can....." Because of their destructive splitting and disruptive tendencies (arising from the vacilliating petty bourgeoise character of Trotskyism itself) communists have been forced to shoot and imprison Trotskyites in such countries as Russia, China, Albania and Vietnam.