I have read my Soviet history, I have read articles about it, I have watched YouTube videos, and I have even read Trotsky but I still have no idea what being a Trotskyist is supposed to mean. It seems to me like one of Trotsky's main ideas is Permanent Revolution but what the Fuck does that mean from a practical standpoint? Does that mean being a Trotskyist means you want to gain power so you can start a global war against the bourgeoisie? It seems like whenever someone calls themselves a Trotskyist what they are really saying is they are a Communist but Stalin is bad so we need a new name. :trot-shining:

  • Fakename_Bill [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Hot take: There really isn't much reason for intra-Marxist sectarianism these days, because the Comintern doesn't exist and neither does the 4th International. Any new socialist states that arise this century will inevitably have different material forces guiding their development than 20th Century states. We can and should study 20th Century tendencies and learn from the reasons for schisms and the mistakes that were made, but it's foolish to base one's entire political identity around policy that was formulated decades ago in response to conditions that existed decades ago.

    • GrandAyatollaLenin [he/him,comrade/them]
      ·
      edit-2
      3 years ago

      Comintern does exist. I think the 4th international is limping onwards too. Hell, the Second International is still around, providing even more proof of why Lenin was right to break away.

    • MagisterSinister [he/him,comrade/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Comintern doesn’t exist and neither does the 4th International

      Last time i checked, there were at least two or three 4th internationals, although there's also Trots who believe the 4th International doesn't exist anymore.