Left Communism and Trotsky

[Communist Mutant From Outer Space]

The user "Blake's Baby" mentioned in a post that Left Communists do not dislike Trotsky, but rather think that Trotskyists are bad followers of Trotsky. Could any Left Communists, or anyone else for that matter, elaborate on why they think this? I would be intrigued to know as I've become interested in Trotsky recently, though much of what certain Trotskyists seem to be supporting do not fall in line with this image.

Disclaimer: Forgive me if I have somehow misremembered the post in question (I can't seem to find it) and have totally fabricated this by accident.

[Devrim]

The CWO has a pamphlet which outlines the left communist view of Trotsky: http://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2000-10-01/trotsky-and-trotskysm

Devrim

[newdayrising]

To make a long story short (after which please read the long version on the text Devrim posted), most left communists regard Trotsky as an authentic revolutionary whose role on the Russian revolution is undeniable. But later on he took positions that were incompatible with left communism such as his understanding of the nature of the USSR, participating in United Fronts and entryism in social democratic parties in the 30's.
So basically, the main points of disagreements are with the politics of his later years. Trotskyism on the other hand was hopeless from the beginning, from the left communists point of view.

The ICC has some interesting texts on the matter as well, including this one, with the self-explaining title "What Distinguishes Revolutionaries From Trotskyism" (http://en.internationalism.org/ir/139/trotsykism)
It doesn't go too deep into Trotsky himself, but it delineates the differences the communist left in France already had with the Trotskyists 7 years after his death.

Very important years, as they were the years when WWII happened. And the support for the war was probably the biggest trotskyist betrayal according to the Communist Left, along with the French Turn - Trotsky's proposal that his followers join Social Democratic parties in 1934.

Some people speculate on whether Trotsky would have supported the war in defense of the USSR to protect the "gains of the Revolution", since he was already dead before he had to make this choice. It wouldn't have been inconsistent with his analysis of Russia as a workers state.
However, the French Turn was already a crucial line he had crossed himself towards bourgeois politics.

There were some important Trotskyists who broke with their movement and developed views identical or similar to the Left Communists, such as Agis Stinas in Greece and Grandizo Muniz in Spain. Trotsky's wife, Natalya Sedova also broke with the 4th International in the early 50's because of their defense of the USSR even after WWII. According to her there was nothing left to defend at this point.

[Blake's Baby]

The user "Blake's Baby" mentioned in a post that Left Communists do not dislike Trotsky, but rather think that Trotskyists are bad followers of Trotsky... Forgive me if I have somehow misremembered the post in question (I can't seem to find it) and have totally fabricated this by accident.

You absolutely didn't fabricate it, I absolutely have said it before and will no-doubt say it again.




.... given the rabid anti-trot sentiment among some of the left-coms here, it shouldn't be all that surprising (that Left-Comms reject permanent revolution)...




Certainly we're anti-Trotskyist, but we're not so much anti-Trotsky. Fact is we think that Trotskyists are terrible followers of Trotsky, in much the same way we think Leninists are terrible followers of Lenin...

[Art Vandelay]

Left-communists can say that they aren't anti-Trotsky, however that doesn't change the fact that they reject a good chunk of Trotsky's theoretical contributions to Marxism. Leaving the theory of permanent revolution to the side, the communist left rejects Trotsky's analysis of the USSR (characterized by its definition as a degenerated workers state, a critique of the post-1924 leadership, and post-1933 a call for a political revolution). The Russian question was the central question for Marxists of the 20th century. It drew real concrete class lines to theoretical quandaries that had been abstract since the fall of the Paris Commune. The communist left abandoned defence of the USSR - at the latest - by the early 20's, and that is a view that Trotsky would, quite rightly, never want to be associated with. Leftcoms routinely hurl the accusation that Trotskyists crossed class lines with their call for unconditional military defence of the USSR in WWII (the last faction fight of Trotsky's life was about this very question), which is perfectly fine, cause Trotskyists know the communist left crossed class lines by abandoning it. Blake's Baby can correct me if I am wrong, or anyone else for that matter, but leftcoms also reject the transitional program, which is another key defining feature of Trotsky's contributions to the development of Marxist theory.

As far as Trotsky's actions during the Russian Revolution go, no Marxist would deny their merit (except for Stalinists attempting to re-write history), but that doesn't change the fact that the communist left has some pretty severe disagreements with Trotsky at various key stages in the development of the revolution. A few that come to mind off the top of my head would be: Brest-Litovsk, Kronstadt, ban on factions, militarization of labor, etc.

I guess my point is that the views of Trotsky and of the communist left are not compatible. There are some severe and serious disagreements in regards to history, theory, tactics, and strategy. The claim can be made that leftcoms think Trotskyists are terrible followers of Trotsky (and as a Trotskyist, I'd agree that the vast majority are), but the reality is that they had serious and irreconcilable differences with the Old Man even when he was alive.

[Devrim]

I agree 9mm. We have serious differences with Trotskyism today, and we had differences back in the past today.

Devrim

[Blake's Baby]

That didn't stop the Left Communists in France rescuing the Trotskyists from both the NKVD and the Gestapo, because they saw them (at that point, pre-1941) as another current in the workers' movement (a confused one to be sure but genuine).

But yeah, sure, Trotskyism is counter-revolutionary. Until 1941, it was wrong. From 1941 onwards, it was criminal.

[Thirsty Crow]

So basically, the main points of disagreements are with the politics of his later years.
That's not true in case of all people who'd say their politics are close to contemporary left communism (for the sake of no going there, by this I mean the most important and determining political and organizational positions of the likes of ICT and ICC).

One thing is Trotsky's positions and participation in the October Revolution; another is his activity after the new state was finally entrenched, after the Civil War. Basically, my view is that Trotsky's politics and activity was substitutionist to the core and one further factor in the solidification of the anti-working class state and new ruling class. For instance, all through the United Opposition to the Left Opposition, the political practice in question should be seen as completely bankrupt.
Even though I disagree with the author's political positions, I think the following article is excellent in providing a critique of said politics and activity: https://libcom.org/library/trotsky-left-opposition-rise-stalinism-theory-practice-john-eric-marot

[newdayrising]

That's not true in case of all people who'd say their politics are close to contemporary left communism (for the sake of no going there, by this I mean the most important and determining political and organizational positions of the likes of ICT and ICC).

One thing is Trotsky's positions and participation in the October Revolution; another is his activity after the new state was finally entrenched, after the Civil War. Basically, my view is that Trotsky's politics and activity was substitutionist to the core and one further factor in the solidification of the anti-working class state and new ruling class. For instance, all through the United Opposition to the Left Opposition, the political practice in question should be seen as completely bankrupt.
Even though I disagree with the author's political positions, I think the following article is excellent in providing a critique of said politics and activity: https://libcom.org/library/trotsky-left-opposition-rise-stalinism-theory-practice-john-eric-marot

You're right, my post oversimplified it. I didn't mean his later politics were the only disagreements, but I suppose they're the main ones and I didn't clarify how late I meant. Kronstadt for one was a big deal and to call it a disagreement would be an understatement.

However, I suppose much of his politics and actions during the initial years of the revolution are quite disagreeable from a left communist point of view, but not as far as being considered the immediate roots of the bourgeois aspects of Trotskyism or a betrayal per se at least not enough to impede his relationship with the communist left during the Stalin years.