War between Socialists

[Man of the Cause]

In Marxism, as we all know, are there many factions. In the 20th century, these factions have battled bloodles and bloody struggels.Why? Here's a couple of them: (the years might be wrong)
Bolsheviks vs. Mensheviks, Russia, in 1904-1918
Trotskyists vs Stalinists, Soviet Union, 1924-1952
Breznevists vs Reformers, Soviet Union, 1985-1991
Kuusisians vs Rovionians, Finland, 1917-1924
Stalinists vs Castroists, Cuba, 1959-1965
Maoists vs Reformers, China, 1975-today
Various Factions, Spain, 1937-1939
China vs Soviet Union, 1952-1985
Vietnam vs Red Khmers, Cambodia, 1974-1989

[redstar2000]

Well, I don't think they did it just because they were mean-spirited and bad-tempered. :-D

And I'm not sure there even IS a "one-size-fits-all" explanation for the phenomena. You'd have to look carefully at EACH particular one of those struggles, read what the participants had to say about it, read what historians have since learned, etc.

From the "Stalin/Trotsky" threads on this board, you can see how complex that particular situation was...I wouldn't be surprised to find similar complexities in the disputes you list.

But the short answer: people engage in "bloody struggles" when they feel that EVERYTHING IMPORTANT to them is at stake. It's what people DO.

[bolshevik1917]

the mensheviks were not a party untill 1912, besides I wouldnt consider them to be 'socialist' after some of the things they came out with before and after 1917

[Man of the Cause]

Quote: from bolshevik1917 on 9:54 am on Nov. 27, 2002
the mensheviks were not a party untill 1912, besides I wouldnt consider them to be 'socialist' after some of the things they came out with before and after 1917

What I meant was, that they were feuding inside the socialdemocratic party. And I think the mensheviks were socialists because they were marxists and of course Trotski was a main character in the menshevik faction before 1917, which made the mensheviks a socialist party.

[Spartacus2002]

I dont believe in war between socialists. but i believe that their is war between socialists and "socialists".

[thursday]

Stalinists vs Castroists, Cuba, 1959-1965

This never existed.

[Man of the Cause]

I got this information from a reliyable source. (Red Encyclopedia)The year might be wrong, though. And it doesn't mean that there were any kind of armed battle, it was just inside the communist party.

[Ian]

There are some other major ones such as;
Maoists vs. Other (Revisionist, marxist) in the Phillipines
Left opposition vs supporters of the signing of Brest-Litovsk in Russia
and a few others but I am too lazy