Lenin and Trotsky: What they really stood for

by Ted Grant, Alan Woods, Vsievolod Volkov (Foreword)

The ideas of Lenin and Trotsky are without doubt the most distorted and slandered ideas in history. For more than 80 years, they have been subjected to an onslaught from the apologists of capitalism, who have attempted to present their ideas - Bolshevism - as both totalitarian and utopian. An entire industry was developed in an attempt to equate the crimes of Stalinism with the regime of workers' democracy that existed under Lenin and Trotsky. It is now more than thirty years since the publication of the first edition of this work. It was written as a reply to Monty Johnstone, who was a leading theoretician of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Johnstone had published a reappraisal of Leon Trotsky in the Young Communist League's journal Cogito at the end of 1968. Alan Woods and Ted Grant used the opportunity to write a detailed reply explaining the real relationship between the ideas of Lenin and Trotsky. This was no academic exercise. It was written as an appeal to the ranks of the Communist Party and the Young Communist League to rediscover the truth about Trotsky and return to the original revolutionary programme of Lenin. Also included in this new edition is Monty Johnstone's original Cogito article, as well as further material on Lenin's struggle with Stalin in the last month of his political life. The foreword is written by Trotsky's grandson, Vsievolod Volkov.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction

401 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

Edward Grant (born Isaac Blank; 9 July 1913 – 20 July 2006) was a South African Trotskyist who spent most of his adult life in Britain. He was a founding member of the group Militant and later Socialist Appeal.

Reviews

[Arta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only a polemic of great importance, but also an essential act of historical recovery. Would of course recommend this to anyone with interest in the subject, but especially to those with Stalinist leanings.

[Ewan McGrane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and concise clarification of the genuine ideas of the two greatest revolutionaries of the 20th century. The book places the debates between the two into their historical context, showing how they always stood side by side on fundamental questions and how they in the decisive moment of the revolution they were in complete accord. In fact, it was oftentimes against Stalin and his followers, who would later try to draw an imaginary line between them, that Lenin and Trotsky had to defend the basic ideas of Marxism and explain the role of the revolutionary party to. As a result, the book also serves as a great introduction to the ideas of Internationalism, the theory of permanent revolution and the Russian revolution.

[Mario · Rating 1 out of 5]

Es un libro que da bastante pena. En vez de ayudar a la reflexión teórica del marxismo, intenta sentar cátedra de una manera muy burda. Una ortodoxia muy propia del estalinismo, por cierto.