Why is Trotsky so hated? : communism101
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I’m not trotskyist; the idea of a permanent revolution is impossible. A revolution (or sudden change) can’t exist forever.

From my few seconds of searching (mostly Britannica lmao): Trotskyism is hated because the creator, Leon Trotsky, had called for more freedom (in the form of democracy); but freedom would allow the bourgeoisie to take back control. (I agree with this view; freedom would just result in the bourgeoisie taking back control.)

Stalin exiled Trotsky, so Trotsky escaped to Germany and betrayed the Soviet Union by calling it a Bonapartist.

Also trotskyists apparently called for a “United Front”.

  • On top of that, trotskyists were only allied in defeating the bourgeois. Parties that are only allied to accomplish their goals are the most dangerous, as Marx had written (somewhere, but I forgot).

I think I’m getting the gist of why Trotskyism is hated; but I feel like I need more answers.

EDIT: I found an r/communism101 post about this same topic.

  • Star Wars Enjoyer @lemmygrad.ml
    22·
    3 years ago

    A fast rundown on why people (historically) disliked him;

    • Before the revolution, he was a Menshevik and argued against Lenin and the Bolshevik. But, as soon as it looked like the Bolshevik were going to be the ones who won, he switched sides.

    • Perm Revolution is pure idealism, and makes a sectarian argument against the Bolshevik’s Socialism In One Country which fully ignores the argument for why SIOC is the Bolshevik preference. I.E. Trot wanted to use the Soviet government’s resources (before the industrial leap forwards) to inspire and sponsor revolutions in every country, regardless of the material conditions or the relative support the locals have for socialism, and took the more realistic and DiaMat inspired SIOC as a dogmatic and selfish position. And it didn’t help that Stalin championed SIOC, either, as Trotsky sectarianistically detested the man.

    • When he was exiled he was voted out not just by Stalin, but by the entire central bureau. He then threw a childish tantrum, aided Nazi propaganda, got a tour of Fascist Italy, then while in Mexico he had an appointment to speak in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee, where it’s speculated he was either going to expose Soviet influence within the US, or he was going to be a poster boy for “Anti-Stalinism”.

    • Trotskyists tend to be very revisionist and sectarian. Their parties tend to champion social-conservatism, be strictly anti-Bolshevik, be opportunist, and fracture when elements of their parties start to step outside of orthodoxy. It seems they care more about selling newspapers than actually engaging with protesting when they show up at them, and their general approach to real-world organizing reaks of opportunism. It’s believed the FBI have used Trotskyism to keep the left fractured, and ex-trots tend to end up being hyper-conservative as well.