The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-06
Continued from last issue)
LenInIsm or Trotskylsm.

which Comrade Trotsky and his fol.
lowers have disseminated. We have
unveiled and refuted these legends.
Now, however, the quest ton arises: for
what purpose did Conrade Trotsky
want all these legends as to the prep.
arations for October, as to Lenin and
Lenin's party? Why were the recent
literary attacks of Comrade Trotsky
ON the party Necessary? What is the
sense, the purpose, The aim of these
attacks, at present when the party
does not wish to ditCuss, when the
party is overburdened with a large
amount of urgent tasks, at present
when the party needs united work for
the restoration OF it's, internal econ.
omy and not a rev quarrel about old
questions? Why does Comrade Trot-
sky want to drag the party back to
new discussions?
Comrade Trotsky declares that all
this is necessary for the study" OF
October. But is it not possible t.
study the history of October without
once more attacking the party and its
leader, Lenin? But what kind of
history" of October is this which be
gins and ends with the dethronemen
of the chief leaders of the Octobe
revolution, with the dethronement o
the party which organized and car
ried out this revolution?
| No, this is no case of the study OF
October. This is not the way to study
October. This is not the way the his
tory Of October is written. There is
obviously another intention" And
according to all evidence, this "inten.
ton" is, that Comrade Trotsky is, with
his literary attacks making another
Zone more!) attempt to prepare the
conditions for replacing Leninism by
Trotskyism. Comrade Trotsky feels il
absolutely" necessary to divest the
party and it's cadres, which carried
out the revolution, of their glory SO as
to pass from the reinforcement Of the
party to the dethronement of Lenin.
ism. The dethronement of Leninism
is, however, necessary in order to rep.
resent Trotskyism as the "only" pro
letarian" (no jokeD theology. All this
of course Eyes, of courseD under the
flag Of Leninism so that the process
OF being dragged over may be "as
painless as possible"
This is the essence Of Comrade
Trotsky's most recent literary attacks.
For this Comrade Trotcky's literary
attacks strain the question of Trot-
skyism to breaking point.
What then is Trotskyism?
>Trotskism has three distinguishing
features which place it in irreconcil.
able opposition to Leninism. What
are these characteristic features?
Firstly. Trotskyism is the theory
of the permanent uninterrupted
revolution" But what is Trotsky-
ism's conception Of the permanent
revolution? It is the revolution with
out consideration of the small peas
antry as revolutionary force. Com.
rade Trotsky's permanent revolution
is, as Lenin says, the neglect Of the
peasant movement, a game for the
seizure of power" Where does the
danger of this lie? In that such a
revolution, if one took the trouble to
realize it, would end with a complete
breakdown, as it would deprive the
Russian proletariat of its ally, the
small peasantry. This explains the
fight which Leninsm has been carry
ing on against Trotskyism since the
year 1905
How does Comrade Trotsky esti-
mate Leninism from the point of view
of this fight? He regards It as
theory which contains in itself "anti
revolutionary" features. (Trotsky
1905, Russian edition, page 1851
On what is this angry remark against
Leninism based? On the fact that
Leninsm always has defended and
still does defent the idea Of the die
tatorship of the proletariat and the
peasantry. Trotsky does not confino
himself to this angry remark. He goe,
further when he states:
"The whole construction of Lenin.
ism is at present built up on lies an6
lcontains the poisonous germ of its
own disintegration'' (See Comrade
Trotsky's letter to Tscheidse of Feb
rs. 1879.
AS you see we are confronted by
two opposed lines.
Secondly. Trotskyism is distrust
of the doings ,qt the Bolshevist party,
Of its unity, OF It's hostility to the op.
portunist elements. Trotskyism is, in
the sphere Of organization, the theory
Of an association of revolutionaries
and opportunists, OF their groups and
grouplets in the bosom OF one united
party. The history of Comrade Trot.
sky's August block" is surely known
to you, in which Martov's adherents
and Otsowists Chose in favor OF the
withdrawal Of the duma delegates)
liquidators and Trotskians, having
formed a real party, work comfort
ably together Il is known that the