80 years on from Trotsky’s assassination: can they kill his ideas?

Lev Davidovich Bronstein, better known as Leon Trotsky, was killed on 21 August 1940. What was Stalin so afraid of? And why do capitalist commentators still try to bury Trotsky’s ideas today?

This month, Socialism the Podcast will be answering those questions in a series on Trotsky and Trotskyism. What was his role in Russia’s revolutions? What is the theory of ‘permanent revolution’? How did Stalinism betray it? What is a ‘transitional programme’? And what can workers and socialists today learn from it all?

We begin our series with a general introduction. In the months before his death, Trotsky wrote: “If I had to begin all over again, I would of course try to avoid this or that mistake, but the main course of my life would remain unchanged…

“My faith in the communist future of mankind is not less ardent, indeed it is firmer today, than it was in the days of my youth…

“Life is beautiful. Let the future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full.”

This episode of Socialism looks at Leon Trotsky: an introduction to his revolutionary life and ideas.

80 years since Trotsky's assassination: Why couldn't his ideas be killed? Join the international online rally on Sunday 23 August, 2pm London time! Register now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/trotsky-murdered-80-years-ago-why-couldnt-his-ideas-be-killed-registration-115866871933

Further reading

Leon Trotsky: A revolutionary's life: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/15106/29-08-2012/leon-trotsky-a-revolutionarys-life

Russia 1905: When workers gained a glimpse of power: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/4250/22-01-2005/russia-1905-when-workers-gained-a-glimpse-of-power

The striking relevance of Leon Trotsky's Theory of Permanent Revolution: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/29022/24-04-2019/the-striking-relevance-of-leon-trotskys-theory-of-permanent-revolution

Russia, October 1917: When workers took power: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/26314/18-10-2017/russia-october-1917-when-workers-took-power

Leon Trotsky's struggle against Stalinism: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/28804/06-03-2019/leon-trotskys-struggle-against-stalinism

My Life: An Attempt at an Autobiography (Leon Trotsky): http://leftbooks.co.uk/epages/950002679.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/950002679/Products/TROT0025