Definition
American Trotskyist leader James P. Cannon, in his 1942 book History of American Trotskyism, wrote that "Trotskyism is not a new movement, a new doctrine, but the restoration, the revival of genuine Marxism as it was expounded and practiced in the Russian revolution and in the early days of the Communist International." However, Trotskyism can be distinguished from other Marxist theories by five key elements.
- Support for the strategy of permanent revolution, in opposition to the Two Stage Theory of his opponents;
- Criticism of the post-1924 leadership of the Soviet Union, analysis of its features and after 1933, support for political revolution in the Soviet Union and in what Trotskyists term the deformed workers' states;
- Support for social revolution in the advanced capitalist countries through working class mass action;
- Support for proletarian internationalism.
- Use of a 'transitional' programme of demands that bridge between day to day struggles of the working class and the 'maximal' ideas of the socialist transformation of society
On the political spectrum of Marxism, Trotskyists are considered to be on the left. They supported democratic rights in the USSR, opposed political deals with the imperialist powers, and advocated a spreading of the revolution throughout Europe and the East.
Read more about this topic: Trotskyism
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