Leon Trotsky's Politics & Perspectives

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The philosophies of Leon Trotsky are interesting, complicated, and very much in debate. Trotsky had an ultimately tragic revolutionary career and there is a vast difference in the way that Soviet, Western and his self professed followers have depicted his life, work and contributions to the socialist movement and internationalism. Some would claim that Trotsky is both the hero of the Russian Revolution--the mastermind of October, the founder of the Red Army--and also its righteous martyr, hounded across a "planet without a visa," his family exterminated, himself murdered in Mexico in 1940.
This makes Trotsky studies highly contested. Much on the subject is full of hariography and vilification and it is often difficult to sort out what it accurate and what is biased. All in all, it would be best to stick with as much of the facts as possible for this paper.

The contention on the impact of Trotsky is often based in his own life, and the history of the socialist movement. I would recommend a thorough use of political history in this paper. When discussing his history and ideals it is important to note his commitment to what is called "Permanent Revolution". In 1907 Trotsky had serious doubts whether Russia could 'jump' over the natural phases of political evolution. However he would become a strong supporter of the idea that Russia could avoid the capitalist stage and move directly to socialism. According to the late-19th- and early-20th-century Marxists, the socialist revolution could unfold only some years after capitalism and the bourgeoisie had triumphed over feudalism; in ...