Literature and Revolution
by Leon Trotsky
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Book Summary Information
Author: Leon TrotskyEditor: William Keach
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-05-01
ISBN: 1931859167
Number of pages: 350
Publisher: Haymarket Books
Book Reviews of Literature and Revolution
Book Review: A Contradiction to Reality
Summary: 2 Stars
Trotsky's approach on the subject of literature, culture and art, is a typical Marxist one with the usual class analysis and the base - superstructure relationship that dominates every Marxist text. However, "Literature & Revolution" is a rare application of Marxism on culture, with the advantage of being written by such a talented writer as Trotsky.
The analysis of Trotsky focuses around the Russian Revolution of 1917, as he compares pre-revolutionary literature, post-revolutionary literature, and the possibilities of the future art, culture and literature of society, discussing the possibility (or not) of a "proletariat culture" emerging in the Soviet Union.
Of course, "Literature & Revolution" concerns itself with other subjects, such as criticism of literature trends during the early 20th century, and a Marxist interpretation of the history of culture. The central point, however, that Trotsky is coming back to, is the Russian Revolution of the Bolsheviks, and its implications for the future, as well as its undeniable relevance to the Marxist theory of history.
For Trotsky, the Russian Revolution of 1917 was a proletariat revolution, establishing the proletariat class as the ruling class of society by enforcing the dictatorship of the proletariat, driving society towards Socialism. It was undoubtedly in his eyes the new stage of history and human development that had been advocated by Marx the previous century.
And here lies the problem with Trotsky's analysis. The Bolshevik Revolution established neither "the dictatorship of the proletariat" nor the new historical stage of Socialism. Rather, it established the rule of a new bureaucracy, based on the centralized state and party apparatus, the use of political terror, and the absence of any political freedoms to the people of Russia.
The Revolution itself was a direct contradiction to the Marxist ideology, which advocated that a Revolution would break out in developed capitalist countries with a proletariat majority population such as Germany and Britain. In contrast, Russia was neither a developed capitalist country (rather, an agricultural one), nor did it had a large proletariat population (in fact 85% of Russia's population belonged to the peasantry and only 2-3% of the total population was part of the proletariat working class). By the 1920s, the Soviet Union had already become a dictatorship of a new ruling class, the political elite of the Communist party, with the Communists, whose members were only a tiny fraction of the proletariat class (which in itself was only 3% of the total population) monopolizing every instrument of political power and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle in the residences of the old regime's upper classes.
Therefore, the disillusionment of Trotsky with the situation in the Soviet Union, in my opinion, renders his critique and analysis useless and bankrupt in itself. Such an absence from reality can be justified for people such as John Creed or prince Kropotkin, but not from a man that played a central role in the events of the Bolshevik Revolution and the Russian civil war.
One would argue that I am becoming technical and loosing the point. But Marxism, and every branch of its critique, has as its decisive and central theme, the economic and class analysis of Marx. This is also the case with "Literature & Revolution", which uses this economic and class critique to explain culture and literature. When the theory of the development of history is in direct contradiction with reality, the Marxist critique in any subject falls apart - and such is the case with "Literature & Revolution".
And while other Marxist works, such as those of Marx and Lenin, had a tremendous impact in world history, Trotsky's works, with perhaps "The Revolution Betrayed" being the exception, are historically of no significant importance. Their influence is limited to ideological discussions of the far-left.
This book apparently belongs to where its thinker's ideas are, in the dustbin of history.
I am giving this book 2 stars only because of the outstanding edition of this book. The effort put by the publisher in the book is impressive.
The absence of any significant historical impact of the book and the historical inaccuracies that directly affect the author's argument do not justify the book for a higher rating.
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