Bernstein, Lenin and Trotsky

"Permanent Revolution"

Throughout his career Leon Trotsky always sought to promote what he saw as a truly Marxist position. He worked closely with Vladimir Lenin to translate Karl Marx's theories into practice as the two men led the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. According to Marx's theory, the revolution was to be followed by a "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" as workers took control of the means of production. However following Lenin's death in 1924, Joseph Stalin's absolutist bureaucracy soon crushed any hope of such a mass movement, imposing a dictatorship of one man instead.

Trotsky had hoped to safeguard the advances he believed had been made in the revolution through a strategy of "Permanent Revolution" which would be guaranteed by the ongoing support of an international working class. Marx had warned that socialism in one place could not hope to succeed in isolation from the global proletariat, stating that "until all the more or less propertied classes have been driven from their ruling positions.... not only in one country but in all leading countries of the world ".

Lenin had insisted that the socialist revolution in Russia could only triumph if supported by the workers' movements in one or several economically advanced countries.

'The vanguard party'

In the Marxist analysis the Bourgeoisie is the the merchant class - the social class that owns the the means of production i.e factories, while the proletariat comprises of those who have no choice but live off the sale of their own labour. within the bourgeoisie were educated individuals, who viewed the exploitation of the proletariat as unjust and agitated for change. -> Lenin referred to these as the 'revolutionary bourgeois'

Russia compared to other European countries was quite backward in regards to industrial development, therefore the Russian Bourgeoisie was fairly small making it difficult to draw revolutionaries from their ranks. Lenin understood that a revolution needed leadership and organisation, and he championed Engels' and Marx's "Vanguard party"- a group of "resolute individuals", who would spear head the revolution. -> the 'vanguard party' would then inspire the proletariat to become a "class for itself " which would then overthrow the ruling classes and form the democratic "Dictatorship of the Proletariat"

Vladimir 'Lenin' (1870-1924)

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, was a Russian communist revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He served as the leader of the Russian SFSR from 1917, and then concurrently as Premier of the Soviet Union from 1922, until his death. Politically a Marxist, his theoretical contributions to Marxist thought are known as Leninism, which coupled with Marxian economic theory have collectively come to be known as Marxism–Leninism.

key works: What is to be done? (1902), Imperialism, the Highest stage of Capitalism (1917), The state and revolution (1917)

Bernstein, Lenin and Trotsky

Bernstein's ideas develop

Bernstein's Gradualist approach

Bernstein was originally a Marxist, however by the 1890s a shift in the general conditions of the average worker across Europe were improving prompting Eduard to shift his beliefs to Gradualism.

He became rather critical of the early works of Marx and Engels such as the Communist Manifesto (1848) referring to them as Marx's 'immature' writings based in Hegelian Dialectics, him believing that the later less philosophical works which highlighted the contradictions of capitalism were his 'Mature' works i.e Das Kapital (1867)

Marx predicted the inevitable collapse of Capitalism, this being deduced from his understanding of Capitalism as being inherently unstable and exploitative, eventually leading to a polaristion of classes. This exploitation would generate a class consciousness which would produce a proletarian revolution which would establish the 'Dictatorship of the Proletariat' replacing the current capitalist mode of Production with Socialism and then Communism.

Bernstein identified the fact that Marx's prediction had not

come to fruition .....

Bernstein identified the fact that the condition of the working classes rather than worsening was actually improving, this then presented an issue for the SPD, because the party officially identified with Marxism, a branch of socialism which relies on proletarian revolution. if the workers are happy and content then they are unlikely to want to revolt .

Bernstein proposed a solution, instead of advocating radical change, socialists should use already existing democratic systems to implement piecemeal reform, gradually transitioning from Capitalism to Socialism. this solution would also help to negate the issue of 'class consciousness' because the working classes would naturally vote for working class parties, such as the SPD or the Labour party.

"In all advanced countries we see the privileges of the capitalist Bourgeoisie yielding step by step to democratic organisations"

Eduard Bernstein (1850-1932)

Eduard Bernstein was a German social democratic political theorist and politician, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and the founder of evolutionary socialism and revisionism.

key works: Problems of Socialism (1896-98), Evolutionary socialism (1899), The prerequisites for Socialism and the tasks of social Democracy (1899)

Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

Leon Trotsky, born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army.

Key works: The Stalin School of Falsification (1937), Their morals and ours (1938)

International Revolution

Like Marx, Lenin believed that a united proletariat would rise in a great revolutionary wave that would transcend borders and national identities, Ethnocentrism, and religion, effectively becoming a borderless classless state in itself. It would be an international expansion of "Democracy for the poor" , and would occur alongside a forced suppression of the exploiting and oppressing class, who would be excluded from the new democracy.

Lenin saw this transitory phase as an essential part of the shift from democracy to communism - the ultimate revolutionary state envisioned by Marx, which would follow the Dictatorship of the proletariat. -> in this ultimate communist state, class would be transcended and private property abolished.

Lenin declared that his political ideas could take hold "not where there are thousands, but where there millions. that is where serious politics begin."