Leon Trotsky

Leon Trotsky

Revolutionary, Politician

Leon Trotsky was a key figure in the Russian Revolution and a prominent Marxist theorist known for his ideas on permanent revolution and critiques of Stalinism.

Country Party Revolution Men Class Struggle
Born
November 7, 1879
Died
August 21, 1940
Quotes
134
Rank
#507

Quote collection

Leon Trotsky quotes (page 7 of 7)

134 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.

Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"Socialist economy cannot reject the huge advantages of the world division of labor: on the contrary, it will carry it to the highest development. But in practise, it is not a question of the future socialist society, with an established internal equilibrium, but of the given technically and culturally backward country which in the interests of industrialisation and collectivization is forced to export as much as possible in order to import as much as possible."

Country Socialist Economy Division Of Labor
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"To overthrow the power of the bourgeoisie and to establish the power of the proletariat in one country still does not signify the full victory of Socialism."

Country Victory Bourgeoisie
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"In spite of the existence of the Soviet Union, however, the proletarian revolution during the past years has not recorded a victory in any other country."

Country Past Years
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"The clearer and deeper the public opinion of the world, in the first instance the opinion of the working masses, will understand the contradictions and the difficulties of the socialist development of an isolated country, the higher will it appreciate the results achieved. The less it identifies the fundamental methods of Socialism with the zigzags and errors of the Soviet bureaucracy, the less will be the danger that, by the inevitable revelation of these errors and of their consequences, the authority, not only of the present ruling group, but of the workers' State itself, may decline."

Country Errors Appreciate
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"Revolutionary realism tries to draw the maximum advantage from every situation - that is what makes it revolutionary - but at the same time it does not permit us to set ourselves fantastic aims - that is what makes it realistic."

Trying Doe Revolutionary
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"A program of "disarmament," while imperialist antagonisms survive, is the most pernicious of fictions. Even if it were realized by way of general agreement - an obviously fantastic assumption!- that would by no means prevent a new war. The imperialists do not make war because there are armaments; on the contrary, they forge arms when they need to fight."

War Mean Fighting
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"I wrote a study about this question, The Lessons of October, which served as a pretext for my elimination from the government."

Government Lessons October
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"That the existence of the Soviet Union has an international revolutionary significance is a commonplace equally recognized by friends and foes."

Unions Revolutionary Existence
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"In 1925 - 27 the revolution in China was destroyed by the false revolutionary strategy of the Stalinist faction. To this last question I consecrate my book, Problems of the Chinese Revolution (issued by the Pioneer Publishers, New York 1932)."

New York Book Chinese Revolution
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"In Russia itself the proletariat conquered in spite of the fact that there was no Soviet State in existence at the time elsewhere. For the victory are necessary, not only certain objective conditions, internal as well as external, but also certain subjective factors - the Party, the leadership, the strategy."

Party Russia Victory
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"What shall we call an "immediate possibility"? In 1923 the situation in Germany was profoundly revolutionary, but what was lacking for a victorious revolution was a correct strategy."

Germany Revolution Strategy
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"Yet the proletariat has not only a vanguard, but also a rearguard, and besides the proletariat there are the peasantry and the bureaucracy."

Vanguard Proletariat Bureaucracy
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"The Soviet State does not need either illusions or camouflage. It can claim only that world authority which is confirmed by the facts."

Doe Needs World
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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
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"Simultaneously the Left Opposition in the course of several years carried on a struggle against the Stalinists in favor of collectivization."

Struggle Years Favors
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