the commune

by Barry Biddulph

Mark Hoskisson departs from the conventional, Trotskyist interpretation of the Russian Revolution, in his analysis of Thermidor and the Russian Revolution. (Permanent Revolution issue 17). His conclusion is that the political counter revolution took place inside the Bolshevik party in 1921 and was led by Lenin and supported by Trotsky.

The Trotskyist movement has traditionally regarded such a view as anarchist. But Mark still dismisses any consideration of the possibility of Bolshevik values and methods of organisation contributing to the betrayal of the political aspirations of 1917 prior to 1921 as anarchist. He still clings to the orthodox view that the Bolshevik party could somehow be a custodian of workers’ power despite substituting itself for the class following 1917, as long as the right to form factions was preserved. Hence the banning of party factions in 1921 is seen as the historic turning point. Mark asserts that, ”Bolshevism’s descent into counter revolution marked a distinct break with, not a continuation of its fundamental character and politics in the period 1912 to 1920”. Read the rest of this entry »