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Lessons of October

December 26, 2022

Lessons of October (Russian: Уроки Октября) is a polemical essay of about 60 printed pages in length by Leon Trotsky, first published in Moscow in October 1924 as the preface to the third volume of his Collected Works. The essay was harshly critical of the purported revolutionary failings of Grigory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev, two key members of the collective leadership which briefly ruled Soviet Russia in the months after the death of V. I. Lenin. Publication of the essay was used as a pretext for the Soviet leadership to isolate and attack Trotsky, whom the leadership mutually perceived as a threat to accede to supreme power.

Leon Trotsky as he appeared shortly before the publication of Lessons of October.

In subsequent years Trotsky's essay was reprinted several times under its own covers by the international Trotskyist movement.

Publication history

Background

 
Chief of the Comintern Grigory Zinoviev (1883-1936) was regarded by many Communists of the day as the leading claimant to supreme leadership following the death of Lenin in 1924.

Following a series of strokes, which had incapacitated him for more than a year, Soviet leader V.I. Lenin died on January 21, 1924 at the age of 53. Despite his chronic illness, Lenin's premature death nevertheless came as a shock both to the people of the Soviet Union and to the small circle of individuals who collectively ruled in his stead through the governing Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party (bolsheviks) [RKP(b)] and its inner executive committee, the Politburo.

A triumvirate wielded effective power from the time of Lenin's second health breakdown in December 1922, which effectively eliminated his participation in day-to-day operational affairs.[1] This trio included Grigory Zinoviev, a close associate of Lenin's for more than two decades who sat as the head of the Communist International; Zinoviev's co-thinker Lev Kamenev, acting chair of the formal Soviet state apparatus, the Council of People's Commissars and secretary of the Politburo; and Joseph Stalin, secretary of the Organization Bureau of the RKP(b), in charge of party affairs and the assignment of party workers to various tasks. Standing aloof from these was the orator and journalist Leon Trotsky, a radical opponent of Lenin's for most of the 20th Century who had returned from North American exile to join the Bolsheviks early in 1917 to be placed in positions of trust at Lenin's right hand.

It would ultimately be Trotsky, as the flamboyant chairman of the Petrograd Soviet, who would play a leading role in the October Revolution which brought the Bolshevik Party to power; Stalin would play a lesser and more administrative part. As for Zinoviev and Kamenev, the pair stood aloof from the revolutionary uprising entirely, committing the venial sin of effectively "spilling the beans" by jointly distancing themselves from a forthcoming Bolshevik seizure of power in the pages of a Menshevik newspaper. This would prove to be a massive miscalculation that would undercut Zinoviev's and Kamenev's later efforts to achieve leadership of the Russian Communist Party and the Soviet republic.

All of these four maintained a desire and made active efforts to win for themselves the mantle of leadership. The three Old Bolsheviks — Zinoviev, Stalin, and Kamenev — were filled with personal antipathy towards the long-time outsider, Trotsky. Each of the four sought to demonstrate the righteousness of their claims not just through the crass craft of political organization for factional warfare, but also through theoretical acumen. Each began the feverish publication of new works of sociology or Marxist theory or collected their contemporary journalism in an effort to prove themselves able theoreticians. Trotsky, in an effort to document the legitimacy of his claim to the throne, even launched a multi-volume publishing project for the release of his Sochineniia (Collected Works) involving the State Publishing House.

It would be this publishing effort amidst this highly personalized faction fight that would lead to the publication of the polemical essay "Lessons of October."

Publication

 
The essay "Lessons of October" first appeared as the foreword to the two part volume on 1917 that was party of Trotsky's Collected Works, published by the State Publishing House.

Reaction

On January 18, 1925 a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the RKP(b) was called to address the so-called "Trotsky Question."[2] Feeling isolated and discredited among the top leadership, Trotsky decided to resign his position as People's Commissar of War rather than to attempt to marshal his forces for a hopeless fight at the Central Committee plenum.[3]

In a lengthy letter of resignation, Trotsky explicitly denied that "Lessons of October" had been published furtively or that it represented a "platform" for a formal opposition faction, as his detractors contended:

"In so far as a formal pretext for the latest discussion was found in the foreword to my book on 1917, I consider it my duty, first of all, to refute the accusation that I had published the book without the knowledge of the Central Committee. In point of fact, this book was printed during my rest cure in the Caucasus, exactly in the same way as all the other books written by me or by any members of the Central Committee or of the party. Of course, it is the business of the Central Committee to establish some form of control over party publications, and I never had cause or inclination to avoid such control.

"The foreword [on] 'The Lessons of October' contains the development of those ideas which I have expressed before and especially during the last year.... It goes without saying that in analyzing the October Revolution in connection with the German events, I never dreamed of creating a separate 'platform' or ever entertained the idea that my work would be interpreted in that sense."[4]

Trotsky's resignation was unanimously accepted by the Central Committee at the January 18 session, which he did not attend.[5] Efforts there by Zinoviev and Kamenev to remove Trotsky from the Politburo and to expel him from the party were turned aside, however.[5]

The resolution passed by the Central Committee on January 18 demanded that Trotsky demonstrate "submission to party discipline, not only in words but also in deeds," to issue an unconditional renunciation of his criticisms, and threatened his removal from Communist Party leadership in the event he made "new attempts to violate, or failed to carry out" party decisions.[5] A campaign to "enlighten" the party and the non-party population about the purported anti-Bolshevik nature of Trotskyism was announced.[5]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ E.H. Carr, A History of Soviet Russia: Volume 4: The Interregnum, 1923-1924. London: Macmillan, 1954; pg. 257.
  2. ^ Naomi Allen, "Introduction" to Leon Trotsky, ''The Challenge of the Left Opposition (1923-25). New York: Pathfinder Press, 1975; pg. 45.
  3. ^ Allen, "Introduction" to Trotsky, The Challenge of the Left Opposition (1923-25), pp. 44-45.
  4. ^ Leon Trotsky, quoted in "Trotsky's Downfall," Advocate of Peace through Justice, vol. 87, no. 3 (March 1925), pg. 141. This article, which features a lengthy extract of Trotsky's "Letter of Defense," is available through JSTOR.
  5. ^ a b c d Allen, "Introduction" to Trotsky, The Challenge of the Left Opposition (1923-25), pg. 45.

English language editions

Source: Louis Sinclair, Trotsky: A Bibliography. Aldershot, England: Scolar Press, 1989; vol. 2, pg. 1243.
  • The Lessons of October 1917. Translation by Susan Lawrence and I. Olshan. London: Labour Publishing Co., 1925.
  • Lessons of October. Translation by John G. Wright. New York: Pioneer Press, 1937.
  • Lessons of October. Translation by John G. Wright. London: New Park, Sept. 1971.
  • Lessons of October. Colombo, Ceylon: Young Socialist Publication, March 1974.
  • "The Lessons of October," in Leon Trotsky, The Challenge of the Left Opposition (1923-25). Translation by John G. Wright. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1975; pp. 199–258.

Further reading

  • Frederick C. Corney (ed.), Trotsky's Challenge: The "Literary Discussion" of 1924 and the Fight for the Bolshevik Revolution. [2016] Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2017.
  • Leon Trotsky, The Lessons of October. Translation by John G. Wright. Transcription by David Walters. n.c.: Dimitri Verstraeten, 2002.

December 26, 2022
lessons, october, russian, Уроки, Октября, polemical, essay, about, printed, pages, length, leon, trotsky, first, published, moscow, october, 1924, preface, third, volume, collected, works, essay, harshly, critical, purported, revolutionary, failings, grigory,. Lessons of October Russian Uroki Oktyabrya is a polemical essay of about 60 printed pages in length by Leon Trotsky first published in Moscow in October 1924 as the preface to the third volume of his Collected Works The essay was harshly critical of the purported revolutionary failings of Grigory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev two key members of the collective leadership which briefly ruled Soviet Russia in the months after the death of V I Lenin Publication of the essay was used as a pretext for the Soviet leadership to isolate and attack Trotsky whom the leadership mutually perceived as a threat to accede to supreme power Leon Trotsky as he appeared shortly before the publication of Lessons of October In subsequent years Trotsky s essay was reprinted several times under its own covers by the international Trotskyist movement Contents 1 Publication history 1 1 Background 1 2 Publication 1 3 Reaction 2 See also 3 Footnotes 4 English language editions 5 Further readingPublication history EditBackground Edit Chief of the Comintern Grigory Zinoviev 1883 1936 was regarded by many Communists of the day as the leading claimant to supreme leadership following the death of Lenin in 1924 Following a series of strokes which had incapacitated him for more than a year Soviet leader V I Lenin died on January 21 1924 at the age of 53 Despite his chronic illness Lenin s premature death nevertheless came as a shock both to the people of the Soviet Union and to the small circle of individuals who collectively ruled in his stead through the governing Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party bolsheviks RKP b and its inner executive committee the Politburo A triumvirate wielded effective power from the time of Lenin s second health breakdown in December 1922 which effectively eliminated his participation in day to day operational affairs 1 This trio included Grigory Zinoviev a close associate of Lenin s for more than two decades who sat as the head of the Communist International Zinoviev s co thinker Lev Kamenev acting chair of the formal Soviet state apparatus the Council of People s Commissars and secretary of the Politburo and Joseph Stalin secretary of the Organization Bureau of the RKP b in charge of party affairs and the assignment of party workers to various tasks Standing aloof from these was the orator and journalist Leon Trotsky a radical opponent of Lenin s for most of the 20th Century who had returned from North American exile to join the Bolsheviks early in 1917 to be placed in positions of trust at Lenin s right hand It would ultimately be Trotsky as the flamboyant chairman of the Petrograd Soviet who would play a leading role in the October Revolution which brought the Bolshevik Party to power Stalin would play a lesser and more administrative part As for Zinoviev and Kamenev the pair stood aloof from the revolutionary uprising entirely committing the venial sin of effectively spilling the beans by jointly distancing themselves from a forthcoming Bolshevik seizure of power in the pages of a Menshevik newspaper This would prove to be a massive miscalculation that would undercut Zinoviev s and Kamenev s later efforts to achieve leadership of the Russian Communist Party and the Soviet republic All of these four maintained a desire and made active efforts to win for themselves the mantle of leadership The three Old Bolsheviks Zinoviev Stalin and Kamenev were filled with personal antipathy towards the long time outsider Trotsky Each of the four sought to demonstrate the righteousness of their claims not just through the crass craft of political organization for factional warfare but also through theoretical acumen Each began the feverish publication of new works of sociology or Marxist theory or collected their contemporary journalism in an effort to prove themselves able theoreticians Trotsky in an effort to document the legitimacy of his claim to the throne even launched a multi volume publishing project for the release of his Sochineniia Collected Works involving the State Publishing House It would be this publishing effort amidst this highly personalized faction fight that would lead to the publication of the polemical essay Lessons of October Publication Edit The essay Lessons of October first appeared as the foreword to the two part volume on 1917 that was party of Trotsky s Collected Works published by the State Publishing House Reaction Edit On January 18 1925 a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the RKP b was called to address the so called Trotsky Question 2 Feeling isolated and discredited among the top leadership Trotsky decided to resign his position as People s Commissar of War rather than to attempt to marshal his forces for a hopeless fight at the Central Committee plenum 3 In a lengthy letter of resignation Trotsky explicitly denied that Lessons of October had been published furtively or that it represented a platform for a formal opposition faction as his detractors contended In so far as a formal pretext for the latest discussion was found in the foreword to my book on 1917 I consider it my duty first of all to refute the accusation that I had published the book without the knowledge of the Central Committee In point of fact this book was printed during my rest cure in the Caucasus exactly in the same way as all the other books written by me or by any members of the Central Committee or of the party Of course it is the business of the Central Committee to establish some form of control over party publications and I never had cause or inclination to avoid such control The foreword on The Lessons of October contains the development of those ideas which I have expressed before and especially during the last year It goes without saying that in analyzing the October Revolution in connection with the German events I never dreamed of creating a separate platform or ever entertained the idea that my work would be interpreted in that sense 4 Trotsky s resignation was unanimously accepted by the Central Committee at the January 18 session which he did not attend 5 Efforts there by Zinoviev and Kamenev to remove Trotsky from the Politburo and to expel him from the party were turned aside however 5 The resolution passed by the Central Committee on January 18 demanded that Trotsky demonstrate submission to party discipline not only in words but also in deeds to issue an unconditional renunciation of his criticisms and threatened his removal from Communist Party leadership in the event he made new attempts to violate or failed to carry out party decisions 5 A campaign to enlighten the party and the non party population about the purported anti Bolshevik nature of Trotskyism was announced 5 See also EditList of books by Leon TrotskyFootnotes Edit E H Carr A History of Soviet Russia Volume 4 The Interregnum 1923 1924 London Macmillan 1954 pg 257 Naomi Allen Introduction to Leon Trotsky The Challenge of the Left Opposition 1923 25 New York Pathfinder Press 1975 pg 45 Allen Introduction to Trotsky The Challenge of the Left Opposition 1923 25 pp 44 45 Leon Trotsky quoted in Trotsky s Downfall Advocate of Peace through Justice vol 87 no 3 March 1925 pg 141 This article which features a lengthy extract of Trotsky s Letter of Defense is available through JSTOR a b c d Allen Introduction to Trotsky The Challenge of the Left Opposition 1923 25 pg 45 English language editions EditSource Louis Sinclair Trotsky A Bibliography Aldershot England Scolar Press 1989 vol 2 pg 1243 The Lessons of October 1917 Translation by Susan Lawrence and I Olshan London Labour Publishing Co 1925 Lessons of October Translation by John G Wright New York Pioneer Press 1937 Lessons of October Translation by John G Wright London New Park Sept 1971 Lessons of October Colombo Ceylon Young Socialist Publication March 1974 The Lessons of October in Leon Trotsky The Challenge of the Left Opposition 1923 25 Translation by John G Wright New York Pathfinder Press 1975 pp 199 258 Further reading EditFrederick C Corney ed Trotsky s Challenge The Literary Discussion of 1924 and the Fight for the Bolshevik Revolution 2016 Chicago Haymarket Books 2017 Leon Trotsky The Lessons of October Translation by John G Wright Transcription by David Walters n c Dimitri Verstraeten 2002 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lessons of October amp oldid 1043200319, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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