49miss the disgusting fact that his actionsduring the cited work, whose main interest is the large quantity of vileperiods were largely dictated by his concern for peer slander directed against V.I. Lenin.group opinion. Yet that is precisely the content of all From 1907 till 1914 his behavior is similarlyneurosis, including the universal neurosis, bourgeois reprehensible. His whore relation to the Mensheviksideology; the pathological concern to propitiate some continued off and on throughout the period. As thoughinternalized body of "opinion" rather than to act acc- that were not enough, his emigre participation in thecording to a scientific comprehension of reality. German socialist movement was limited primarily toIn his neurotic desire not to alienate the backward hobnobbing with the most degenerate philistine backsidefaction gathered around Martov, Trotsky repeatedly of that doomed behemoth: the Austrian party and itsgave virtually all of his political principles to pawn; he oleaginous Adlerite stewardship. The odor of the grocerybecame little more than a captive literary front man store clinging to these self-satisfied petit bourgeoiseffectively controlled by the Mensheviks. Even they nobodies was so noxiously overpowering that it couldtreated him with contempt behind his back. His major only have been a strong neurotic capacity for selfliteraryeffort from the perio d of the initial Russian party degradation that allowed Trotsky to tolerate theirsplit, Our Political Tasks, is an exceptionally cheap presence for more than a moment.The Trotskyist rank-and-file - " -----. =
soWe repeat, he could not have been "merely disavow important supporters who had been expelledmistaken"; he otherwise manifests an acute perception from the Third International, due to their public supportof just those psychological qualities which make certain of his faction. During the entire period it is not unjust topeople revolutionary fighters. He becomes especially say that Trotsky spent relatively little time in seriouspathetic in this period when one realizes that he had fighting efforts, and a great deal too much time in futilehardly anything to do with Rosa Luxemburg or her back-room efforts to seduce the treacherous Zinoviev.tendency during his sojourn in Vienna. Nor did Trotsky ever completely destroy this cripplingIndeed, at the time Rosa was one of the few in- neurQsis. As late as December 1939 he could write todividuals of stature fighting for his "Permanent John G. Wright, concerning a totally corrupt potentialRevolution" thesis. He could not have avoided an majority (!) within the SWP (the Schachtmanites):alliance with her if he had actually been engaged in aserious struggle for his own political perspectives for the But at the s_me time, I believe that the implacableRussian movement. He exhibits the same basic ten- ideological fight should go parallel with very cautiousdency from the last period of Lenin's illness till his and wise organizational tactics. You have not theslightest interest in a split, even if the opposition shouldsubsequent exile. In My Life, shortly after he states that. become, accidentally, a majority at the next convention.had he fought he would undoubtedly have been vic- (In Defense of"Marxism)torious, he goes on to mention his reasons for notfighting. (hence, not winning!): The foregoing conjunctures demonstrate the persistenceof infantile neurotic tendencies within Trotsky'sIndependent action on my part would have been interpreted,or, to be more exact, represented as my dominate his self-conscious reason at crucialinternal mental life, tendencies powerful enough tohistoricalpersonal fight for Lenin's place in the party and the junctures. We must now proceed to an examination ofstate. The very thought made me shudder .... Would the the specific quality of those tendencies.party understand that it was a case of a fight by Lenin Among most ordinary scribblers of the liberal orand Trotsky for the future of the revolution, and not afight by Trotsky for the place of Lenin .... ? socialist variety, it is commonly held prejudice that theso-called "intellectual" outlook of an individual is notYet Trotsky's unique historic duty was precisely to "fight usually indicative of a person's psychological state. Infor Lenin's place in the party and state." Who else could fact, as Marcus has demonstrated elsewhere, ideas aretake Lenin's place? Stalin? Zinoviev, the hero of 1917?never abstract when properly viewed, but rather expressWhy should Trotsky have cared in the least what the the essence of a person's inner map of the world. Toparty philistines thought of his "personal" motives so- believe the contrary is itself conclusive evidence of imcalled,especially since it was by and large just such potence. It is the hysterical belief of someone who ispeople that Lenin was determined to boot out of the literally frightened out of his wits at the thought thatparty? some other person might indiscreetly peek behind theTrotsky continued to capitulate to party opinion printed persona to glimpse the more vulgar activitythroughout the ensuing period. Until it was too late, he underlying the literary result. One is, after all, notconstantly refused to "break Bolshevik discipline" unjustified in assuming that the person who uses mouth-(actually Stalin's discipline) and launch an open faction wash may indeed be afflicted with bad breath, or at leastfight. When he did fight he persisted in making with the fear of it.dangerous compromises, which he knew Stalin would To be more exact, certain central conceptionsbreak :at the soonest opportunity, respecting an individual's epistemological view of theUpon Lenin's death, Trotsky spoke in support of the universe suffice to uniquely determine the psychologicaldisgusting "Lenin Levy;" yet it was just this in- state ofan individual at the time those views are uttered.discriminate recruitment of people lacking any Psychology is empirical epistomology. Speakingrevolutionary qualifications whatsoever which was used schematically, hubristic theories and hypotheses whichby Stalin to choke the Bolshevik party. At the crucial reflect a living comprehension of "self-reflexiveThirteenth Party Congress immediately following processes," "actual infinites," etc., are singularlyLenin's death, Trotsky spoke only once, agreed to the characteristic of self-conscious states of mind. Serioussuspension of Lenin's will, and spent the rest of his time preoccupation with fundamental antinomies or(invaluable time!) attempting to dissociate himself from paradoxes is characteristic of "enlightened" states, inthe "embarrassing" support of the oppositionist "group which an agonized conflict between the ego and selfoof 46." As late as October of 1926 he agreed to "cease all consciousness is evident. Purely mechanistic notions offactional activity," only to have Stalin break the worth- "bad infinity'suffice to indicate infantile ego states, andless agreement within weeks, and then proceeded to so on.
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