In Defense of Marxism: The Social and Political Contradictions of the Soviet Union

by Leon Trotsky

Release Date: January, 1995

Edition: Paperback

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Workers can think more clearly - scientific fact

Very apropos today's politics - Iraq war, North Korea's nuclear program, death penalty in Cuba ... what stand to take? Trotsky at his polemical, take-no-prisoners best. This collection of letters and articles of debate between socialists on what to do during World War II is a challenging read. Makes you really think through why it is only a certain social class, the working class, that can develop a guide to action in times of war and revolution. Trotsky totally intertwines his perspective on the building of a working-class party in the US - criticizing the Socialist Appeal for being a paper for workers, rather than a workers' paper -- with an explanation of how to understand each war as it unfolds concretely. An applied lesson in using Marxism as a tool to figure out what to do next.

Sharpen Your Thinking With This Book

I think this is Trotsky's most important book. It is especially useful for us now in understanding today's world. Trotsky shows why the working class position is to defend the working class gains of the Russian Revolution-despite the reactionary character of the Stalinist bureaucracy. In explaining this, Trotsky points to the indispensable role of dialectical materialism in looking at contradictory developments. He shows us how to think as a Marxist and not be confused by the events that capitalism seeks to use to manipulate public opinion. Reading this book will sharpen your ability to understand the way imperialism poses as a peace keeper, while increasing its use of war and violence, how this has an effect on public opinion, and why the working class vanguard must learn to resist it.