Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 08:10:25 -0500 (EST)
From: Justin Schwartz <jschwart-AT-freenet.columbus.oh.us>
Subject: Re: Trotsky's prose



Good, Scott. Of course you are right that L's assessment of T was
qualified. I still think it was pretty high. As to the "testement," to
which I didn't refer, there L offers critical remarks about all the top
B's, most famously and most harshly about Stalin, as of course you know.

--Justin

On Thu, 15 Feb 1996, Scott Marshall wrote:

> Justin:
> >I find it sort of odd that CPers tend to be very respectful of all of
> >Lenin's views except his very high assessment of T. With regard to that,
> >they follow Stalin. Mostly since Khrushchev they have not repeated thge
> >ridiculous lies of the purges, that T was a fascist agent or conducted a
> >systematic campaign of sabaotage and terrorism in the USSR. But they don't
> >respect Lenin's judgment of T, which was good enough to make him in effect
> >the No. 2 man in the Soviet govt and the Party while Lenin lived. The
> >explanation for this is obvious, of course.
> >
> >--Justin 
> 
> Scott: Actually there are pluses and minuses to what lenin had to say about
> Trotsky as you should well know as the scholar you are. To seriously hold
> that Trotsky never fought Lenin (how about attacked and strongly disagreed
> with) is rediculous and self serving at best. I've always marveled that
> Trotskists ignore the real differences Lenin had with Trotsky. They often
> raise Lenin's 'last will' article about Stalin, but Lenin's take there on
> Trotsky was not exactly one calling him "number two." Also as a matter of
> little historical importance, Stalin consistently voted with Lenin on the
> Brest peace issue while Trotsky stubornly maintained his 'convoluted' not
> peace nor war stance. Lenin's response was quite sarcastic and irritated.
> Lenin was right.
> 
> ps. Justin I do owe you an apology for the 'pompous' crack. On the list it's
> too easy to get into 'combat' mode and forget that it's all in fun. 
> 
> 
> 
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