International Trotsky
TROTSKY symposium
AN INTERNATIONAL sclentific colloquium on Leon Trotsky was held in the West German city of Wuppertal March 26 to 29 under the auspices of the town's university. More than 120 scholars from throughout the world attended. There were 18 experts from the Soviet Union, four from the People's Republic of China, 12 from the GDR and a dozen others from the Eastern European countries. The rest were from Western Europe, North America and Latin America. ERNEST MANDEL
E VERY participant had prepared
La written contribution on the subject, which together amounted to some 1,500 pages. Some at least will be published in book form, probably in several languages.
The colloquium addressed three main theme; Trotsky's role in the USSR from the October revolution until his expulsion from the country; his contribution to the analysis of Soviet society; and his place in the development of Marxism.
A number of contributions, however, dealt with other subjects. Thus, a British scholar talked on Trotsky and the Spanish revolution, an Austrian scholar on Trotsky and morality and several Soviet scholars on Trotsky and literature. Gregor Benton from Leeds University dealt with Trotsky and the Chinese revolution, a theme that was also taken up by a university lecturer
The scientific level of the contributions was very high. The tone of the reports and the numerous controversies that took place during the four days of debates was undogmatic and relaxed. There were no bitter polemics or personal attacks. The debates were lively but characterized by an open and pluralist spirit. Soviets often argued with other Soviets, westerners with westemers, Trotskyists with Trotskyists, nonTrotskyists with other non-Trotskyists. 26 principal co only posal to Colloque une Here it is only possible to indicate the International Viewpoint #183 • April 23, 1990
Highlights were the remarkable paper from Kerstin Herbst from East Germany on the treatment of Trotsky in Soviet historiography over the past five years; ProUniversity on the validity of Trotsky's conception of the world revolution in the light of the evident failure of "socialism in one country"; Prof. Firsov from the Institute of Marxism-Leninism in Moscow on the key role of Trotsky in the elaboration of the Comintern's united front policy; V. A. Kozlov from the same Institute and Prof. Britovtsek from Ljubljana University on Trotsky's conception
One of the most important contributions was certainly that of professor Vitaly Demishev from Moscow on the relevance of Trotsky's ideas in resolving the problems confronting the USSR
The colloquium got the first look at the first doctoral thesis about Trotsky from the USSR. It was the work of a young literary historian who said that "Trotsky has become my idol".
The participants from the People's Republic of China were notable for the very objective tone of their remarks. They had, in general, a very positive, although at the same time very critical judgement of Trotsky. The same could be Although there were plenty of social democrats who are hostile to Trotskyism and critical of Trotsky, everybody recognized the historical importance of him
The Colloquium was also marked by many revelations. Thus, Dr. Podshekoldin from the Moscow Institute of Marxism-Leninism told of the discovery of archive material that seemed to show that Stalin had falsified the results of the vote in the capital's Communist Party organization in 1923 on the first theses of the Opposition. It seems that the latter in fact got the majority.
Several Soviet experts revealed previously unknown facts about the close collaboration between Lenin and Trotsky in 1922-23. Other communications revealed that an important part of the "moderate" Stalinist leaders, perhaps around Kirov, were in favour of calling Trotsky back to the Soviet Union in 1932-33.
Trotsky biography to be published in Soviet Union
N. Vasetsky, one-time specialist in antiTrotskyist publications for the Novosti Agency announced the appearance in a few weeks of a large edition of a volume of selected works from Trotsky, edited by himself. Prof. Pierre Broué announced that it had been decided in Moscow to publish a Russian edition of his massive biography of Trotsky.
There were a number of communications from scholars who are members or close to the Fourth International, such as Manuel Aguilar (Mexico), Jesus Albarracin (Spain), Mike Goldfield (USA), L. Hass (Poland), Gregor Brenton (Britain), H. Lauscher (FRG), Michel Löwy (Brazil/ France), L. Maitan (Italy), E. Mandel (Belgium), J. Moneta (FRG), and F. Moreau (Canada).
Other currents describing themselves as Trotskyist were represented, Pierre Broué (France), Tom Kemp (Brit(Greece) and H. Ticktin (Britain).
Also at the colloquium were Esteban and V. Antonov-Ovseenko (Moscow), author of a well-known work on Stalin's crimes and the son of the AntonovOvseenko who led the assault on the Winter Palace in Petrograd during the October insurrection, who was one of the founders of the Left Opposition in 1923 and who was murdered on Stalin's orders in 1937.
Among those at the colloquium were people who had spent between them more than 200 years in the Stalinist Gulag, and in Nazi camps and other capitalist prisons. There was an emotional moment when the young leader of the Bukharin Club of Komsomols in the Kamaz tractor factory (the largest factory in the world with 140,000 workers), V. Pisigin, called on the hall to rise in honour of Léon Trotsky, his son Léon Sedov, N. Bukharin, Zinoviev, Rakovsky and all the victims of the Stalinist terror. A minute's silence was observed for all the victims of the Stalinist terror. Both by the victims and the one-time apologists of the murderers. Such is
Oskar was present at the fall of the Berlin Wall, but died on March 13, a month after the death of his companion.