Search - Trotsky: Rise and Fall of a Revolutionary on DVD

Excellent documentary untill his death, but then crazy

Walter F. Rice | Sacramento CA USA | 02/25/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"My educated guess is it is by far the best English language documentary of Trotsky. The historic videos and photographs were satisfying, and most of commentary was careful and knowlegeable. But after Trotsky was murdered the only thing offered was summary denunciation of Trotsky. Don't this film's makers understand that Trotsky fought courageously for fifteen years against Stalin, first during the Left Opposition, then the United Opposition, finally in exile. He fought the battle as a Soviet leader and as an exile, and he wrote books from the 'Stalin School of Falsification' to 'The Revolution Betrayed' against Stalin's Totalitarianism, tyranny and counterrevolution. He was for the idea, and I would guess most Bolsheviks would agree with him, that people always have the right to disagree with their rulers, and not be put to death because they do. He also believed people general (outside the party also) can make valuable contributions.

One other thing, if we want condemn violence, what about the horrible violence of world War I. WWI was fought for patriotic capitalism but against any notion that workers should not fight for their countries, but oppose the war and unite as the working class. The Bolshevik's complete opposition to WWI and belief as Marxists that the working people should unit helped define Bolsheviks. Patriotic socialists were no longer Marxists, and not really socialists. After the Bolsheviks October Revolution The WWI allies intervened in Russia and armed the White Armies and have most of the blame for the horrible and violent Civil War and the famine that followed. without the intervention, millions of people would not otherwise have perished. The way Trotsky is blamed for Stalin, because he 'believed in force', we as easily claim the Capitalist West caused and are equal to the Nazis and Fascists. Most of them have always believed in force. That either the Capitalists were equal to Nazis and Fascists or Trotsky (and leaders like Lenin) were equal to Stalin is nonsense in both cases.

Trotsky was not perfect, but no one is. He was a foe of great inequality. He had thoughts to the effect that ruling classes take good idea such as liberty, equality, and justice and and claim to embody them in their system, where these things mostly apply to the ruling class (the ones who have the resources or other means to to claim them, and also,these never apply to slaves, peons, sometimes women, selected nationalities, conquered and the most exploited people, all around the world). When it comes to people who challenge their system, they deny them all of these 'rights' while proclaiming even more about the capitalist systems embodiment of these 'rights'.

I do not claim this is a complete analysis, just a good one. Since the end of World War II billions of people have fought for and gained vital rights. These are great victories. I am sure Trotsky would argue these rights, largely by race, nationality questions(often race influenced), sex, and now sexual orientation) in most cases have been partially cancelled by class. A minority of every group makes the upper class,
and everyone else is in the upper class. These gains are good but the big problem remains.

Since I got into this philosophical discussion, related to Trotsky, I want to mention a very complicated question. The Russians had a Revolution as did the Chinese, but not forever. I have not read enough about a fair justice system that established rights and due process.I believe these are great and important. I do not believe that having a Revolution automatically gives these rights. The People who believe in these kind of rights (probably have to be in the Revolution) and have to fight for them, and fight to protect them and extend them."