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visit audible dot com slash revolutions

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welcome to revolutions

1:28

hundred and one the united

1:30

opposition

1:33

when lennon died in january nineteen

1:35

twenty four the everything changed

1:38

and everything stay the same lennon

1:40

had been be center gravity in the bolshevik

1:42

party since it's inception more than twenty

1:44

years earlier that center

1:46

of gravity removed the major

1:49

political moons that had orbited line in all

1:51

these years to know bf cam

1:53

enough stalin trotsky in the rest arena

1:56

wildly through space pulling away

1:58

from each other crashing into the other seemingly

2:01

random so obviously

2:03

in that sense everything changed and

2:05

would never be the see but

2:08

as they careened and crashed a kind

2:10

of political celestial mechanics

2:12

provided some underlying order to

2:14

the apparent randomness because

2:16

the object of all these moons was to

2:18

become the new center of gravity because

2:20

the party lennon built was built for

2:22

lennon to lead it had always been

2:24

premised on the existence of single leader

2:26

with unmatched authority influence and power

2:30

as the nineteen twenties unfolded joseph

2:32

stalin slowly but surely built

2:34

up his political mass until he

2:37

became the new center of gravity and

2:39

just as it had been with linen loyalty

2:42

or hostility to someone now

2:44

became the defining feature of soviet politics

2:47

those habitually loyal and deferential to

2:49

stone state and thirty those

2:51

who disagreed with him or opposed him were driven

2:53

out so after

2:55

lenin's death the communist party wound

2:58

up a completely different place than it had been before

3:00

that also in exactly same place it had been before

3:03

with conrad in when taking conrad lennon's

3:05

place as the center of gravity around

3:07

which the parties at

3:10

first the politburo the communist party trying

3:12

to keep in fixed as the center

3:14

of gravity afraid of what is death meant

3:17

for the party for russia for the revolution

3:20

instead of following instructions and giving line

3:22

in simple private family burial they

3:24

resolve to turn him into a permanent fixture

3:27

of russian life the turn him into

3:29

a kind of secular icon

3:31

or st for russians to worship as replacement

3:33

for the icons and seem to be orthodox

3:35

church when and damage was

3:37

plastered everywhere he was referenced

3:39

constantly the various

3:42

political battles of the nineteen twenties and nineteen

3:44

thirties were always waged in terms

3:46

of who most accurately reflected linens

3:48

original vision unlike

3:50

most religions leninism the

3:52

ideological face the game detach

3:54

from lennon the actual man they

3:56

don't statements were emphasized or suppress

3:59

to fit the changing needs and desires of

4:01

whoever happen to be controlling church mean

4:03

party the time shortly

4:06

after death they renamed petra grad

4:09

leningrad the name it would

4:11

bear until the collapse of the soviet union and

4:14

they went so far as to embark on kind of lunatic

4:16

scheme that sure most of you are aware of who

4:19

embalm and preserve lennon's physical

4:21

body after some trial

4:23

and error with the preservation process they finally

4:25

concocted the right mix of chemicals until

4:28

lenin's corpse was embalmed and placed

4:30

a mausoleum in moscow the

4:32

flesh and bone of lenin the actual human

4:34

being turned into an artificially

4:37

preserved destination for the pilgrims

4:39

of communism it

4:41

also gave new leaders of party a chance

4:43

to stand beside lenin any time they needed to remind

4:45

the world that they were lenin's true disciple unlike

4:48

the heretic and the judas is out there who

4:50

had betrayed his legacy the

4:53

know the rituals and ceremonies atlanta mausoleum

4:55

would stay the same over the years who

4:57

remained a faithful disciple and

4:59

who was branded an incurable heretic would

5:02

change with absurd regularity

5:06

as we all know the man who would always be

5:09

faithful disciple and never the heretic

5:11

at least while he lived stop with

5:14

benefit of hindsight we can see that stalin's

5:16

ascendancy to so dictatorship was

5:19

already under way before lennon do it there's

5:22

incremental consolidation power had begun

5:24

way back when he entered the org bureau nineteen

5:26

nineteen the skillfully exploited

5:28

is hiring and firing prerogative the

5:31

promote allies and reassigned rivals this

5:34

process accelerated when he became general

5:36

secretary the party and nineteen twenty two the

5:39

slow patient but persistent

5:41

process of promoting his friends and

5:43

demoting his rivals or supporters

5:45

of his rivals are friends of his rivals continued

5:49

this good have all come to an abrupt end in

5:51

nineteen twenty three nineteen twenty four the

5:55

poisonous words and elitist letter

5:57

about the secretary the have been

5:59

the end of him the other members of

6:01

the politburo could taken the recommendation to

6:03

remove stolen to heart and removed stalin

6:07

was both skillful and lucky the

6:10

was lucky that trotsky was

6:12

right there to see my can even bigger and more noxious

6:14

threat to the other grandees the party skillful

6:17

enough to explain it the

6:20

thirteen party congress and may nineteen twenty

6:22

four lenin's testament was circulated

6:24

to the various delegations to their shoes and

6:26

consternation then

6:28

in a carefully choreographed show stolen

6:31

offered to resign his post was

6:33

no vf and cabinet the congress

6:35

to refuse that resignation and reaffirm

6:38

their faith in general secretary only

6:41

later did they realized they probably miss their last

6:43

best opportunity to stop stones rise to

6:45

power mistake many

6:47

of them would pay for with their lives the

6:51

battle for control the party and the right

6:53

to emerge as the true heir of

6:55

lenin trotsky did himself

6:57

few favors and seemed almost begging

6:59

to be isolated by everyone else the

7:02

relationship it's sunovia for so toxic

7:04

that they hadn't spoken to each other privately and years

7:07

in october nineteen twenty four trotsky

7:09

had a chance to possibly receives

7:11

the political initiative back

7:14

in more collegial days the politburo

7:16

had approved plans to publish an addition of trotsky

7:19

ratings from nineteen seventeen the

7:21

preface to this collection rocky

7:23

wrote a sixty page essay called lessons

7:26

of october that emphasized

7:28

his close collaboration with lennon and

7:30

how the two of them had persevered

7:32

in carrying out the revolution in the face of

7:34

vacillating hesitancy and fearful

7:37

opposition from other leaders the

7:39

snobby asli sunovia up in canada brodsky

7:43

sought to make nineteen seventeen the

7:45

test upon which lenin's true disciples

7:47

were evaluated the nullifies

7:49

and know vf in cabinets claim to lenin's

7:51

inheritance goes while they had

7:53

been with him the longest that was meaningless

7:56

because they had not been there when lenin needed

7:58

them most granted me

8:00

while did right by his side now

8:03

much of what trotsky wrote was true that

8:05

as usual he wrote with dismissive

8:07

arrogance and a distinct lack generosity

8:11

the while lessons of october may have been cathartic

8:13

and scored few tactical hits against his rivals

8:16

strategically approved to be major perhaps

8:18

fatal setback the

8:21

bond of solidarity the troika stone

8:24

to know the of and cabinet had been

8:26

slowly dissolving throughout nineteen twenty four

8:29

my sense of october resubmit

8:31

find them almost immediately the

8:34

alliance had been uncomfortable and trotsky

8:36

came along and helpfully reminded them why

8:38

they needed to stick together so

8:40

the troika spent last month of nineteen twenty four

8:42

assailing trotsky from every angle during

8:45

his fifteen years at odds with the bolsheviks

8:47

prior to nineteen seventeen had

8:50

left long and very public trail

8:52

of abuse of lenin ridiculing

8:54

him attacking him mocking him all

8:56

of which need only be dug up and passed around to

8:58

make trotsky were terrible in the eyes of party members

9:01

who no conception of dynamics of old emigre

9:03

politics who barely even knew

9:05

that bolsheviks and mentioned x haven't been

9:07

to wings of the same they

9:10

also blasted trotsky for his conduct during

9:12

the civil war highlighting his

9:14

arbitrary abuses or decisions

9:17

and how he got good conrad killed or

9:19

executed them unnecessarily the

9:22

end of nineteen twenty four his

9:24

reputation the ruins in

9:27

response to all this all he could do in january

9:29

nineteen twenty five was resign

9:31

as commissar of the army and navy

9:33

that critical post he had held since march

9:36

nineteen eighteen trotsky

9:38

could lay rightful claim to having almost singlehandedly

9:41

organize victory the russian civil war completely

9:44

remaking the red army and traveling relentlessly

9:46

from front to front until victory was secured

9:49

the now after nearly seven years

9:52

he was unceremoniously dumped overboard when

9:55

rejected his resignation or begged

9:57

him to stay without lennon

9:59

around protect him anymore there

10:01

was nobody to protect trotsky the

10:06

keep up appearances and to ensure trotsky

10:08

remain bound by rules a party discipline

10:10

he retained his seat and but the central committee

10:12

of communist party and pilot know

10:15

he had plenty of friends and supporters inside the

10:17

party to say nothing the general public

10:20

in those all important committee rooms was

10:22

isolated and alone but

10:25

not for long almost

10:27

minute stolen successfully marginalize

10:29

trotsky the turned on the other two

10:31

partners of the troika the know

10:33

bf and cam enough supposedly

10:36

the senior partners and the trigger and

10:38

turning on them turned out to be easier than

10:40

they could have imagined in

10:42

early nineteen twenty five there were only

10:45

seven voting members of politburo the

10:48

sunovia com enough the

10:51

readers how to ski alexei

10:54

rico and nikolai because

10:57

or stalin had do was come to an agreement with

10:59

tom ski greek often to current they

11:02

could ignore trotsky so no bf and cabinet completely

11:05

the way the communist party had been built way

11:08

the u s r has been built meant

11:10

the tiniest shifts in interpersonal relations

11:12

inside these are important committees the

11:15

major political and economic

11:17

ramifications the

11:19

one days you know bf and cabinet woke up to discover

11:21

they were no longer invited to the little pre

11:23

meetings that would arrange policy votes

11:25

for the official politburo sessions just

11:28

weeks earlier they had been the ones

11:30

holding these little pre meetings now

11:33

they were helplessly cut out the

11:37

shift the balance of power in politburo

11:39

mint a shift in policy to the no

11:42

labels like right and laughter

11:44

always a bit arbitrary especially

11:47

this context as we're still talking about

11:49

a bunch of communists not actual

11:51

rightwing anything but

11:53

in this context car

11:55

and and his group were understood to

11:57

be the right the opposition

11:59

would i understood to be coming from the

12:03

mccarron know representing the right wing and

12:05

communist party was surprising as

12:07

he had first burst onto the scene back in nineteen

12:09

eighteen as a leader of the left communist

12:12

the vehemently oppose the treaty abruptly

12:14

task as a betrayal of the international

12:16

proletariat and while he

12:18

quickly soften outlined to avoid associations

12:21

with the left us are revolt the

12:23

stayed on the last and was

12:25

vocal defender of war communism throughout the

12:27

civil war the rationalize

12:29

the course of expropriations is vital to

12:31

the warrant practical level and holy

12:34

in keeping with marxism on a theoretical

12:36

level over past several

12:38

years the current stature had grown he

12:40

has after all now sitting the politburo and

12:42

he was considered brightest theoretician in the party

12:45

the drafted books and essays they became

12:48

the basic text of the communist party

12:51

the by the end the civil war bickering

12:54

concluded as lennon dead that

12:56

were communism needed massive correction

12:59

the end all it had gotten them was ruined

13:01

economy hasn't revolt and mass starvation

13:05

there when the any p came around the

13:07

current hopped over and became it's chief

13:09

defender however

13:11

much it might rankle them it was far better

13:13

to incentivize peasants to grow grain

13:15

surpluses by offering them the chance for

13:17

personal material enrichment rather

13:20

than simply confiscating know surpluses which

13:22

years of war communism had proved would drive

13:24

the peasants to stop growing surpluses that

13:28

as defended the principles the any p nineteen

13:31

twenty five garen committed

13:33

something of for both a path that would haunt

13:35

him for rest his life believing

13:38

that the major industrialization projects that

13:40

would bring about for socialism and communism

13:42

could only com after a slow and steady

13:44

accumulation of national wealth they

13:46

would begin by encouraging peasants

13:48

to seek profit and what they grill there's

13:51

policy prescription was enrich

13:53

yourself which

13:56

in french is hop we see

13:58

save literal the

14:00

the words that french maki so had used

14:02

during the july monarchy when he was

14:04

asked how people were supposed to make their voices

14:06

heard in a closed regime run by bourgeois oligarchy

14:09

no say will expand the franchise increase democracy

14:12

or make the government more responsive he

14:14

said hopefully she said which

14:17

everyone took to mean once you have woof your

14:19

voice will count mean

14:21

there's reason giza get specifically name

14:23

checked the beginning of communist manifesto

14:26

the current using exactly the same phrase

14:28

allowed his enemies to make permanent hey of

14:31

his ill chosen echo one

14:33

the original bet and wars of communism but

14:37

but going point was that the u s s r needed

14:39

to grow its wealth and capital somehow if they were

14:41

going to catch up to the western powers who

14:43

had spent centuries running exploited

14:45

colonial empires that accumulated the capital

14:48

for their economic growth and prosperity

14:51

this question capital accumulation was

14:53

vitally important because in nineteen twenty four

14:55

nineteen twenty five stalin

14:57

and current ruling group started

14:59

tossing around the idea socialism

15:02

in one country the

15:04

idea of socialism one country

15:07

had been percolating the communists subconscious

15:10

going back to ninety nineteen they

15:12

first had face the reality is that global

15:14

revolution wasn't inevitably surging

15:16

throughout the world as we have

15:18

discussed ad nauseum all

15:20

bolshevik ideology prior to the revolution

15:23

was premised on russia being one part of

15:25

a larger revolutionary home they

15:27

would eventually get the resources they needed

15:29

to turn backwards russia into modern

15:31

russia from their friends and neighboring

15:34

revolutionary regimes now

15:36

years have passed and they were still basically

15:39

alone revolutions in west

15:41

never came the polls had stopped

15:43

the red army cold at battle warsaw the

15:46

most recent attempts to want a revolution in germany

15:48

had failed miserably though

15:50

the stolen current quick switch

15:52

gears and began saying hey we don't need

15:54

the west we can do it all ourselves

15:58

here will continue to push for internet the revolution

16:00

but in the meantime we can and must build

16:03

socialism in one country this

16:07

flu in the face of longstanding bolshevik ideology

16:09

and triggered major push back inside the party

16:12

from what has become known as the left opposition

16:16

this opposition was not formed

16:18

by cranks or second rate losers

16:21

it included major figures of international

16:23

communism like karate and carl

16:25

radek as well as revolutionary

16:27

heroes like flat him your aunt and off and nikolai

16:30

mirror off who had literally lead

16:32

bolshevik forces guns and hand during

16:34

the october revolution these

16:36

were people who had literally put their lives

16:38

on the line for bolshevik revolution and

16:41

who's courage and resiliency and revolutionary

16:43

credentials could never be challenge though

16:46

course they would be the

16:49

leading theorist have left opposition was a guy

16:51

called yevgeny pray brzezinski

16:53

in contrast to be current theory of slowly

16:56

building capital by favoring peasant farmers

16:59

pray brzezinski advocated rapid industrialization

17:02

industrialization now right now

17:04

at all costs the communism

17:07

required a modern industrial economy with

17:10

it's rude problem solved by collect devising

17:12

all land and turning it into giant mechanized

17:14

farms cranking out huge grain surpluses

17:17

they would both feed russians and be able

17:19

to sell something abroad for profit profits

17:22

take it immediately turn and reinvest in

17:24

further industrialization projects but

17:27

like be current gray brzezinski

17:29

committed his own verbal miscue that haunted

17:31

him in the left opposition because

17:34

said that his plants required the exploitation

17:37

of the peasants the party

17:39

should embark on kind of internal colonial

17:41

project that would force the russian

17:43

peasants to play the part of exploited

17:45

colonized people state

17:48

taxes and the price manufactured goods would

17:50

be set purposefully hi the that any

17:52

and all wealth the peasantry might accrue for themselves

17:55

would be necessarily directed right back the state

17:57

the would use to grow industry most

18:01

nineteen twenty five was taken up with this debate

18:03

about economic policy and relations with

18:05

the peasants stolen sided

18:07

with right wing and as the politburo

18:09

maintain those policy supportive of the any

18:12

p model of ground the

18:14

laughed not unreasonably said all this policy

18:16

would do is build the economic wealth and political

18:18

power of class enemies of the proletarian

18:20

revolution namely coup lox

18:22

and the net men whose reconciliation

18:25

the communist party was transparently fan

18:28

the current plan of enrich yourself

18:31

would probably take it to the point where they'd be able to challenge

18:33

the communists for political supremacy the

18:36

car and meanwhile could reasonably tell left all

18:38

you're doing is calling for return to war communism

18:41

when we all know where that leads we

18:43

already tried exploit the peasants

18:45

and all it did was create vreeland unrest

18:48

and lead them to abandon making surpluses

18:50

entirely the the not only did we not

18:52

grow the economy improve our manufacturing infrastructure

18:55

we actually drove ourselves into a massive family

18:59

better to let the cool lox can little bit rich

19:01

that image everybody's lives could be improved and

19:04

whole economy grew because otherwise

19:06

it's misery chaos failure we

19:08

all get overthrown on

19:12

account being i start of politburo was

19:14

innovia and caminos found themselves

19:16

by default in the opposition hello

19:19

their vote no longer mattered in the politburo they're

19:21

still incredibly influential and

19:23

to know bf in particular held other institutional

19:26

positions of power he was

19:28

head of the party in leningrad and

19:30

he remained chairman the common turn around

19:33

nineteen twenty five the and cam

19:35

enough followed trot his journey from

19:37

imperious autocrat to plaintive

19:39

democrat as soon as they got kicked out

19:41

of the inner circle power they

19:44

join together with no less thicker than croup skier

19:46

the oldest of the bolsheviks the

19:49

was now carrying the further mantle of lenin's

19:51

widow they all

19:53

attack stones tightening grip on the party

19:55

that strangled free debate and creative discussion

19:59

they also joined the left this and attacks on current

20:01

policies that heavily favored the peasants

20:03

over the workers which the know vf

20:05

was able to use to great effect from his position

20:07

in leningrad that most heavily

20:10

proletarian of cities there

20:14

battle point that we have to make here

20:16

is that these debates we're not taking place

20:18

out in the open or in public view

20:21

they were waged internally between factions

20:23

of what lenin had called that been stratum

20:25

of the party a cohort numbering

20:27

in the mirror thousand now

20:30

they ran one party state every communist

20:32

leader considered vital to maintain a public

20:34

facade party unanimity the

20:37

even those opposed to stone and current

20:40

did not consider going public with their attacks

20:43

as i said last week so

20:45

passive muzzle kept someone like trotsky

20:47

from using his most valuable weapons against

20:49

the ruling class the popularity

20:51

his fame and his oratorical skills and

20:54

so to it would be force and ldf in canada

20:58

they wanted to fight for their positions and regain

21:00

power they were never going

21:02

call the people to join them in this effort

21:05

in fact is members the central committee and

21:07

politburo they were forbidden

21:09

from freely expressing themselves to the people

21:11

without permission going

21:13

public with criticism of the party rest

21:15

the greatest punishment of all expulsion

21:19

from the party though

21:21

despite bitter disagreements and

21:24

and awareness on all sides they were playing

21:26

high stakes winner take all contest

21:28

where control the party russia the

21:30

soviet union and the revolution there

21:33

were strict limit on how far the opposition would

21:35

go to defend themselves this

21:37

put them permanently on backfoot

21:40

stalin the current and their allies were free

21:42

to trumpet their own views as official policy

21:44

whenever and wherever they want

21:46

it going

21:49

into the fifteen party congress in december nineteen

21:51

twenty five there were stirrings

21:53

at least inside the party have a genuine

21:56

desire to debate openly the policies

21:58

of stalin and be current the

22:01

know bf him cabinet found influential

22:03

allies and senior leadership they

22:05

came into this congress ready to demand

22:07

greater freedom inside the party and a review

22:10

of the current economic policies they

22:13

discovered stalin was way ahead them the

22:15

had long since ensure this congress would be packed

22:18

with delegates a loyal to him and bucharest this

22:20

years of hiring and firing promoting

22:22

and demoting had produced a

22:24

compliant congress had come to do is

22:26

they were told not think for themselves the

22:29

know bf brought with him loyal delegation

22:31

from leningrad practically

22:34

everyone else in the room opposed

22:36

the opposition the

22:38

attempt to dramatically carry the party away from

22:40

stalin was met with jeers and haggling they

22:43

were so thoroughly rather cabinet was demoted

22:45

to non voting member the politburo the

22:47

central committee voted a stalin loyalists

22:50

name sergei cure off to take over the

22:52

leningrad party from sunovia meanwhile

22:56

just watched and did nothing having

22:58

himself been pushed out with the gleeful connivance

23:01

of zenobia up in canada the

23:03

watch from the wings with at least little

23:05

bit upsetting for it they did not

23:07

speak for or against anyone he

23:09

just watched that

23:12

didn't point out

23:15

but after his too old foes had

23:17

been laid low the simultaneously

23:19

natural an unnatural inevitability

23:22

came to pass the

23:24

spring of nineteen twenty six trotsky

23:27

so no bf cabinet aligned

23:29

with one another that

23:31

it was natural because their only hope

23:33

of victory against stalin and bickering was joining

23:35

forces that was obvious to all of them

23:38

it was unnatural because they had spent

23:40

so much time wailing away on

23:42

each other it was tough to even sit

23:44

in the same room they

23:46

had crossed line from policy debates

23:49

to ad hominem personal attacks years

23:51

ago repairing that damage

23:53

was not just about making political compromise

23:56

feeling emotional wounds those

23:59

wounds did not the heel but

24:02

still in the summer of nineteen twenty six they

24:04

emerged as what became known as the

24:06

united opposition which

24:09

was open to just about anyone who happened

24:11

oppose stalin and boo car and for just about

24:13

any reason this

24:15

opposition to was not bunch of scrubs

24:18

a good number most preeminent or bolsheviks

24:20

doing in trotsky so no

24:22

vf in canada still had a norm

24:24

his influence and moral authority the

24:27

by nineteen twenty six stalin had stack

24:29

deck the party so adroitly they

24:31

probably didn't matter how well they played their hands

24:34

they were gonna lose the

24:36

party apparatus itself was now staff talked

24:38

about with men and women appointed by stalin

24:41

because they were loyal to start younger

24:43

members who joined after nineteen seventeen cared

24:46

little about what the old guard thought and

24:48

who knew full well that their own career power

24:50

and prestige were based on stones personal patronage

24:54

they were never going to support anybody but stone

24:57

stalin was their meal ticket and everyone

24:59

knew it but

25:01

still the united opposition fought hard to win

25:03

control the party and

25:06

workhorse ideological components to

25:08

this fight when foreign policy

25:10

to pursue what economic policies to

25:12

pursue whether to favor peasants

25:14

are workers whether to have more or

25:16

less political freedom should

25:18

we do enrich yourselves for

25:20

exploit the peasants that

25:23

wow these ideological dispute were real

25:26

what mattered most was who had power

25:28

and who didn't brodsky

25:30

the know vf cabinet for the opposition

25:32

attack whatever snow wanted bickering and right did

25:34

because down and bickering weren't the

25:36

opposition was and in circumstances

25:39

like these one must say white

25:41

to black up to down hot

25:44

to cold and always

25:46

in every case framing not

25:48

as white or black up or down hot or cold

25:51

right or wrong conversely

25:55

the ruling group denounce degraded and

25:57

lambasted everything the left opposition

25:59

stood for they're crazy pushed

26:01

to bring back force requisitions collectivize

26:03

farming rapid industrialization at all cost

26:05

even meant brutalization of the peasants how

26:08

could even consider going back to that foreshadow

26:12

alert and

26:14

so while fought hard the opposition only

26:16

lost ground in july nineteen

26:19

twenty six the central committee voted to know vs

26:21

out of the politburo shortly

26:23

thereafter they eliminated the position of chairman

26:25

of commentary leaving sunovia

26:27

with no institutional base of power and all

26:31

this left only trotsky alone in

26:33

the politburo with a single useless

26:35

vote and he did not

26:37

last much longer in october

26:39

nineteen twenty six he install and got into heated

26:41

argument to politburo meeting which

26:43

was immediately followed by party conference

26:45

that booted trotsky from the politburo have

26:48

a reason of control and appearance the

26:50

opposition leaders remained in central committee

26:53

but now that they ran of the politburo they

26:56

were told that they challenge the politburo they

26:58

would face that fate worse than death paul

27:02

expulsion from the party hodel

27:04

political excommunication despite

27:09

the setbacks there were still reason to hope going into

27:11

nineteen twenty seven the united opposition would

27:13

ultimately when they were after

27:15

all career revolutionaries they had

27:17

based what appeared to be certain defeat numerous

27:19

times and had yet somehow

27:21

come out on top all

27:23

it took was shift and perception or major

27:26

setback for government to breakthrough and

27:28

the spring nineteen twenty seven the absolutely

27:31

believe they were on the verge of success thanks

27:34

to disasterous events in the chinese

27:37

revolution now

27:39

before we go on let us pause here one second

27:41

and all share a heavy sigh that i

27:43

will not be covering the chinese revolution

27:45

but

27:49

if i pad covered the chinese revolution

27:52

would probably be in some episode in the

27:54

early to mid period same episode

27:56

eight hundred and seventy six or something where

27:59

the national this kuomintang party has

28:01

grown to united front with leftist elements

28:03

weakness more chinese communist party stalin

28:07

was all for this united front and used

28:09

his control the com and turn to push the line

28:11

on his chinese conrad oh

28:14

and confidently said they would squeeze the chinese

28:16

bourgeoisie like lemon and then discard

28:18

them and he believed this

28:20

is how was gonna go right up until

28:22

the moment it didn't conflicts

28:25

in kmt between left right

28:28

lead general chiang kai shek to affect purge

28:30

of leftists and communists culminating

28:32

with the shanghai massacre of april nineteen

28:34

twenty which saw right

28:37

wing forces brutally attacked workers labour

28:39

unionists and communists in shanghai where

28:41

the death toll numbering in the thousands often

28:44

pointed to as the beginning of the chinese civil war

28:48

international communism was scandalize

28:50

by the affair and tragedies and know

28:52

bf and the rest of the opposition were appalled by

28:54

the news that they were even

28:56

more eager to fix the blame for the massacre

28:58

squarely on stalin who

29:00

had effectively led the chinese communist to the

29:02

slaughter constantly recommending passive

29:05

obedience to the kmt trotsky

29:08

was now able to gather eighty four

29:10

prominent russian communist to draft

29:13

a declaration of opposition to a litany

29:15

of regime policy oh side

29:18

by another three hundred prominent members the party

29:21

the also went in appealed to the com and turn

29:23

to come adjudicate their complaints against

29:25

the leaders of russian communist party that

29:28

would you to kidding such disputes had always been

29:30

one the com and turns make sense but

29:32

it it only ever been used for their small satellite

29:35

parties not the russian mothership

29:39

it looked like the beginning of the opposition's comeback

29:41

stalin move quickly to quash it anyone

29:45

who signed onto this most recent declaration

29:47

themselves reassigned to new past often

29:50

positions abroad it took them out of russia entirely

29:53

stamina for example was appointed ambassador

29:55

to italy or he have to

29:57

endure whatever humiliations muscle

30:00

dreamed up for him one

30:02

popular opposition member was sent to a post off

30:04

manchuria that when he

30:06

departed an impromptu gathering

30:09

of thousands saw him off the station

30:12

this seem to signal that the fight may be

30:14

moving out into street fearing

30:18

that trump skins know vf would use their

30:20

positions on the central committee to reveal

30:22

damning details about the business in china

30:25

oh and convened a party tribunal and july

30:27

nineteen twenty seven expel them

30:29

from the central committee the

30:31

charges were first trotsky's appeal to

30:33

the comintern and and second

30:36

that impromptu gathering at the train station

30:39

trotsky easily fended off the charger saying

30:42

the one hand he had been following

30:44

rules agreed to by every one when he

30:46

appealed to the common turn as for

30:48

the incident at the train station the

30:50

politburo itself said these reassignments

30:52

were totally routine and there nothing untoward

30:54

about any of so having bunch

30:56

of people come gather to see off someone who

30:58

the politburo continued to maintain was

31:00

good conrad how can that

31:02

be considered an unauthorized act

31:05

of opposition at

31:08

this meeting trotsky also opened

31:10

up an attack that helps bring the

31:12

revolution's podcast full circle everyone

31:16

was well versed the french revolution they

31:18

all believe the different moments characters

31:21

and movements friend the french revolution we're

31:23

effectively archetypes for all revolutions

31:26

the going into the opposition trotsky

31:28

in particular had been banging the drums that

31:31

stalin represented the term dorian reaction

31:33

of the russian revolution click

31:35

of self interested bureaucrat were overthrowing

31:37

the true revolution and replacing it

31:39

was something venal and reactionary because

31:43

it'll help tie together the whole podcast

31:45

now that we're coming to an end i'm a

31:47

quote at length some passages from

31:49

isaac deutscher biography of trotsky specifically

31:52

volume to the profit unarmed where

31:54

he quote at length he

31:56

speech during this tribunal the

31:59

witcher shortly before

32:01

the opening of the proceedings salts

32:04

that is aaron salt the leader the tribunal

32:07

conversing with one atrocities associates

32:09

and trying to show him how pernicious was the

32:11

opposition's role said what

32:13

does this lead to you know the history

32:15

the french revolution into what this

32:17

lead the arrest into the getting

32:20

it is your intention then to getting us

32:23

the opposition staff the

32:25

don't reply don't you think that robespierre

32:27

was sorry for denton when he sent him to the

32:29

getting and then robespierre had to

32:31

go himself the you think was not

32:33

sorry did he was that

32:35

he had to do it once

32:38

the tribunal got going door to right

32:41

having surveyed major questions that issue brodsky

32:44

wound up with a forceful evocation

32:46

of french revolution he referred

32:49

the conversation quoted before between

32:51

salt and in opposition ist he

32:54

said that he agreed with salts that they all

32:56

are to consult a new the annals of the french revolution

32:59

but it was necessary to use the historical

33:01

analogies correctly and

33:03

then we quote tragedy during

33:06

the great french revolution many were getting

33:09

we to brought many people

33:11

before the firing squad but

33:13

there were two great chapters the french revolution

33:16

one went like this the

33:18

speaker points upwards the

33:20

other like that the point downward

33:23

in first chapter when revolution moved upwards

33:26

a jacobins the bolsheviks of that the

33:29

a team the royalists and that around us

33:32

we do have gone through similar great chapter

33:34

when we the opposition as together

33:36

with you shop the white guards and

33:38

exiled hours around us but

33:41

then another chapter opened in france when

33:43

the term dorians and bonaparte just

33:46

who had emerged from the right wing of the jacobin party

33:49

again to exile and shoot the left jacobins

33:52

i would like conrad salt to think out his

33:54

analogy to the end and to answer

33:56

for himself first of all this question

33:59

which after is it in which salt

34:01

is preparing have us emotion

34:04

in the hall this

34:06

is no laughing matter revolution a serious

34:08

business none of us is scared firing

34:11

squads we are all old revolutionary

34:14

but we must know who it is that has to be shot

34:16

and what chapter it is that we are

34:18

in then we did the shooting

34:21

we knew firmly watch after we were in the

34:23

you comrade salt see clearly

34:25

in which chapter you are preparing to shoot

34:28

us fear that you are

34:30

about to do so in the term

34:32

dorian chapter current

34:35

he then went on to say do

34:37

think that on the very next day after nine term

34:39

it or they said to themselves we have now

34:41

transferred power into the hands of bourgeoisie

34:44

think the look up the newspaper

34:46

said that they said we have

34:48

destroyed handful of people who disturbed the peace

34:50

in party and now after

34:52

their destruction the revolution will triumph

34:54

completely the conrad

34:57

salt as any doubt about it an insult

34:59

interjects say you are practically

35:01

repeating my own words trotsky

35:03

respond i shall read

35:05

to you what was said by brief all right

35:08

jacobin interment orion when he reported

35:10

on that session at convention which

35:12

had had resolved to hand over rogue spear and

35:14

his associates to revolutionary tribunals

35:18

in triggers and counter revolutionaries draping

35:20

themselves with the toby's of patriotism they

35:23

had thought the destruction liberty and

35:25

convention decreed to place them under arrest

35:28

they were robespierre could top songs

35:30

used blubber and robespierre the younger

35:34

the chairman ass what my opinion was an i replied

35:37

those who had always voted in accordance with the

35:39

principles the mountain voted for

35:41

imprisonment i did more

35:43

i one of those who proposed this measure or

35:46

over secretary i hasten to sign and

35:48

to transmit you this decree of the convention

35:52

that is how the report was made by a sorts

35:55

of that time rogue spear

35:57

and his associates these were the counter revolution

36:00

those who would always voted

36:02

in accordance with the principles the mountain meant

36:04

in a language of that time those

36:06

who had always been bolsheviks we've

36:09

all considered himself and all bolshevik today

36:12

to there are secretaries who hasten to

36:14

sign and transmit the

36:16

day to there are such secretary

36:20

then he went on to say the

36:23

odor of the second chapter now a sales

36:25

ones nostrils the party

36:27

regime stifles everyone who struggles against

36:29

army door the worker the man

36:31

the mass has been stifled in the party

36:34

the rank and file is that

36:36

had also been the condition of the jack of clubs in

36:38

their decay an anonymous

36:41

reign terror was instituted

36:43

there violent was compulsory

36:45

the one hundred percent vote and abstention

36:47

from all criticism was demand it

36:50

was obligatory to think in accordance with the orders

36:52

receive from above then you were

36:54

compelled stop thinking that the party was a living

36:56

and an independent organism the

36:58

self sufficient machine power the

37:01

jacobin cause the crucible of revolution

37:04

became nurseries of napoleon's future bureaucracy

37:07

we had learned from the french revolution that

37:10

is it really necessary the repeated

37:15

the couple of things about all that the

37:17

trustees take on the reign of terror that

37:20

was originally a force projected upwards

37:22

at royalists and gironde dust the

37:25

tnt bit sketchy sure

37:28

prominent royalists and aristocrats were definitely

37:30

caught up in reign of terror like st louis

37:32

to sixteen marie antoinette but

37:34

the move against the iranians was hardly

37:37

an upward thrust was much more

37:39

about sideways jab and

37:42

which trotsky himself clearly associates

37:44

in the russian contacts with the purge to the mentioned

37:46

x in the sars actions

37:48

which he approved out don't

37:51

mentioned is the fact that the reign of terror

37:53

there's also always pointed downwards

37:56

at peasants and journalists and shopkeepers

37:58

or parish priests superman the

38:00

vast majority the names of victims the ranch

38:02

her long before terminal the

38:04

jacobins always pointed upwards that

38:07

the guillotine always felt downwards

38:10

and fact or meat or was precipitated

38:13

by those who wanted stop the reign terror even

38:16

if as we know many of those derby dorians

38:18

had been hypocritically the worst

38:20

of the terrorists and

38:22

trotsky also compares himself and left

38:25

opposition to robespierre and true

38:27

jacobin the criticizes

38:29

the jacobin machine for becoming too rigidly

38:31

bound by enforced top

38:33

down dogmas where the slightest

38:35

deviation or criticism could

38:37

get your name put on deathless with

38:40

all due respect to conrad trotsky scholarship

38:43

the say that such things be found jacobins

38:45

after robespierre death would

38:47

perhaps suggest closer review of jacobin

38:50

party under wraps fierce leadership

38:53

now there is something to the idea that stalin

38:56

was building as cynical bonaparte his style

38:58

dictatorship the didn't care about anything but staying

39:00

in power and was thus planning

39:02

to bring the he relic revolutionary period

39:04

to a close but

39:07

let's pick had just few years and see of stalin

39:09

is planning to wind down the revolution with his

39:11

newly one dictatorship we'll

39:14

see next week that's not the case

39:16

at all and rak stalin

39:18

would do most of what trotsky was attacking

39:20

him for failing to do and

39:22

in fact stone is about to implement one of the all

39:24

time leading revolutions from

39:26

above retreating going

39:28

backwards or compromising the

39:30

going forward at speeds generated

39:33

by the sacrifice of millions of lives defended

39:36

by reign of terror that surpass the original

39:40

he portrayed himself as the noble robespierre

39:42

betrayed by venal bureaucrats of new directory

39:45

that was the counter he didn't they were in it

39:47

was the role he thought he was

39:50

really is just the victim of a sideways

39:53

thrust of one revolutionary faction against

39:55

another and anyone is robespierre

39:57

in this analogy at stalin and

40:00

mean strategy is probably just another surrounded

40:02

that to go had his final supper in

40:04

crypt because years or

40:09

they even though describe you know was understands

40:11

direction they hesitated to go

40:13

too far they did not boot

40:16

to know vf and trotsky from the central committee

40:19

they warn them know to cease their factional

40:21

attacks on the politburo chanting

40:24

weakness the opposition instead

40:26

prepared for showdown the fifteen party congress

40:29

which was set for december nineteen twenties they

40:32

drafted whole separate platform and

40:34

demand right to openly debate that platform

40:36

and circulated among party members but

40:39

course the politburo forbidden the

40:41

opposition ignore them and her to were

40:44

printing companies anyway the fact

40:46

it was quickly uncovered by the gp you

40:48

who appeared to catch the opposition

40:50

red handed the even

40:53

worse one of those boosted

40:55

a printing press was former officer

40:57

of the white or me which

40:59

seemed clear proof that the opposition was no

41:01

better than corneal offer culture there

41:04

were enemies of the revolution the

41:07

hilarious part though that it

41:09

was soon revealed that this former white officer

41:11

was the police agent planted

41:13

in group to inform on that

41:16

his presence there was not shocking discovery

41:19

he was there guy on the inside

41:22

so if collaborating with former white officers

41:24

was a crime it was mostly

41:26

the regimes crime by

41:29

late october nineteen twenty seven stone move beyond

41:32

calls for trotsky into novia the

41:34

not just we kick out of central committee that

41:36

out of the party entirely trotsky

41:39

dared them to go forward with his expulsion

41:42

he was betting that stalin was on verge of overreaching

41:45

this would backfire

41:48

the that brings us to the events of november

41:50

seventh nineteen twenty seven the

41:52

tenth anniversary the october revolution that

41:55

little they did not plan on anything to huge

41:58

the opposition in their support there's decided to

42:00

use new pretended he up with marches

42:02

in the streets unfurl banners

42:05

and chant slogans in favor of the opposition

42:07

and against they had

42:09

posters that read things like read lenin's

42:11

testament or down with cool

42:13

lox no anything that mates nunes

42:15

ruling group let me the

42:18

secret police the regular police and

42:20

stalin aligned activist founded

42:22

on any one carrying on authorize banners

42:25

and street scuffling ensued in moscow

42:27

and and petra the scuffling

42:29

made look like the opposition had launched violent

42:31

protest but mostly was just because

42:33

they were getting jumped by the regime forces and

42:35

fighting back the

42:38

victors surge the former anarchist

42:40

turned bolshevik who was now a supporter

42:42

of the left opposition was there in leningrad

42:45

said while he maneuvered image the crowd he

42:47

shouted long live trotsky

42:49

into novia this call

42:51

was met only by silence until

42:53

enemies of toronto into know the have called the

42:56

dustbin with the

42:59

deliberate call back to trump's his own declarations

43:01

against russia's your audience dementia vixen

43:03

the srs back in nineteen seventeen he

43:06

was now destined follow because

43:08

was his factions turn the be

43:10

declared counterrevolutionary heretic

43:12

and the

43:15

response from stolen the events of november

43:17

seventh was swift the went straight

43:19

for the jugular convening another

43:21

pretty tribunal and calling for trotsky and sanofi

43:23

have to be expelled from the party entirely for inciting

43:26

an insurrection this

43:28

time the tribunal did not hesitate and

43:31

so in november nineteen twenty seven

43:33

ten years after the great october revolution

43:36

the of most prominent communists in the world

43:39

the woman who had their own claim to being

43:41

true air and disciple been excommunicated

43:45

expelled from the party was

43:48

a shocking turn of events especially

43:50

nearly all this infighting had been kept under

43:52

wraps and so if you were just

43:54

regular person going about your business one

43:56

minute everyone was united in solidarity

43:59

and trotsky the know via for heroes of the revolution

44:02

the next minute they were demons would

44:04

been exercise from party the

44:08

know bf would not be able to face the six molson

44:10

and he'd come crawling back on bended knee trotsky

44:13

never would ask you never

44:16

cut this

44:18

was the beginning of the end of his revolutionary career

44:20

and russia and his association

44:22

with the russian communist party he had done so

44:24

much to put in power kicked

44:27

out of the kremlin immediately and then out

44:29

moscow it was ordered to

44:31

internal exile in kazakhstan where

44:33

he would spend a year before being departed

44:35

from the u s r entirely never

44:38

to return

44:42

ironically stalin and be current

44:44

triumph over their rivals in the united opposition

44:47

one sided with an abrupt shift in power and

44:49

in policy next

44:51

time having triumphed over the

44:53

left opposition politically stalin

44:56

will suddenly embrace all of their policy

44:58

proposals as if he is not just spent the last

45:00

few years ceaselessly attacking them you

45:03

will turn and train his political guns on bickering

45:06

and iraq as he pushes in

45:08

soviet union towards rapid industrialization

45:10

the five year plans and mass

45:13

collectivization