Leon Trotsky and 1905
Ian Thatcher refuses to take Trotsky at his own valuation.
1905 was not only a momentous year for Late-Imperial Russia, it also marked an important turning-point in Leon Trotsky’s life. It was precisely in 1905 that, as Trotsky himself stated, he first advanced the theory of permanent revolution; a doctrine that was to be associated with him until his death and beyond. If this were not enough, 1905 was a notable event in Trotsky’s life for other reasons. It offered him a first opportunity of participating in an actual revolutionary situation.