The Revolution Betrayed

This work, by a leader of the Bolshevik Party and of the October Revolution and founder of the red Army examines the internal contradiction of the soviet society in the 1930’s. It would fulfill a long standing demand, created due to the unavailability of the book in this part of the world and a renewed interest, throughout the world, in the legacy of Trotsky, especially since the collapse of ‘actually existing socialism’ in the USSR and Eastern Europe. The Indian edition of this book is published as a result of the initiative taken by IIMS (Indian institute of Marxist Studies), Kolkata. Launched in a milieu of a confusing currents and cross-currents on the theory and practice of Marxism in the aftermath of the soviet collapse, IIMS owned the tasks of charting out a determined yet accommodative and flexible course in for the Marxists. The IIMS, when floated as a concept, had the crucial role of trying to bring together left intelligentsia on a common platform so that through debates and discussions everyone is able to work for a dynamic class agenda against a common enemy. The fundamental task posed to the Marxists today is to prove once again that socialism is the only viable alternative to capitalism. The Indian edition of The Revolution Betrayed is published from that orientation to initiate the debate regarding the fate of former soviet union, today’s China and other ‘socialist states’. This new edition features an introduction written with an objective of reorienting the theoretical debate within the Indian left.