Australian Left Review
Article Title
Discussion: Trotskyism and Marxism
Abstract
One can easily agree with Peter Beilharz in his review of Baruch Knei-Paz’s The Social and Political Thought o f Leon Trotsky (ALR, April 1979) when Beilharz writes that “a critical marxism clearly needs to penetrate below the blanket endorsement and the vitriol which are popular currency in contemporary debate” on Trotsky. Unfortunately Beilharz’s “penetration” reflects ignorance and gross distortion which, one might add, is reflected in the poor bibliography at the end of his review. If one must try to “save” Trotsky from the “trotskyists” and stalinists, it is also necessary to “save” him from the academic marxists. Equally, it is necessary to save him — and socialism — from the purveyors of “suburban commonsense” whom Beilharz seems to regard as the ones with the answers.