Trotsky on Ukraine
The Editors 3 March 2014
Trotsky on The Ukrainian Question in Socialist Appeal, 22 April 1939 (via Counterpunch):
The Ukrainian question, which many governments and many socialists and even communists have tried to forget or to relegate to the deep strongbox of history, has once again been placed on the order of the day and this time with redoubled force
In the conception of the old Bolshevik party Soviet Ukraine was destined to become a powerful axis around which the other sections of the Ukrainian people would unite. It is indisputable that in the first period of its existence Soviet Ukraine exerted a mighty attractive force, in national respects as well, and aroused to struggle the workers, peasants, and revolutionary intelligentsia of Western Ukraine enslaved by Poland. But during the years of Thermidorian reaction, the position of Soviet Ukraine and together with it the posing of the Ukrainian question as a whole changed sharply. The more profound the hopes aroused, the keener was the disillusionment. The bureaucracy strangled and plundered the people within Great Russia, too. But in the Ukraine matters were further complicated by the massacre of national hopes. Nowhere did restrictions, purges, repressions and in general all forms of bureaucratic hooliganism assume such murderous sweep as they did in the Ukraine in the struggle against the powerful, deeply-rooted longings of the Ukrainian masses for greater freedom and independence ...
<snip>
The question of the fate of the Ukraine has been posed in its full scope. A clear and definite slogan is necessary that corresponds to the new situation. In my opinion there can be at the present time only one such slogan: A united, free and independent workers and peasants Soviet Ukraine.
Read the entire article here: http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2014/03/03/the-editors/trotsky-on-ukraine/#sthash.wUVCCUs1.dpuf
frazzled
(18,402 posts)on Stalin's orders. I'm sure this didn't help.
(Just an observation.)
TBF
(33,776 posts)no matter which country they are in.
elleng
(135,325 posts)Nowhere did restrictions, purges, repressions and in general all forms of bureaucratic hooliganism assume such murderous sweep as they did in the Ukraine in the struggle against the powerful, deeply-rooted longings of the Ukrainian masses for greater freedom and independence ...
In my opinion there can be at the present time only one such slogan: A united, free and independent workers and peasants Soviet Ukraine.'
Response to TBF (Original post)
goziosskiy This message was self-deleted by its author.
TBF
(33,776 posts)Response to goziosskiy (Reply #4)
goziosskiy This message was self-deleted by its author.
joshcryer
(62,363 posts)Some good analysis there.