The Bolsheviki and World Peace

This is a passionate polemic from the heart of the revolutionary moment. Written as World War I devours Europe, this analysis captures Trotsky's fierce critique of how the war exposed the moral bankruptcy of both capitalist governments and compromised socialist parties. The author argues that imperial ambitions have been revitalized by the conflict, while the working class has been offered a path toward genuine liberation through international revolution. He wrestles with the paradox facing socialists: how to support anti-colonial nationalist movements without betraying the revolutionary ideal of international solidarity. The text reads as both a political argument and a historical document, preserving the urgency and intellectual energy of someone writing at a hinge moment in history. For readers interested in understanding the ideological foundations of the Russian Revolution and the socialist movement's internal debates about war and peace, this remains essential reading.