The Russia Debate

Revolutionary socialists have long debated Russia.  During the time of the Soviet Union there was a debate on whether it was socialist or not.  In particular, after the Stalinist degeneration of the 1930s and 40s, there was a debate over whether it was 'actually existing socialism', 'a deformed workers state' or 'state capitalist'?  Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a debate about whether capitalism had been restored in Russia or not.  And today, there is a debate on whether or not Russia is an imperialist power.  

We have set up this page as a repository for some of documents that revolutionary socialists have written grappling with this subject.  Check back from time to time to see what has been added.

 

What Happened During the Russian Revolution?

-In Defense of October (a 1932 pamphlet by Leon Trotsky describing and defending the 1917 Russian revolution)

-Ten Days That Shook the World (an eyewitness account written by John Reed in 1919) 

What Was the Class Nature of the Soviet Union?

-The Revolution Betrayed (Leon Trotsky's 1936 book on how the USSR became a degenerated workers state under the regime of Joseph Stalin)

-The Theory of State Capitalism (a critique of the belief that the USSR was state capitalist, written by Ernest Mandel in 1951) 

-The Problem of Eastern Europe (an essay written by Joseph Hansen in 1950 for the Socialist Workers Party Internal Discussion Bulletin looking at the USSR, Yugoslavia and the rest of Eastern Europe after WWII, arguing that they all are either degenerated or deformed workers states)

When & How Was Capitalism Restored in Russia?

-The Class Nature of the Former USSR and the Deformed Worker States (a Socialist Action resolution written by Jeff M in 2004 arguing that capitalism had been fully restored in Russia) 

-Response to Draft Document on the Class Character of the former Soviet Bloc States (a rebuttal to the above document by Gerry F arguing that capitalism had not been fully restored in Russia)

Is the Russia of Today an Imperialist Power?

-Russia: An Imperialist Power With Regional Clout (written in 2020 by Keith L and Chris G of the Permanent Revolution Tendency of Socialist Action - which later became Socialist Resurgence)