What Is Trotskyism?
Trotskyism is a Marxist ideology based on the theory of permanent revolution first set out by Leon Trotsky (1879–1940), a leading theorist of the Bolshevik Party and a leader of the Russian Revolution. Part of the Socialist family.
Definition
Trotskyism is a Marxist ideology based on the theory of permanent revolution first set out by Leon Trotsky (1879–1940), a leading theorist of the Bolshevik Party and a leader of the Russian Revolution.
Core ideas
- Permanent revolution: socialism in Russia could only last with revolutions in other countries.
- Leadership of the revolution by the industrial working class.
- Opposition to “socialism in one country”.
- Criticism of the Soviet bureaucracy, which Trotskyists called a “degenerated workers' state”.
Origins
The Soviet Union in the 1920s; later the Fourth International.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Definition based on Britannica: Trotskyism (checked October 20, 2026).
Where Trotskyism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 7 | strongly toward collective / planned | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 17 | toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 63 | near the center | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 26 | toward cosmopolitan | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 67 | toward intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 5 | strongly toward collective ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 60 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 26 | toward cosmopolitan |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 19 | toward progressive |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 66 | toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 23 | toward egalitarian |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 91 | strongly toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 67 | toward intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 14 | strongly toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Major industries should be publicly owned rather than privately controlled. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Foreign wars should be avoided unless national territory is directly threatened. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Foreign students should be deported for taking part in protests the government considers supportive of terrorism. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Hate speech should be a criminal offense. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Communism, Trotskyism sits 32 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Left Communism, Trotskyism sits 40 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Eurocommunism, Trotskyism sits 35 points further toward authoritarian on the authority dimension.
Comparisons
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Trotskyism.
Sources
- Britannica: Trotskyism
- Wikipedia: Trotskyism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Karl Marx
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Socialism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.