Leon Trotsky and the Art of Insurrection 1905-1917 (Cass Series on Politics and Military Affairs in the Twentieth Century)

Leon Trotsky Is Usually Studied From A Political Perspective, And Only Occasionally As A Military Leader. This Study Combines Those Viewpoints To Analyse The Ways In Which Trotsky Attempted To Use Military Means To Gain The Revolution's Initial Objectives. Trotsky's Theories On The Revolutionary Use Of Violence Are Examined In Some Detail And Are Placed Within The Context Of The Theoretical Debate Among Members Of The Russian Left In The Period Between The Abortive Revolution Of 1905 And The Events Of 1917. The Maturation Of Trotsky's Views On Military Affairs Is Traced Through His Columns As A War Correspondent Covering The Balkan Wars And World War I. The Picture That Emerges Is Complex. Trotsky Realized That Confrontation With The Army Would Inevitably Play A Part In The Progress Toward Revolutionary Victory. But He Recognized The Power Of Modern Weapons In The Hands Of Disciplined Troops And Sought Tactics That Would Ensure Success. He Perfected Those Tactics In The Summer Of 1917, And The Victory Of The October Revolution Demonstrated The Utility Of His Tactics. By Combining An Armed Revolutionary Cadre With Enthusiastic Masses While Reducing The Strength And Discipline Of The Army Through Propaganda, Trotsky Tipped The Balance Of Violence To Favour The Revolution. -- Back Cover. Harold Walter Nelson. Originally Presented As The Author's Thesis (ph. D.)--university Of Michigan. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 146-153. First published in 1988. A functional definition of revolutionary military leadership is essential in understanding Leon Trotsky's role in the Russian Revolution, and it is this goal that Harold Walter Nelson explores in this title. The author states that the words, revolutionary and general carry a heavy connotative burden, and when the first is used to modify the second the new term does not lend itself to easy definition. This book pursues an analysis of this title from the context of the Russian military from 1905-1917.