Trotsky: architect of the Red

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Trotskv (centrel in conference with Frunze, Bela Kun, Rosmer and Gusev in the Civil War Second edition of the opposition documents presented inside the WRP by the present leader. ship of the Workers Socialist League -Price £2.50 plus 20p postage and package from Workers Socialist League; 31 Dartmouth Park Hill Part Two.

Trotsky built the Red Army by conscious application of Marxism to the situation where an impoverished and exhausted Russia faced the armed might of imperialism-weakened by war it is true, but possessing all the advanced industrial technology which Russia lacked.

The old Tsarist army had no will to fight and had in effect demobilised, the peasants who formed the vast majority of soldiers returning to the land.

Trotsky completed this demobilisation of the old army when he was appointed Commissar for War in March 1918 and turned to the problem of building the Red Army.

He realised that he had to start with a volunteer Red Army and called for the most self sacrificing factory workers and poor peasants to form the nucleus.

In April 1918 a decree was introduced for compulsory military training of workers and poor and middle peasants in preparation for conscription at a later date.

Bourgeois elements in the towns, and kulaks rich peasants) in the countryside were not allowed to undergo training or possess arms, The first call-up of workers from the Moscow: region occurred in June 1918 and was followed by conscription in other areas.

Trotsky realised: that to • defeat counter-revolution and the armed intervention of imperialism, a regular trained and disciplined Red Army was needed:

Guerrilla bands, while perhaps useful in harassing an occupying army, were: useless for consolidating Soviet power and forcing back imperialism.

The Red Army « needed a centralised command structure with military specialists, appointed because of their technical skill.

An army with elected officers who had no specialist training could not win major battles. Since there were no trained Red Officers, Trotsky made ise of officers of the former Isarist armies.

Opposed

The vast majority of these officers were opposed to Soviet power, but in fact a number of them came forward to run military training schools, and to take command of armies.

Some officers undoubtedly took command positions in order to try and betray Red forces to the Whites, but some gave their services for motives of patriotism, wanting employment in their chosen profession, or even because they had been impressed by the discipline and moral authority of Soviet power.

• Indeed some of the more conservative military specialists became • in time loyal Red officers.

To prevent desertion or betrayal by military specialists, a political commissar was appointed to each army unit.

The military specialist (commander) was to make decisions about purely military matters, but political control was in the hands of the commissar.

Responsible

Both commander and commissar were responsible for discipline in the army and would have to face severe penalties in the event of betrayal or disorganised retreat.

• Trotsky called for the most ruthless discipline to be applied to dişloyal commanders and commissars. Indeed a number of those who betrayed were shot.

A further measure to prevent betrayals by officers was to introduce a register of families er v ho could be taken hostage in re event of betrayal.

Harsnest ascipit ur au was dinninline of all une eserved for Communists who etrayed the struggle.

Local Soviets were ordered • stand and fight against the ivading White armies.

Trotsky forged the Red Irmy with inspiration and harsh iscipline. He carried the fight ehind enemy lines and into ipposing armies. Appeals were --- ra-da jade to rank and file Cossacks, zechoslovaks, soldiers of White rmies and invading armies to hange sides and support Soviet lower …At all times Trotsky considred the Red Army not as jurely a Russian army but an rmy of the international workng class.

Conflict.

Trotsky's policies came into conflict with certain backward layers in the working class and peasantry and this' found its own reflection in the Red Army and in the Rolchevik Partv and the Soviets.

In particular there was opposition to the employment of military specialists and to the centralised command structure of the army.

Conservative

This reluctance was understandable with backward layers of workers and peasants, but in the Bolshevik Party and the Soviets it represented a conservative and bureaucratic layer.

Trotsky's letter entitled "Scientifically or Somehow" included in this volume illuminates this point clearly. It was no accident that Stalin and Voroshilov in command of the Tenth Army at Tsaritsyn (later Stalingrad) were opposed to Trotsky's policy and tried to sabotage his overall orders.

They were to become the Soviet bureaucrats, later destrov nearl all the leaders of the October Revolution and RATULIUS 1170047 decimate the leadership of the Red Army.

But Trotsky at this point still had the support of Lenin, who said:

"Show me another man able to organise almost a model army within a single year and win the respect of military experts. baonant of militaru arnerts We have such a man"

Trotsky's military writings are essential reading. They will be a powerful weapon in our struggle to reconstruct the Fourth International as the world party of socialist revolution on a democratic centralist basis.

for THE TRANSITIONAL PROGRAMME IN TODAY'S CLASS Founding document of the Trotskyist International Liaison Committee Published in the nternational Discussior Bulletin No. 1.

Available, price 75p. including postage from WSL, 31 Dartmouth Park Hill, London NW5 1HR Of course in their introduction the Workers Revolutionary Party claim that they and the International Committee are carrying on the struggle begun by Trotsky.

This does not of course square with their present policy of adapting to petty bourgeois governments and movements in the Middle East, Africa, Nicaragua, etc.

But despite this, New. Park Publications and the translator Brian Pearce have done a tremendous service to the working class movement in making this work available. I look forward eagerly to the other four volumes.

With a new introduction London NW5 1HR Reconstruct Fourth Internotional !

No. 1 Nov. 1979 DISCUSSION BULLETIN -

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The Battle rotskvism