"The basis of bureaucratic rule is the poverty of society i… - Leon Trotsky

"The basis of bureaucratic rule is the poverty of society in objects of consumption, with the resulting struggle of each against all. When there is enough goods in a store, the purchasers can come whenever they want to. When there is little goods, the purchasers are compelled to stand in line. When the lines are very long, it is necessary to appoint a policeman to keep order. Such is the starting point of the power of the Soviet bureaucracy. It "knows" who is to get something and who has to wait."

Leon Trotsky

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socialism bureaucracy scarcity poverty soviet-union

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About Leon Trotsky

Leon Trotsky (Лев Давидович Троцкий; born Lev Davidovich Bronstein; Лев Давидович Бронштейн]; 7 November (O.S. 26 October) 1879 – 21 August 1940) was a Russian Marxist, intellectual, and revolutionary. In the early Soviet Union, he founded the Politburo, served as People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, and created and led the Red Army. After Lenin's death, Trotsky was exiled for his opposition to Joseph Stalin's policies. His 1940 assassination (with an ice axe) in Mexico was carried out by a Soviet agent (Ramón Mercader) at Stalin's behest.

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Also Known As

Native Name: Лейба Давидович Бронштейн • Лев Давидович Троцкий

Alternative Names: Lev Bronstein • Lev Davidovich Bronshtein • Lev Davidovich Bronstein • Leon Trotski • Trotsky • Lev Davidovich Bronshteyn • Lev Bronshteyn • Lev Trotsky • Trotskiy • Lev Trotskiy • Lev Davidovich Trotsky • Lev Davidovich Trotskiy

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Originators like Leon Trotsky:

Vladimir Lenin Rosa Luxemburg Joseph Stalin Benito Mussolini Che Guevara

Additional quotes by Leon Trotsky

A means can be justified only by its end. But the end in its turn needs to be justified.

In Stalin each [Soviet bureaucrat] easily finds himself. But Stalin also finds in each one a small part of his own spirit. Stalin is the personification of the bureaucracy. That is the substance of his political personality.

The balance of political power at any given moment is determined under the influences of fundamental and secondary factors of differing degrees of effectiveness, and only in its fundamental quality is it determined by the state of the development of production.

"The basis of bureaucratic rule is the poverty of society in objects of consumption, with the resulting struggle of each against all. When there is e… - Leon Trotsky

About Leon Trotsky

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