Trotsky's Prophecy of a Communist America

Making Wisdom Popular

In these days of shut-down economies, massive government aid to a majority of the population, and the propping up of institutions and corporations by a central bank and government, it is perhaps necessary to ponder this prophecy by one of the grandfathers of Soviet Communism, Leon Trotsky, about how America would spearhead the advance of Communism in the future:

Now dawns the new epoch of an independent class movement of the proletariat and at the same time of—genuine Marxism. In this too, America will in a few jumps catch up with Europe and outdistance it. Progressive technique and a progressive social structure will pave their own way in the sphere of doctrine. The best theoreticians of Marxism will appear on American soil. Marx will become the mentor of the advanced American workers. To them this abridged exposition of the first volume [of Marx’s Capital, which Trotsky compiled] will become only an initial step towards the complete Marx.

SOURCE: Leon Trotsky, Introduce to Capital (1940); Karl Mark, Leon Trotsky, ed., The Essential Marx (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 2006), 36.