LEON TROTSKY COLLECTED WORKS (Special NOOK Edition) Classics of Socialist Thought [Inspiration for Che Gueverra, Occupy Wall Street, We Are The 99%, and Other Social Justice Movements] LEON TROTSKYEXCERPTIn order to guarantee the triumph of their interests in big questions, the ruling classes are constrained to make concessions on secondary questions, naturally only so long as these concessions are reconciled in the bookkeeping. During the epoch of capitalistic upsurge especially in the last few decades before the World War these concessions, at least in relation to the top layers of the proletariat, were of a completely genuine nature. Industry at that time expanded almost uninterruptedly. The prosperity of the civilized nations, partially, too, that of the toiling masses increased. Democracy appeared solid. Workers’ organizations grew. At the same time reformist tendencies deepened. The relations between the classes softened, at least outwardly. Thus certain elementary moral precepts in social relations were established along with the norms of democracy and the habits of class collaboration. The impression was created of an ever more free, more just, and more humane society. The rising line of progress seemed infinite to “common sense.’Instead, however, war broke out with a train of convulsions, crises, catastrophes, epidemics, and bestiality. The economic life of mankind landed in an impasse. The class antagonisms became sharp and naked. The safety valves of democracy began to explode one after the other. The elementary moral precepts seemed even more fragile than the democratic institutions and reformist illusions. Mendacity, slander, bribery, venality, coercion, murder grew to unprecedented dimensions. To a stunned simpleton all these vexations seem a temporary result of war. Actually they are manifestations of imperialist decline. The decay of capitalism denotes the decay of contemporary society with its right and its morals.SELECTED TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTSTHE YEARTHE WAR AND THE INTERNATIONALOUR REVOLUTIONFROM OCTOBER TO BREST-LITOVSKTERRORISM AND COMMUNISMTHE MILITARY WRITINGS OF LEON TROTSKYTHE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF THE COMMUNIST INTERNATIONALTHE NEW COURSELITERATURE AND REVOLUTIONTHE LESSONS OF OCTOBERTHE HISTORY OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONMY LIFEIN DEFENCE OF OCTOBERTHE REVOLUTION BETRAYED WHAT IS THE SOVIET UNION AND WHERE IS IT GOING?THE STALIN SCHOOL OF FALSIFICATIONTHEIR MORALS AND OURSTHE TRANSITIONAL PROGRAM FOR SOCIALIST REVOLUTIONFASCISM WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO FIGHT ITPROBLEMS OF THE CHINESE REVOLUTION