‘As Marxists, we have never been idol-worshippers of formal democracy. In a society of classes, democratic institutions not only do not eliminate class struggle, but also give to class interests an utterly imperfect expression. The propertied classes always have at their disposal tens and hundreds of means for falsifying, subverting and violating the will of the toilers. And democratic institutions become a still less perfect medium for the expression of the class struggle under revolutionary circumstances.’
From October to Brest-Litovsk is a brief history written by Trotsky documenting the major events starting from the October Revolution to the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which ended Russia’s involvement in World War I. During the negotiation of the treaty, the Russian front was falling apart against the German onslaught and the October Revolution was in danger of being overturned. In order to protect the Revolution, Trotsky was tasked with settling the war with Germany which resulted in the treaty.
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was highly controversial when it was signed and met great opposition not just in Russia but in Communist movements in Germany as well. Trotsky and the Bolsheviks considered ending the war a necessity for the survival of the Revolution and this book was written in order to explain the treaty’s necessity and the events leading up to the treaty.
Leon Trotsky was a Russian Marxist revolutionary, political theorist, and politician. He was a leader in Russia’s October Revolution and was a major figure in the founding of the Soviet Union.