Norman Geras (1943–2013)

As, doubtless, Mr Geras thought that he stood at a safe distance from Rosa Luxemburg to be able to look objectively back upon her writing, so too do I from the publication of this book. It is easy, therefore, for me to say that Mr G. got it wrong: that Rosa Luxemburg was correct to doubt the Russian Revolution's ability to skip the Capitalist state and move directly to Communism.

Whilst it may be argued that the Soviet Union achieve this feat, it can now be seen with what consequences. It is easy to blame Stalin for all the Russian ills: certainly he was incapable of rectifying them but, Lenin had already started to veer from the path before Stalin's leadership.

It is important to remember that this book is almost 50 years old because there is a casual sexism that is rather breathtaking from a current perspective. A good socialist was able to write that Luxemburg's views were perhaps too soft and feminist.

Worth the read anyway...… (altro)