Why Christopher Hitchens Called Himself a Trotskyist

Complete video at: fora.tv/2009/07/28/Uncommon_Kn...
Author and journalist Christopher Hitchens defends calling himself a Trotskyist. Hitchens says Trotsky "combined in himself the role of man of action and man of ideas," and admires his opposition to Stalin and Hitler as "a person of immense emotional and physical courage."
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Leon Trotsky, one of the leading figures of the Russian October Revolution, remains a controversial figure. For many, Trotsky's assassination in Mexico marked a tragedy in Soviet history, cutting off the possibility of a humane version of communism taking hold in Russia, with Trotsky himself arguing that he would have held back the tides of arbitrary rule and terror. But is that so? In answering this question and others about Trotsky's ideas, political defeat, and exile, Hitchens and Service speak to the very nature of communist ideology. - Hoover Institution
Christopher Hitchens is an author, journalist and literary critic. Now living in Washington, D.C., he has been a columnist at Vanity Fair, The Nation and Slate; additionally, he is an occasional contributor to many other publications.
Peter M. Robinson is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he writes about business and politics, edits Hoover's quarterly journal, the Hoover Digest, and hosts Hoover's television program, Uncommon Knowledge.

[@cyranothe2nd]

Its so unfortunate that Hitchens became a bit of a reactionary towards the end of his life. Smart guy.

[@elliemccarthy3487]

I’m a huge supporter of Leon Trotsky

[@TennisCoachno1]

man i miss this guy. A gargantuan intellect who spoke so beautifully and poetically. RIP!

[@PanasonicLemon]

For the record, his family did struggle financially to give him the superb education he got. You're right that he did make his way into the upper echelons of society, but his roots were very middle-class.

[@rkullberg]

I wish Hitchens was given enough time to differentiate between his admiration for Trotsky and Orwell. From what I saw, they seemed to be on a similar level.

[@BluwSerj]

I heard that Trotsky admonitioned Stalin for being so lenient and not killing enough people in one of the early conflicts. This may have had a lasting impression on Stalin.

[@buttereggmanandtheketones4868]

Love Hitchens even when I disagree with him.

[@bapyou]

@TheAttackRat "(it) creates a favorable environment for socialism." Socialism creates a "favorable environment for socialism"? Could you write a more circular statement? And your reference -- some objectivist (i.e. Ayn Randbot) paper, isn't anything I would waste my time on. Ayn Rand -- the high priestess of selfishness -- is a fifth rate philosopher at best. Von Hayek is equally contemptible. I am a socialist. I am a person of the left. I apologize to no one.

[@bapyou]

@TheAttackRat "socialism leads to fascism" None of the factors leading to the rise of fascism in both Italy & Germany had anything to do with socialism. Germany's economic collapse was seized upon by Hitler who appealed to German nationalism while scapegoating others for Germany's problems (Jews, etc). In America today we have these same factors in play: economic collapse; right-wing elements exploiting worker frustration with scapegoating (immigrants, etc); & a virulent nationalism.

[@DouglasHall1947]

The interviewer has no idea what C.H. is talking about.

[@munkypark2560]

Also a mass murderer.

[@foratv]

The chapter on the full video is "called." Apparently the phrasing got mistakenly changed by one of our editors before posting to KZbin. After reviewing your comment, we've changed it back. Thanks for the heads-up.

[@DAVIDS8861]

"And people of that kidney" Got to love "The Hitch"

[@grisflyt]

"Vietnam--I completely agree with you. Vietnam was an intervention in the personal civil war of an insignificant country with no Soviet influence." False. There was no civil war. "South Vietnam was essentially the creation of the United States," it says in the Pentagon Papers. Vietnam declared itself independent after defeating Japan in 1945. But France wanted its old colony back, and was backed by the US.

[@jessicasfakeaccount]

this comment was vandalized by editors working on the backend of youtube and i have replaced it with this acknowledgement rather than allow it to continue to sit here to be vandalized. be aware that your words are not safe from editing by youtube on this platform, and that your posts to this medium may be altered to distort your perspectives to either align with the viewpoints of powerful state or non-state actors or potentially even to frame you. youtube can and will change the content of your posts at will, without notice.

[@LeGioNoFZioN]

thanks for posting Fora

[@gulbirk]

@onemoreturn And who did he kill if I may ask?

[@perobusmaximus]

“Despite its errors of prognostication, Trotsky book ‘Where Is Britain Going’ is the most, or rather the only effective statement of the case for proletarian revolution and communism in Britain that has ever been made.”-Isaac Deutscher, Trotsky’s biographer.

[@CaptainBluebear08]

@KenMacMillan Ok, but I don't get the connection.

[@rmj15mu]

brilliant explanation on Trotsky