89. Trotsky, art and culture

Socialism

How did Trotsky view revolution and the arts? Because art holds a mirror up to life, many revolutionaries have taken an interest its role. Leon Trotsky in particular wrote on art, literature, and its role in society and politics. Art can be insightful because of its politics, or despite them. So how does Marxism, a political theory, have any relation to art? The Russian revolution led to an explosion in artistic vision. Then Stalinism stamped it all out. Why? Why did Trotsky struggle to try to bring together revolutionary artists in the 1930s? And what relevance does Trotsky’s approach to art and culture hold today? This episode of Socialism looks at revolution and culture: Trotsky and the arts. Further reading Art and revolution: http://socialismtoday.org/archive/128/art.html Manifesto for an Independent Revolutionary Art (Trotsky, Rivera, Breton): https://www.marxists.org/subject/art/lit_crit/works/rivera/manifesto.htm The Social Roots and the Social Function of Literature (Trotsky): https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1923/art/tia23b.htm Surrealism’s revolutionary heart: http://socialismtoday.org/archive/120/manifesto.html Revolutionary drama: http://socialismtoday.org/archive/203/brecht.html Literature and Revolution (Trotsky): https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1924/lit_revo/ Art and Revolution: Writings on Literature, Politics and Culture (Trotsky): http://leftbooks.co.uk/epages/950002679.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=2075628