It is full of inaccuracies: basic stuff - about Trotsky's family, dates (yes. dates!), and so on. How it ever got past the publisher's proofreaders I do not know.
It's basically a "hatchet-job" on Trotsky.
Instead, read Isaac Deutscher's 3-vol biog. Deutscher was not a Trotskyist, and he reached Stalinist conclusions. But at least he gave Trotsky a fair shake.
The American Historical Review, among the oldest and most prestigious academic journals in the United States, has condemned Service’s biography of Trotsky, saying that it "fails to meet the basic standards of historical scholarship". The review has explicitly endorsed the critique of Service's book by David North, the chairman of both the Socialist Equality Party in the United States and the international editorial board of the World Socialist Web Site.
Service is a ridiculous "historian". Recently read his book and its surprising that any serious university wants to publish it. He adds nothing new WHATSOEVER to the extensive triology work that Isaac Deutscher did on Trotsky in 60s.
Do you know why David North is in defence of Trotsky? maybe because he's writting for the World Socialist Website, of course he's going to be in the defence of Trotsky. Why would Service be falsifying the impact of Trotsky when he's clearly an academic. Why would he be worried about young people coming into the political scene with a left view. Service puts forth an argument, unlike David North, that is not ideologically biased.
Robert Service and other leading British academics have launched a campaign of historical falsification, slandering Trotsky, and denying his historical significance. The purpose of the campaign is to prevent young people coming into political struggle from learning about Trotsky's political legacy. David North of the World Socialist Website has written a number of essays in defence of Trotsky - see "Political biography and the historical lie: An examination of Robert Service’s Trotsky" on wsws
@TheGeorgedillon, it was a radical reaction against the autocratic rule of the Tsars. 1917 was simply an attempt to give wealth back to the peasants. All Europe had to go through that process at some point. Russia was just more immediate and aggressive in their approach. You wouldn't want a king to have all the wealth of a nation and be toiling in the fields as he spends it!
"Communism has nothing to do smoking pot..." - thanks a lot, very revealing! This quy is a very bad historian. Apart from the Russian revolution being a tragedy, it is really a tragedy that such people teach at Oxford.
Did you watch the rest of the interview...he's a professor at Oxford because he's a very good historian, you would have seen that if you watched the whole interview.
@livoyo he's an academic because he made friend with some politicians I guess. Read what Patenaude, in no way a Trotskyst, had to say about this book.
This Service is a moron. 'Trotsky treated his American followers with disdain'. What a lot of pish. This man cannot be regarded as a historian!
brucewallace2 15 hours ago
Service makes so many mistakes it is actually painful to listen to him. His work just doesn't stand up.
His book on Trotsky has been taken to pieces, not only by marxists, but by REAL academic historians.
tellyontellyon 2 months ago
Service's biography of Trotsky is dreadful.
It is full of inaccuracies: basic stuff - about Trotsky's family, dates (yes. dates!), and so on. How it ever got past the publisher's proofreaders I do not know.
It's basically a "hatchet-job" on Trotsky.
Instead, read Isaac Deutscher's 3-vol biog. Deutscher was not a Trotskyist, and he reached Stalinist conclusions. But at least he gave Trotsky a fair shake.
That could never be said of Service.
TerrySleeper 4 months ago
Service doesn't know what he's talking about, Stalin was not incenerated!
laffax 8 months ago
The American Historical Review, among the oldest and most prestigious academic journals in the United States, has condemned Service’s biography of Trotsky, saying that it "fails to meet the basic standards of historical scholarship". The review has explicitly endorsed the critique of Service's book by David North, the chairman of both the Socialist Equality Party in the United States and the international editorial board of the World Socialist Web Site.
robharris38 8 months ago
@robharris38
Service is hopeless.
tellyontellyon 2 months ago
Service is a ridiculous "historian". Recently read his book and its surprising that any serious university wants to publish it. He adds nothing new WHATSOEVER to the extensive triology work that Isaac Deutscher did on Trotsky in 60s.
proletarianrevo 10 months ago
@mattandersonWSWS
Do you know why David North is in defence of Trotsky? maybe because he's writting for the World Socialist Website, of course he's going to be in the defence of Trotsky. Why would Service be falsifying the impact of Trotsky when he's clearly an academic. Why would he be worried about young people coming into the political scene with a left view. Service puts forth an argument, unlike David North, that is not ideologically biased.
livoyo 10 months ago
Robert Service and other leading British academics have launched a campaign of historical falsification, slandering Trotsky, and denying his historical significance. The purpose of the campaign is to prevent young people coming into political struggle from learning about Trotsky's political legacy. David North of the World Socialist Website has written a number of essays in defence of Trotsky - see "Political biography and the historical lie: An examination of Robert Service’s Trotsky" on wsws
mattandersonWSWS 1 year ago
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livoyo 10 months ago
Comment removed
livoyo 10 months ago
but he's a very articulate historian.
Drac39 1 year ago
I dont agree with Service's assessment of Trotsky or Lenin
Drac39 1 year ago
Comment removed
TheGeorgedillon 1 year ago
@TheGeorgedillon, it was a radical reaction against the autocratic rule of the Tsars. 1917 was simply an attempt to give wealth back to the peasants. All Europe had to go through that process at some point. Russia was just more immediate and aggressive in their approach. You wouldn't want a king to have all the wealth of a nation and be toiling in the fields as he spends it!
EdwardWhelanPiano 1 year ago 4
Excellent interview.
Fleshious 1 year ago
"Communism has nothing to do smoking pot..." - thanks a lot, very revealing! This quy is a very bad historian. Apart from the Russian revolution being a tragedy, it is really a tragedy that such people teach at Oxford.
wachoohoo 1 year ago
@wachoohoo, he had a lot more to say than just that! He's a respected authority on Russian history. Who are you to judge him?
EdwardWhelanPiano 1 year ago
@wachoohoo
Did you watch the rest of the interview...he's a professor at Oxford because he's a very good historian, you would have seen that if you watched the whole interview.
livoyo 10 months ago
@livoyo he's an academic because he made friend with some politicians I guess. Read what Patenaude, in no way a Trotskyst, had to say about this book.
Longlivethe4th 2 months ago
As always CSPAN puts out some very interesting stuff.
bilbob7624 1 year ago 4