Trotsky and the economic crises of capitalism: an analysis in historical perspective

Abstract

The hypothesis of this article is that the objective conditions for a revolutionary situation are beginning to mature, at least in those countries that are today in a most fragile condition in the face of the devastating consequences of the crisis, such as Greece, Portugal and Spain. The impact of economic crises, under certain political conditions, can echo in the form of acute social crises and these can evolve into revolutionary situations, when a society plunges into the suffering of historical decadence. The argument we develop, inspired by the writings of Leon Trotsky, is that the subjective immaturity of the working class, or in other words, its difficulties in creating and controlling independent organizations, continues to be the principle factor that explains why a revolutionary situation has not yet emerged.