Isaac Deutscher Biography
Isaac Deutscher was a political activist, journalist, and writer from Poland who settled in the United Kingdom just before World War II. He is best known for his biographies of Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky and his commentaries on Soviet affairs. In this biography, he discusses his life and career.
Trotsky’s autobiography
Isaac Deutscher’s biography of Trotsky is a must-read for any Marxist. It offers a close look at the life of one of the most influential revolutionary figures in history. Trotsky had many admirers and was immensely popular among intellectuals. Moreover, his brilliant mind and diverse cultural background made him one of the most exciting figures in the West.
Like previous volumes of Trotsky’s autobiography, this volume contains summaries of his influential writings and excerpts from them. These are almost always well chosen and constitute an essential book part. Although the biographer did not access all of the sources, this approach allowed the biography to focus on the most critical points of his life and work.
Isaac Deutscher’s biography of Stalin
The biography of Stalin by Isaac Deutscher is a classic work of non-tragic optimism. The author was a former member of the old Polish Trotskyist and Communist movements. He left those organizations before the outbreak of the Second World War but knew his stuff regarding the history of the Russian revolution. The book is well-written, essentially free of bald errors and falsehoods.
In his biography of Stalin, Isaac Deutscher points out how Stalin replaced Marx’s view of violence as the midwife of history with the idea that violence is the mother of history. Of course, Marx defined violence as a part of history, but that definition required an intellectual sophistication that Stalin lacked.
Isaac Deutscher’s views on Maoism
Isaac Deutscher’s views on Maoist revolutions are not the ones we are likely to remember from the 1950s. His postscript to The Prophet Outcast is titled “Victory in Defeat.” While classical Marxism saw the preconditions for socialism only in the advanced industrial societies of the West, the preconditions for socialism are already being assembled in Soviet society. While capitalism is a social system that produces preconditions for socialism, Deutscher wanted to avoid this conclusion.
The first of these assumptions is that Maoism had to act out of self-defense. This means it had to defend past commitments, including the rigid party canon that required formalistic continuity. Moreover, the second assumption suggests that Mao must not have been in error when he extolled Stalinist orthodoxy.
Isaac Deutscher’s career
Isaac Deutscher’s wife, Tamara, devoted her energy to publishing her husband’s essays and books. She even helped him edit a biography of Lenin, The Young Lenin. She also was on the jury of the Isaac Deutscher Memorial Prize. She died in 1990.
Deutscher also wrote books on Trotsky and Stalin. While these books have not received wide popularity, they are essential reading for anyone interested in history. They offer an excellent overview of the historical process and show how important it is for future generations to learn from past mistakes. Deutscher has won several prizes for his books and has received much praise from critics.
In addition to writing, Deutscher was an active debater and speaker. He spoke to large audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. He also participated in the first “Teach-In” on the Vietnam War, at which fifteen thousand students gathered at Berkeley University. He was also a keen observer of international affairs, and his analysis of major international events was widely reported in leading newspapers worldwide.
Isaac Deutscher’s net worth
Isaac Deutscher’s net worth has been estimated from various online sources. His net worth is estimated at around $3 to $5 million. He earned a lot of money through his profession as a historian and biographer. He was a well-known figure in the history field. But what exactly is his net worth?
His wife, Tamara, died in 1990. The couple was married in 1947. They were both talented writers and scholars and worked together on a three-volume biography of the communist leader Leon Trotsky. Isaac Deutscher’s wife was an accomplished linguist and meticulous scholar. She was born in Poland and had one son named Martin.
The two men shared a common interest in history and were interested in Marx. They were both non-believers, but their work influenced British public life. They were members of the same clubs in London and used the library together. The two even met twice.
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