Socialism in one country

Socialism in one country proposes that it is possible to build socialism in a single country (including a country in the imperial periphery), developing the productive forces before then aiding revolutionary movements in other countries. Trotskyists believe that socialism is only possible in the imperial core and must be established in multiple countries at once. However, Lenin believed socialism was possible in one country.

Common Misconceptions

Internationalism

Based on only the name (Socialism in one country) one could misinterpret it as a revisionist and nationalist proposal, that claims the final victory of socialism is achieved through it's establishment in a single country, both Lenin and Stalin however, wrote on the necessity of internationalism, and because of still being surrounded by imperialist nations, it cannot be described as the final victory of socialism.

Lenin states:

"The final victory of Socialism, in the sense of full guarantee against the restoration of bourgeois relations, is possible only on an international scale"

Revisionism

Trotskyists along with many others who advocate for deviations of Marxism claim that Stalin revised Marxism with socialism in one country, however Lenin had written previously on building socialism in one country, and his writings on the New Economic Policy discuss hypothetical socialist countries aswell.

Lenin states:

"Our opponents told us repeatedly that we were rash in undertaking to implant socialism in an insufficiently cultured country. But they were misled by our having started from the opposite end to that prescribed by theory (the theory of pedants of all kinds), because in our country the political and social revolution preceded the cultural revolution, that very cultural revolution which nevertheless now confronts us.

This cultural revolution would now suffice to make our country a completely socialist country."

"We have now learned to make a concerted effort. The revolution that has just been accomplished is evidence of this. We possess the strength of mass organisation, which will overcome everything and lead the proletariat to the world revolution.

We must now set about building a proletarian socialist state in Russia."

Lenin also considered Trotsky's permanent revolution to be "absurdly left" when discussing factionalism and Trotsky's liquidationist views. Stating the following:

"Trotsky was an ardent Iskrist in 1901—03, and Ryazanov described his role at the Congress of 1903 as “Lenin’s cudgel”. At the end of 1903, Trotsky was an ardent Menshevik, i. e., he deserted from the Iskrists to the Economists. He said that “between the old Iskra and the new lies a gulf”. In 1904—05, he deserted the Mensheviks and occupied a vacillating position, now co-operating with Martynov (the Economist), now proclaiming his absurdly Left “permanent revolution” theory. In 1906—07, he approached the Bolsheviks, and in the spring of 1907 he declared that he was in agreement with Rosa Luxemburg."