The theory of Permanent Revolution, as articulated by Leon Trotsky, stands as one of the most significant and controversial contributions to Marxist thought in the 20th century. It posits that in countries with delayed bourgeois-democratic development, the tasks of the democratic revolution cannot be completed by the national bourgeoisie itself.
Instead, these tasks—such as land reform, national unification, and the establishment of a democratic republic—fall to the proletariat, which, upon taking power, will be compelled to move directly towards socialist measures. This process seamlessly connects the democratic and socialist revolutions.
Uneven and Combined Development
Central to this thesis is the law of uneven and combined development. This concept describes how 'backward' nations do not simply recapitulate the stages of 'advanced' ones. Instead, they assimilate the material and intellectual achievements of the advanced countries, leading to a peculiar combination of archaic and modern features within their social structures.
"The proletariat of a backward country can come to power sooner than the proletariat of an advanced country."
This fusion of different historical stages creates immense social and political tensions. For example, a country might possess highly advanced industrial factories, financed by foreign capital and staffed by a militant, concentrated proletariat, while the surrounding countryside remains mired in pre-capitalist or feudal relations. It is this volatile combination that creates the objective conditions for the working class to lead the revolutionary process.
The International Dimension
Crucially, the theory is inherently internationalist. Trotsky argued that a socialist revolution in a single, backward country could not survive indefinitely in isolation. It could begin the socialist transformation, but its ultimate success would depend on the victory of the proletariat in the more developed capitalist countries. The revolution must, therefore, be "permanent" in two senses: its uninterrupted transition from the democratic to the socialist stage, and its extension from the national to the international arena.