Dutch Trotskism

That is the history of the fractured political left wing landscape, of semi-underground groups that never really got a good position despite the fact that the members (never more than a few hundred) were active day and night for the cause.

In Een banier waar geen smet op rust ('A banner that does not have a blemish') (Uitgeverij Aspekt, 2015), the authors ask themselves why this political movement always remained marginal.

The answer to that question can be found in the book, in the introduction to the various groups such as the International Communist Union, Movement for Workers Self Management, Proletaries Left and of course the SAP. Fortunately, the authors do not lose themselves in the political quibbles that are so characteristic of this movement, but they pay a lot of attention to what is nowadays called 'the experience'. They are based on novels about the environment (Sal Santen, Maurice Ferares, but also A.Th.F. van der Heijden in De Gevarendriehoek), on non-fiction (the tasty memories of Igor Cornelissen), and on a large number of interviews with younger activists.

For many activists, the attraction of the movement was mainly found in the 'coziness' of a group of friends, most times drinking strong alcohol. The secret operations within larger contexts or parties, the second nature of the true Trotskyist, produced a fine kind of tension. Cornelissen has called this 'illegalitis'. The authors also note a lack of representation of women and people from other cultures, although the movement was fervently feminist and anti-racist. Among the Trotskyists, there are relatively many historians.

Of course, Blom and Van der Steen will once again discuss the issue of marginality in their conclusion. They explain it from that party culture. The movement was an opposition within the left, a minority within a minority, and from that position soon became a group of sharpeners and theorists who missed the connection with the workplace. In retrospect, Trotskyists have sometimes played a significant role in various large campaigns and post-war actions, thanks to the doctrine of entrism (the politics of secrecy within larger parties and organizations).

Because the level of thinking and discussing sets high demands in the movement , some activists have been able to sharpen their brains and later manage to achieve great personal successes in their profession. The authors here mention the writer Sal Santen and the historian Theo van Tijn. These are only two of many names in the book, names that you would like to find back later. But: there is no register!

The complete archive of the Trotskyist movement, both of the organizations and of its representatives, is at the IISH. Only a few examples: Theo Wiering, archive Sal Santen, Maurice Ferares, Theo van Tijn, archive Socialistiese Arbeiderspartij, Rebel, Sociaal-Democratisch Centrum.

• Ron Blom, Bart van der Steen, Een banier waar geen smet op rust’ De geschiedenis van het trotskisme in Nederland, 1938 - heden. Uitgeverij Aspekt ISBN: 9789461535610, 440 pagina's Prijs: €24.95