Ruthless criticism of everything existing, eh?
The Left is a self-critical sub-culture. W/O going over all this stuff from the "past" we will never be able to prevent being complicit in, or committing the same errors/crimes against the Left project again...if we ever get the chance.
Old CPUSA'ers like Bill Senett that I knew, (he led the Iliinois CP, fought in Spain, died a few yrs. ago) agreed with me that the Trots were right in their critique. As does Tariq Ali. See, "The Stalinist Legacy, " ediyed by Tariq, original ed. Pengun Books, reprint Westview Press, Bouylder, Co.
-- Michael Pugliese