Why did Trotsky become a Bolshevik?

Question

I know all of the really basic facts about Trotsky defecting from the Mensheviks to the Bolsheviks, but none of the books I'm using for research will tell me *why* he wanted to be a Bolshevik.

It's really weird- did he join them because he saw that they had a greater chance of suceeding with the revolution? Or is there another reason?

Any answer with quotes from books, or links to websites would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

"Trotsky justified his action (of supporting the Mensheviks) in what Deutscher describes as an astonishing prediction of future events; the Party would substitute itself for the proletariat, the Party Central Committee would substitute itself for the Party, and, ultimately, one man would become the embodiment of the Central Committee."

"Trotsky spent much of his time between 1904 and 1917 trying to reconcile different groups within the party, which resulted in many clashes with Lenin and other prominent party members. Trotsky later conceded he had been wrong in opposing Lenin on the issue of the party.

During these years Trotsky began developing his theory of permanent revolution, which led to a close working relationship with Alexander Parvus in 1904-1907.

The basic idea of Trotsky's theory is that in Russia the bourgeoisie would not carry out a thorough revolution which would institute political democracy and solve the land question. These measures were assumed to be essential to develop Russia economically. Therefore it was argued the future revolution must be led by the proletariat who would not only carry through the tasks of the Bourgeois Democratic Revolution but would commence a struggle to surpass the bourgeois democratic revolution." (wikipedia)

I would assume that it is this concept of 'permanent revolution' which had caught Trotsky's fancy, that drew him back to the Bolsheviks. It was the 'why' in yr question.