hello bhb, as you may or may not know, maoism developed on the basis of a peasant army organised in the country side invading the cities from the outside and destroying the old state and capitalism. The state that replaced the old state in Mao's China however was very bureaucratic - reflecting the bureaucracy of the peasant army. This was an unhealthy situation which has now lead to these bureaucrats leading China back to capitalism. Trotskyists on the other hand believe that a democratic state lead by the workers in the cities with an army subservient to the workers' democracy is the only healthy - and therefore stable - way to establish socialism. These are the fundamental differences - whether the peasantry alone can establish a healthy socialist state or whether the working class should play the leading role.
Do ask more specific questions though and feel free to say what you think. Ben
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