Baruch Hirson - historian and political scientist - was a towering figure of the intellectual Left in South Africa for much of the 20th century. Yael Hirson has collected and edited his writings to produce a comprehensive picture which includes the role of trade unions, the Communist Party, Trotyskist groups, aspects of workers's resistance to oppression by the state and big business - so often closely linked - and the vital questions of race, colour and class in the struggle against the apartheid state. This book provides a unique insight into the formative influences which helped to guide the South African resistance movement and will prove an essential reference point to those interested in the early political career of Nelson Mandela.
Yael Hirson is a historian who had edited her late husband's writings.
Acronyms and abbreviations – viForeword by Shula Marks – ixIntroduction by Tom Lodge – xiiiAcknowledgements – xx1. Syndicalists in South Africa: 1907-23 – 12. The IWA and the ICU: 1917-20 – 93. The general strike of 1922 – 184. Entryism and the CPSA: 1923-25 – 445. The 1925 Bloemfontein riots: a study in community culture and class-consciousness – 536. Tuskegee: the JCENs and the AAC – 657. The reorganization of African trade unions in Johannesburg: 1936-42 – 758. The early Trotskyist groups in South Africa – 889. Spark ant the ‘red nun’ – 10610. The black republic slogan: the response of the Trotskyists – 12311. The defiance campaign, 1952: social struggle or party stratagem? – 13412. A short history of the NEUM: an insider’s view – 15613. Daniel Koza: a working-class leader – 18014. A trade union organizer in Durban: M. B. Yengwa, 1943-4415. A question of class: the writings of Kenneth A Jordaan – 22016. The dualism of I. B. Tabata – 232Notes – 237References – 255Index – 261