US Trotskyism 1928-1965. Part I: Emergence

Paul Le Blanc is Professor of History at La Roche College (Pittsburgh), has written extensively on labor and social struggles, including A Short History of the U.S. Working Class (Prometheus Books, 1999), and the acclaimed short biography Leon Trotsky (Reaktion Books, 2015).Bryan Palmer is Professor of History at Trent University, whose books include studies of British labor historian E. P. Thompson and U.S. Communist and Trotskyist leader James P. Cannon, and Revolutionary Teamsters: The Minneapolis Truckers’ Strikes of 1934 (Brill, 2013).Thomas Bias has served on the editorial boards of Bulletin in Defense of Marxism and Labor Standard, and is editor of the 1989 anthology Upheaval in China.Andrew Pollack is a long-time labor and solidarity activist, author of numerous articles appearing in International Viewpoint, International Socialist Review, Labor Notes, Monthly Review and other publications.

• Preface to the Documentary Trilogy on US TrotskyismAcknowledgements1 Introduction: Left Opposition in the United StatesPaul Le Blanc2 Communist League of AmericaBryan Palmer1 James P. Cannon, Martin Abern and Max Shachtman, ‘For the Russian Opposition! Against Opportunism and Bureaucracy in the Worker’s Communist Party of America! A Statement to American Communists’2 Antoinette Konikow and Others, ‘What is Wrong with the Communist Party?’3 Leon Trotsky, ‘Tasks of the American Opposition’4 Maurice Spector, ‘The Cult of the “Third Period” ’5 Arne Swabeck, ‘United Front on Unemployment’6 James P. Cannon, ‘The Red Army Sings the International Sometimes …’7 Max Shachtman, ‘The Knife is at Their Throat’8 Joseph Carter, ‘Unite to Smash Fascism!’9 National Committee, CLA, ‘For a New Party and a New International’3 Building Revolutionary ForcesPaul Le Blanc1 A.J. Muste, ‘The Workers Party is Founded’2 James P. Cannon, Letter to Ruth Querio3 Max Shachtman, ‘Marxist Politics or Unprincipled Combinationism?’4 Editorial, ‘Workers Party Calls All Revolutionary Workers to Join Socialist Party’5 Editorial, ‘The Crisis in the Party’4 Founding the Socialist Workers PartyThomas Bias1 James P. Cannon, ‘The New Party is Founded’2 ‘Declaration of Principles’3 J.P. Cannon and Max Shachtman, ‘Internal Situation and the Character of the Party’4 Constitution of the Socialist Workers Party, Declaration of Principles and Constitution of the Socialist Workers Party5 Labour StrugglesBryan Palmer1 Editorial, ‘The End of the New York Hotel Strike’2 James P. Cannon, ‘Minneapolis and Its Meaning’3 A.J. Muste, ‘Labor Marshalls Forces for Banner May Day’4 Arne Swabeck, ‘Roosevelt Steals Labor Party Thunder’5 James P. Cannon, ‘Deeper into the Unions’6 B.J. Widick, ‘Labor Unity: A New Stage’7 Farrell Dobbs, ‘The Unions and Politics’8 Leon Trotsky et al., ‘If You are Afraid, You Lose Your Independence’6 ‘The Negro Question’Thomas Bias1 The Militant, 1929, ‘Work Among Negroes’2 James P. Cannon, ‘Trifling with the Negro Question’3 Hugo Oehler, ‘The Negro and Class Struggle’4 Negro Question in America – Discussions with Trotsky, Swabeck5 John G. Wright (Joseph Vanzler), ‘Shifts on the Negro Question’6 J.R. Johnson (C.L.R. James), ‘Preliminary Notes on the Negro Question’7 SWP Resolution, 1939, ‘Self-Determination and the Negro in the US’8 J.R. Johnson (C.L.R. James), ‘The Destiny of the Negro’9 SWP Resolution, 1939, ‘The SWP and Negro Work’7 Confronting StalinismAndrew Pollack1 James P. Cannon, ‘At the Sixth World Congress’2 James P. Cannon, ‘Dog Days of the Left Opposition’3 Arne Swabeck, ‘Decay of the Stalinist Party’4 Albert Goldman, ‘Communists Play Follow the Leader’5 Editorial, ‘The Dewey Commission’6 Max Shachtman, ‘Revolution and Counter-revolution in Russia’8 Political ComplicationsPaul Le Blanc1 Max Shachtman, ‘A Footnote for Historians’2 Max Shachtman and James Burnham, ‘The Intellectuals in Retreat’9 Ruptures, 1939–40Andrew Pollack1 James P. Cannon, ‘The Struggle for a Proletarian Party’2 Max Shachtman, James Burnham, Martin Abern, ‘The War and Bureaucratic Conservatism’3 James P. Cannon, Speech on the Russian Question4 Leon Trotsky, ‘From a Scratch to the Danger of Gangrene’5 Leon Trotsky, ‘Open Letter to James Burnham’6 James Burnham, ‘Science and Style’7 Resolutions of the SWP Convention, 19408 Post-convention Reports and Decisions9 James Burnham, Exit Letter10 Holding the Line: Smith Act TrialBryan Palmer1 Farrell Dobbs, ‘The FBI and the Unions’2 George Novack, ‘Witch Hunt in Minnesota’3 William F. Warde (George Novack), ‘Capitalist Frame-Up: 1941 Model’4 James P. Cannon, ‘Socialism on Trial’5 Grandzio Munis, ‘A Criticism of the Minneapolis Trials’6 James P. Cannon, ‘Defense Policy in the Minneapolis Trial’7 Albert Goldman, ‘Farewell Statement’11 History and TheoryPaul Le Blanc1 Felix Morrow, ‘The Spirit of the US Constitution’2 George Novack, ‘Marx and Engels on the Civil War’3 Albert Goldman, ‘What is Socialism?’ (Lecture 2)4 Max Shachtman, ‘Lenin and Rosa Luxemburg’5 J.R. Johnson (C.L.R. James), ‘Revolution and the Negro’6 William F. Warde (George Novack), ‘The Right of Revolution’BibliographyIndex