The History of British Trotskyism

This book is a unique contribution to the history of British Trotskyism, written by Ted Grant (1913-2006), who shaped the course of Trotskyism in Britain for over half a century. Grant offers a detailed account of this beginning from the 1924 debate on Trotskyism in the British Communist Party, through to the events of the Second World War with the wartime activities of the Worker's International League and Revolutionary Communist Party, and his role as the chief theoretician. The activities even drew the attention of the British state - a report by the Home Secretary on the Trotskyist movement in Britain, alongside a Secret Service Report, is included in the appendices. This is followed by more than thirty years of revolutionary work within the Labour Party, where Grant founded and led the Militant Tendency, which haunted the Labour leadership and was eventually expelled along with the Militant editorial board in 1983. A postscript by Rob Sewell, the national organiser for the Militant throughout the 1980s, brings this unique history up to date. This book is a first-hand account of the personal recollections and role of a man who preserved the unbroken thread of Trotskyism throughout this time, combined with his seminal theoretical pieces, such as 'Stalinism in the Post War World' and 'Programme of the International', presented in the appendices. This is an indispensable tool to students of political history, and above all, an inspiration to all those seeking to change the world.