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Leon Trotsky Fourth International

Marxism Leninism Russian Revolution Prominent Trotskyists James P. Cannon Tony Cliff Pierre Frank Ted Grant Joseph Hansen Gerry Healy C. L. R. James Pierre Lambert Livio Maitan Ernest Mandel Nahuel Moreno Max Shachtman Trotskyist groups CWI · FI(ICR) · ICFI IMT · IST · IWL reunified FI Branches Orthodox Trotskyism Third camp

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The Fourth International (FI) is a communist international organisation working in opposition to both capitalism and Stalinism. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Leon Trotsky ( Russian:, Lev Davidovich Trotsky, also transliterated Leo, Lyev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Leninism refers to various related political and economic theories elaborated by Bolshevik revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin. The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution James Patrick Cannon (1890–1974 was an American Trotskyist Communist leader Tony Cliff ( May 20, 1917 – May 9, 2000) was a Trotskyist Revolutionary Activist. Pierre Frank (born 24 October 1905, Paris – died 18 April 1984, Paris) was a French Edward (Ted Grant ( 9 July 1913 &ndash 20 July 2006) was a South African Trotskyist Politician who spent most of his adult Joseph Leroy Hansen ( June 16, 1910 – January 18, 1979) was an American Trotskyist and leading figure in the Socialist Thomas Gerard Healy, known as Gerry Healy, ( December 3, 1913 - December 14, 1989) was a Trotskyist Activist. Cyril Lionel Robert James ( 4 January 1901 &ndash 19 May 1989) was an Afro- Trinidadian Journalist This article is about the French Trotskyist leader Pierre Lambert Boussel should not be confused with Pierre Lambert, the United Nations interpreter Livio Maitan ( April 1, 1923&mdash September 16, 2004) was an Italian Trotskyist, a leader of Associazione Bandiera Rossa Ernest Ezra Mandel, also known by various pseudonyms such as Ernest Germain, Pierre Gousset, Henri Vallin, Walter etc Nahuel Moreno ( April 24, 1924 - January 25, 1987) (real name Hugo Miguel Bressano Capacete) was a Trotskyist leader from Max Shachtman ( September 10 1904 - November 4, 1972) was an American Marxist theorist This is a list of Trotskyist internationals. It includes all of the many Political internationals which self-identify as Trotskyist. The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI is an international association of Trotskyist parties The Fourth International - International Centre of Reconstruction is a " Tendency " within the Fourth International, a conglomeration of Trotskyist For the "International Committee of the Fourth International" that superseded the United Secretariat of the Fourth International in 2003 please see Reunified The International Marxist Tendency (IMT is a Trotskyist tendency based on the ideas of Ted Grant. The International Socialist Tendency is an international grouping of organisations around the ideas of Tony Cliff, founder of the Socialist Workers Party in the UK See also the Workers International League. The International Workers League (Fourth International or IWLfi ( Spanish: Liga Internacional The reunified Fourth International was created in 1963 by the reunification of the majorities of the two public factions of the Fourth International: the International Secretariat Orthodox Trotskyism is a branch of Trotskyism which aims to adhere more closely to the philosophy methods and positions of Trotsky and the early Fourth International The third camp, also known as third camp socialism or third camp Trotskyism, is a branch of Socialism which aims to support neither Capitalism Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Stalinism is the political regime named after Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union from 1929–1953 Consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky, it has striven for an eventual victory of the working class to bring about socialism. Leon Trotsky ( Russian:, Lev Davidovich Trotsky, also transliterated Leo, Lyev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution

In France in 1938, Trotsky and many of his supporters, having been expelled from the Soviet Union, considered the Comintern to have become lost to Stalinism and incapable of leading the international working class towards political power. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types Political power ( Imperium in Latin is a type of power held by a group in a Society which allows administration of some or all of ^[1] Thus, they founded their own competing "Fourth International. " Throughout the better part of its existence, the Fourth International was hounded by agents of the Soviet secret police, repressed by capitalist countries such as France and the United States, and rejected by followers of the Soviet Union and later Maoism as illegitimate — a position these communists still hold today. The State Political Directorate was the Secret police of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ( RSFSR) and the Soviet Union from 1922 until Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Maoism, variably and officially known as Mao Zedong Thought ( is a variant of Marxism derived from the teachings of the late Chinese leader It struggled to maintain contact under such conditions of both illegality and scorn around much of the world during World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including When workers' uprisings occurred, they were usually under the influence of Soviet, Maoist, social democratic, or nationalist groups, leading to further betrayals and defeats for Trotskyists. A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. Maoism, variably and officially known as Mao Zedong Thought ( is a variant of Marxism derived from the teachings of the late Chinese leader Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation ^[2]

The FI suffered a split in 1940 and an even more significant split in 1953. Despite a partial reunification in 1963, more than one group claims to represent the political continuity of the Fourth International. The broad array of Trotskyist Internationals are split over which organisation represents its political continuity. This is a list of Trotskyist internationals. It includes all of the many Political internationals which self-identify as Trotskyist.

Trotskyism

Main article: Trotskyism

Soviet portrait of Trotsky. Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky.

Trotskyists regard themselves as working in opposition to both capitalism and Stalinism. Stalinism is the political regime named after Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union from 1929–1953 Trotsky advocated proletarian revolution as set out in his theory of "permanent revolution", and believed that a workers' state would not be able to hold out against the pressures of a hostile capitalist world unless socialist revolutions quickly took hold in other countries as well. The proletariat (from Latin la ''proles'' "offspring" is a term used to identify a lower Social class; a member of such a class is proletarian A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively This article is about the theory See Permanent Revolution (group for the group of the same name and Permanent Revolution (album for the Catch 22 The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers' state) can carry one of several different (but related meanings In strictly speaking any A communist revolution is a Proletarian revolution inspired by the ideas of Marxism that aims to replace Capitalism with Communism, typically This theory was advanced in opposition to the view held by the Stalinists that "socialism in one country" could be built in the Soviet Union alone. Socialism in One Country was a thesis developed by Nikolai Bukharin in 1925 and adopted as state policy by Joseph Stalin. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 ^[3] Furthermore, Trotsky and his supporters harshly criticised the increasingly totalitarian nature of Joseph Stalin's rule. Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party They argued that socialism without democracy is impossible. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Thus, faced with the increasing lack of democracy in the Soviet Union, they concluded that it was no longer a socialist workers' state, but a degenerated workers' state. In Trotskyist political theory the term degenerated workers' state has been used since the 1930s to describe the state of the Soviet Union after Stalin 's ^[1]

Political internationals

A political international is an organisation of political parties or activists with the aim of co-ordinating their activity for a common purpose. A political international is a trans-national organisation of political parties or activists A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral There had been a long tradition of socialists organising on an international basis, and Karl Marx had led the International Workingmen's Association, which later became known as the "first international. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution The International Workingmen's Association (IWA, sometimes called the First International, was an international socialist organization which aimed at uniting a variety "

After the International Workingmen's Association disbanded in 1876, several attempts were made to revive the organisation, culminating the formation of the socialist Second International. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution The Second International (1889-1916 was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. This, in turn, was disbanded in 1916 following disagreements over World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Although the organisation reformed in 1923 as the Labour and Socialist International, supporters of the October Revolution and the Bolsheviks had already set up the Comintern, which they regarded as the Third International. Socialist International is a worldwide organization of socialist ( social democratic and labour) political parties The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction ^[4] This was organised on a democratic centralist basis, with component parties required to fight for policies adopted by the body as a whole. Democratic centralism is the name given to the principles of internal organization used by Leninist political parties and the term is sometimes used as a synonym for any Leninist

By declaring themselves the Fourth International, the "World Party of Socialist Revolution", the Trotskyists were publicly asserting their continuity with the Comintern, and with its predecessors. A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively Their recognition of the importance of these earlier Internationals was coupled with a belief that they eventually degenerated. Although the Socialist International and Comintern were still in existence, the Trotskyists did not believe those organisations were capable of supporting revolutionary socialism and internationalism. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution International Socialism redirects here For the journal of the same name see International Socialism (journal Proletarian internationalism is a ^[5]

The foundation of the Fourth International was therefore spurred in part by a desire to form a stronger political current, rather than being seen as the communist opposition to the Comintern and the Soviet Union. Trotsky believed that its formation was all the more urgent for the role he saw it playing in the impending World War. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including ^[1]

Decision to form the International

Trotsky and his supporters had been organised since 1923 as the Left Opposition, and later the International Left Opposition, an opposition within the Comintern. Left communism and the Left Opposition are distinct Left communism should not be confused with the Trotskyist tendency described below Left communism and the Left Opposition are distinct Left communism should not be confused with the Trotskyist tendency described below They opposed the bureaucratisation of the Soviet Union, which they analysed as being partly caused by the poverty and isolation of the Soviet economy. Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity usually in large organizations and government The economy of the Soviet Union was based on a system of State ownership, administrative planning Socialist competition and free labour ^[5] Stalin's theory of socialism in one country was developed in 1924 as an opposition to Trotsky's Theory of Permanent Revolution, which argued that capitalism was a world system and required a world revolution in order to replace it with socialism. This article is about the theory See Permanent Revolution (group for the group of the same name and Permanent Revolution (album for the Catch 22 This is about the concept of world revolution in Marxist theory Prior to 1924, the Bolshevik's international perspective had been guided by Trotsky's position. The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction Trotsky argued that Stalin's theory represented the interests of bureaucratic elements in direct opposition to the working class.

In the early 1930s, Trotsky and his supporters believed that Stalin's influence over the Third International could still be fought from within and slowly rolled back. They organised themselves into the International Left Opposition in 1930, which was intended to be a group of anti-Stalinist dissenters within the Third International. Stalin's supporters, who dominated the International, would no longer tolerate dissent. All Trotskyists, and those suspected of being influenced by Trotskyism, were expelled. ^[6]

Trotsky claimed that the Third Period policies of the Comintern had contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany, and that its turn to a popular front policy (aiming to unite all ostensibly anti-fascist forces) sowed illusions in reformism and pacifism and "clear[ed] the road for a fascist overturn". The Third Period was the policy adopted by the Comintern at the end of the Soviet Union's New Economic Policy in 1928 and was in place until the adoption Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately A popular front is a broad Coalition of different political groupings often made up of leftists and centrists who are united by opposition to another group Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies organizations governments and people Socialist Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a Society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures By 1935 he claimed that the Comintern had fallen irredeemably into the hands of the Stalinist bureaucracy. ^[7] He and his supporters, expelled from the Third International, participated in a conference of the London Bureau of socialist parties outside both the Socialist International and the Comintern. The International Revolutionary Marxist Centre was an international association of left-socialist parties Three of those parties joined the Left Opposition in signing a document written by Trotsky calling for a Fourth International, which became known as the "Declaration of Four". Of those, two soon distanced themselves from the agreement, but the Dutch Revolutionary Socialist Party worked with the International Left Opposition to declare the International Communist League. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Revolutionary Socialist Party (in Dutch Revolutionair Socialistische Partij RSP was a dutch Left-communist Political party. ^[8]

This position was contested by Andrés Nin and some other members of the League who did not support the call for a new International. Andreu Nin Pérez, ( Catalan: Andreu Nin; Spanish: Andrés Nin; February 4 1892, El Vendrell, Tarragona This group prioritised regroupment with other communist oppositions, principally the International Communist Opposition (ICO), linked to the Right Opposition in the Soviet Party, a regroupment which eventually led to the formation of the International Bureau for Revolutionary Socialist Unity. The Right Opposition was the name given to the tendency made up of Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov and their supporters within the Soviet Union in the late The Right Opposition was the name given to the tendency made up of Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov and their supporters within the Soviet Union in the late The International Revolutionary Marxist Centre was an international association of left-socialist parties Trotsky considered those organisations to be centrist. In Politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting Moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes Despite Trotsky, the Spanish section merged with the Spanish section of ICO, forming the POUM. POUM Campesinosjpg|thumb|A POUM poster appeals to peasants "Peasants the land is yours"]]The Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM Spanish: Partido Obrero Trotsky claimed the merger was to be a capitulation to centrism. ^[9] The Socialist Workers' Party of Germany, a left split from the Socialist Party of Germany founded in 1931, co-operated with the International Left Opposition briefly in 1933 but soon abandoned the call for a new International. The Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands SAPD was a Political party in Germany.

In 1935, Trotsky wrote an Open Letter for the Fourth International, reaffirming the Declaration of Four, while documenting the recent course of the Comintern and the Socialist International. An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience or a letter intended for an individual but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally In the letter, he called for the urgent formation of a Fourth International. ^[8] The "First International Conference for the Fourth International" was held in Paris in June 1936, reports giving its location as Geneva for security reasons. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking ^[10] This meeting dissolved the International Communist League, founding in its place the Movement for the Fourth International on Trotsky's perspectives.

The foundation of the Fourth International was seen as more than just the simple renaming of an international tendency that was already in existence. It was argued that the Third International had now degenerated completely and was therefore to be seen as a counter-revolutionary organisation that would in time of crisis defend capitalism. A counter-revolutionary is anyone who opposes a Revolution, particularly those who act after a revolution to try to overturn or reverse it in full or in part Trotsky believed that the coming World War would produce a revolutionary wave of class and national struggles, rather as the First World War had done. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A revolutionary wave is a series of Revolutions occurring in various locations World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All ^[1]

Stalin reacted to the growing strength of Trotsky's supporters with a major political massacre of people within the Soviet Union, and the assassination of Trotsky's supporters and family abroad. ^[11] He had agents go through historical documents and photos in order to attempt to erase Trotsky's memory from the history books. ^[12] According to the journal Revolutionary History, Stalin's supporters turned to anti-semitism to whip up sentiment against Trotsky. Revolutionary History is a British Journal dedicated to the History of the Far left. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility ^[13] Stalin's daughter later claimed that his fight with Trotsky laid the foundations for his later anti-semitic campaigns. ^[14]

Founding Congress

Emblem of the Fourth International.

The International's rationale was to construct new mass revolutionary parties able to lead successful workers' revolutions. It saw these arising from a revolutionary wave which would develop alongside and as a result of the coming World War. Thirty delegates attended a founding conference, held in September 1938, in the home of Alfred Rosmer just outside Paris. Alfred Rosmer (1877 - 1964 was a Syndicalist leader before World War I and one of the few leaders of that movement to oppose the war from a revolutionary internationalist Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Present at the meeting were delegates from all the major countries of Europe, and from North America, although for reasons of cost and distance, few delegates attended from Asia or Latin America. An International Secretariat was established, with many of the day's leading Trotskyists and most countries in which Trotskyists were active represented. ^[15] Among the resolutions adopted by the conference were the Transitional Programme. The Transitional Program, the full name of which is The Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International, is a Political platform adopted by the ^[16]

The Transitional Programme was the central programmatic statement of the congress, summarising its strategic and tactical conceptions for the revolutionary period that it saw opening up as a result of the war which Trotsky had been predicting for some years. It is not, however, the definitive programme of the Fourth International — as is often suggested — but instead contains a summation of the conjunctural understanding of the movement at that date and a series of transitional policies designed to develop the struggle for workers' power. ^[17][18]

World War II

At the outbreak of World War II, in 1939, the International Secretariat was moved to New York City. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The City of New York The resident International Executive Committee failed to meet, largely because of a struggle in the U.S. Socialist Workers Party (SWP) between Trotsky's supporters and the tendency of Max Shachtman, Martin Abern and James Burnham. The Socialist Workers Party, or SWP, is a Communist Political party in the United States. Max Shachtman ( September 10 1904 - November 4, 1972) was an American Marxist theorist Martin Abern, born Martin Abramowitz ( December 2 1898 &mdash1949 was an American Trotskyist politician James Burnham (1905&ndash1987 was an American popular political theorist former Communist activist and Intellectual, known for his work The Managerial The secretariat was composed of those committee members who happened to be in the city, most of who were co-thinkers of Shachtman. ^[19] The disagreement was centred around the Shachtmanites' disagreements with the SWP's internal policy,^[20] and over the FI's unconditional defence of the USSR. Shachtmanism is a critical term applied to the form of Marxism associated with Max Shachtman. ^[21]

Trotsky opened a public debate with Shachtman and Burnham and developed his positions in a series of polemics written in 1939–1940 and later collected in In Defense of Marxism. Shachtman and Burnham's tendency resigned from the International in early 1940, alongside almost 40% of the SWP's members, many of whom became founder members of the Workers Party. The Workers Party (WP was a Third Camp Trotskyist group in the United States. ^[22][23]

Emergency Conference

In May 1940 an emergency conference of the International met at a secret location "somewhere in the Western Hemisphere. " It adopted a manifesto drafted by Trotsky shortly before his murder and a range of on the work of the International, including one calling for the reunification of the then-divided Fourth Internationalist groups in Britain. ^[24]

Secretariat members who had supported Shachtman were expelled by the emergency conference, with the support of Trotsky himself. ^[25] While leader of the SWP James P. Cannon later said that he did not believe the split to be definitive and final, the two groups did not reunite. James Patrick Cannon (1890–1974 was an American Trotskyist Communist leader ^[22] A new International Executive Committee was appointed, which came under the increasing influence of the Socialist Workers Party. The Socialist Workers Party, or SWP, is a Communist Political party in the United States. ^[25]

The Fourth International was hit hard during World War II. Trotsky was assassinated, many of the FI's European affiliates destroyed by the Nazis and several of its Asian affiliates destroyed by the Empire of Japan. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku The survivors, in Europe, Asia and elsewhere, were largely cut off from each other and from the International Secretariat. The new secretary, Jean Van Heijenoort (also known as Gerland), was able to do little more than publish articles in the SWP's theoretical journal Fourth International. Jean Louis Maxime Van Heijenoort (pronounced highenort) ( July 23 1912, Creil France - March 29 1986, Mexico City ^[25] Despite this dislocation, the various groups sought to maintain links and some connections were kept up throughout the early part of the war by sailors enlisted in the U.S. Navy who had cause to visit Marseille. Marseille, ( English alt Marseilles mɑrˈseɪ — French: maʁsɛj locally — Provençal Occitan: Marselha maʀˈsijɔ ^[26] Contact was steady, if irregular, between the SWP and the British Trotskyists, with the result that the Americans exerted what influence they had to encourage the Workers' International League into the International through a fusion with the Revolutionary Socialist League, a union that had been requested by the Emergency Conference. The Workers' International League was a Trotskyist Political party in the United Kingdom. The Revolutionary Socialist League was the name used by the British section of the Fourth International at two points in the Twentieth century. ^[27]

In 1942, a debate on the national question in Europe opened up between the majority of the SWP and a current around Van Heijenoort, Albert Goldman and Felix Morrow. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Albert Goldman (1897 - 1960 was an American Trotskyist and Lawyer to the Labor movement. Felix Morrow (1906 - 1988 was a US Communist politician Morrow was born Felix Mayrowitz to an Orthodox Jewish family on June 1906 in New York City ^[28] This minority anticipated that the Nazi dictatorship would be replaced with capitalism rather than by a socialist revolution, leading to the revival of Stalinism and social democracy. Stalinism is the political regime named after Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union from 1929–1953 Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left In December 1943, they criticised the SWP's view as underestimating the rising prestige of Stalinism and the opportunities for the capitalists to use democratic concessions. ^[29] The SWP's central committee argued that democratic capitalism could not revive, resulting in either military dictatorship by the capitalists or a workers' revolution. A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively ^[30] It held that this would reinforce the need for building the Fourth International, and adhered rigidly to their interpretation of Trotsky's works.

European Conference

The Fourth International magazine

The wartime debate about post-war perspectives was accelerated by the resolution of the February 1944 European Conference of the Fourth International. The conference appointed a new European Secretariat and elected Michel Raptis, a Greek resident in France also known as Michel Pablo, the organisational secretary of its European Bureau. Michel Pablo ( Greek: Μισέλ Πάμπλο; August 24, 1911 - February 17 1996) was the pseudonym of Michalis Raptis and other bureau members re-established contact between the Trotskyist parties. The European conference extended the lessons of a revolution then unfolding in Italy, and concluded that a revolutionary wave would cross Europe as the war ended. ^[31] The SWP had a similar perspective. ^[32] The British Revolutionary Communist Party disagreed and held that capitalism was not about to plunge into massive crisis but rather that an upturn in the economy was already underway. The Revolutionary Communist Party was a British Trotskyist Political party, formed in 1944 and active until 1949 and publishing the Socialist Appeal ^[33] A group of leaders of the French Internationalist Communist Party around Yvan Craipeau argued a similar position until they were expelled from the PCI in 1948. The Internationalist Communist Party ( French: Parti Communiste Internationaliste, PCI was a Trotskyist Political party in France. Yvan Craipeau ( 24 September 1911 - 13 December 2001) was a French Trotskyist activist ^[34]

International Conference

In April 1946 delegates from the principal European sections and a number of others attended a "Second International Congress. "^[35] This set about rebuilding the International Secretariat of the Fourth International with Michel Raptis appointed Secretary and Ernest Mandel, a Belgian, taking a leading role. Ernest Ezra Mandel, also known by various pseudonyms such as Ernest Germain, Pierre Gousset, Henri Vallin, Walter etc

Pablo and Mandel aimed to counter the opposition of the majorities inside the British Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) and French Internationalist Communist Party (PCI). Initially, they encouraged party members to vote out their leaderships. They supported Gerry Healy's opposition in the RCP. Thomas Gerard Healy, known as Gerry Healy, ( December 3, 1913 - December 14, 1989) was a Trotskyist Activist. In France, they backed elements, including Pierre Frank and Marcel Bleibtreu, opposed to the new leadership of the PCI — albeit for differing reasons. Pierre Frank (born 24 October 1905, Paris – died 18 April 1984, Paris) was a French Marcel Bleibtreu ( 26 August 1918 -2001 was a French trotskyist activist and theorist ^[36]

The Stalinist occupation of Eastern Europe was the issue of prime concern, and it raised many problems of interpretation. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. At first, the International held that, while the USSR was a degenerated workers' state, the post-World War II East European states were still bourgeois entities, because revolution from above was not possible, and capitalism persisted. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 In Trotskyist political theory the term degenerated workers' state has been used since the 1930s to describe the state of the Soviet Union after Stalin 's ^[37]

Another issue that needed to be dealt with was the possibility that the economy would revive. This was initially denied by Mandel (who was quickly forced to revise his opinion, and later devoted his PhD dissertation to late capitalism, analysing the unexpected "third age" of capitalist development). In his work Late Capitalism Ernest Mandel argues for three periods in the development of Capitalism. Mandel's perspective mirrored uncertainty at that time about the future viability and prospects of capitalism, not just among all Trotskyist groups, but also among leading economists. Paul Samuelson had envisaged in 1943 the probability of a "nightmarish combination of the worst features of inflation and deflation," worrying that "there would be ushered in the greatest period of unemployment and industrial dislocation which any economy has ever faced. Paul Anthony Samuelson (born May 15, 1915) is an American neoclassical Economist known for his contributions to many fields of In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time Deflation is the opposite of Inflation. Therefore under the usual contemporary definition of inflation 'deflation' means a decrease in the general price level. "^[38] Joseph Schumpeter for his part claimed that "The general opinion seems to be that capitalist methods will be unequal to the task of reconstruction. Joseph Alois Schumpeter ( February 8, 1883 &ndash January 8, 1950) was an Economist and Political scientist born in " He regarded it as "not open to doubt that the decay of capitalist society is very far advanced". ^[39]

Second World Congress

The Second World Congress in April 1946 was attended by delegates from 22 sections. It debated a range of resolutions on the Jewish Question, Stalinism, the colonial countries and the specific situations facing sections in certain countries. The Jewish question was an issue for discussions and debate particularly in western and Central Europe, during the French Revolution and into the ^[40] By this point the FI was united around the view that the Eastern European "buffer states" were still capitalist countries. A buffer state is a Country lying between two rival or potentially hostile greater powers, which by its sheer existence is thought to prevent conflict between them ^[41]

The Congress was especially notable for bringing the International into much closer contact with Trotskyist groups from across the globe. These included such significant groups as the Revolutionary Workers' Party of Bolivia and the Lanka Sama Samaja Party in what was then Ceylon,^[42] but the previously large Vietnamese Trotskyist groups had mostly been eliminated or absorbed by the supporters of Ho Chi Minh. The Revolutionary Workers' Party ( Spanish: Partido Obrero Revolucionario, POR is a Trotskyist Political party in Bolivia. The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America. The Lanka Sama Samaja Party (literally Ceylon Equal Society Party in Sinhala: ලංකා සම සමාජ පක්ෂය in Tamil: லங்கா சமசமாஜக் Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially For the city named after him see Ho Chi Minh City. Hồ Chí Minh (name ^[43]

After the Second World Congress in 1948, the International Secretariat attempted to open communications with Tito's regime in Yugoslavia. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: ^[44] In their analysis, it differed from the rest of the Eastern Bloc because it was established by the partisans of World War II who had fought against Nazi occupation, as opposed to by Stalin's invading armies. During the Cold War, the term Communist Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were A partisan is a member of an Irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation The British RCP, led by Jock Haston and supported by Ted Grant, were highly critical of this move. Jock Haston (1913-1986 was a Trotskyist politician and General Secretary of the Revolutionary Communist Party in Great Britain. Edward (Ted Grant ( 9 July 1913 &ndash 20 July 2006) was a South African Trotskyist Politician who spent most of his adult ^[36]

Third World Congress

James P. Cannon in 1922, later leader of the U. James Patrick Cannon (1890–1974 was an American Trotskyist Communist leader S. section of the Fourth International

The Third World Congress in 1951 resolved that the economies of the East European states and their political regimes had come to resemble that of the USSR more and more. These states were then described as deformed workers states in an analogy with the degenerated workers state in Russia. In Trotskyist political theory deformed workers' states are states where the Bourgeoisie has been overthrown through Social revolution, the industrial The term deformed was used rather than degenerated, because no workers' revolution had led to the foundation of these states. ^[45]

The Third World Congress envisaged the real possibility of an "international civil war" in the near future. ^[46] It argued that the mass Communist parties "may, under certain favourable conditions, go beyond the aims set for them by the Soviet bureaucracy and project a revolutionary orientation". Given the supposed closeness of war, the FI thought that the Communist Parties and social democratic parties would be the only significant force that could defend the workers of the world against the imperialist camp in those countries where there were mass forces. Imperialism has two meanings one describing an action and the other describing an attitude ^[47]

In line with this geopolitical perspective, Pablo argued that the only way the Trotskyists could avoid isolation was for various sections of the Fourth International to undertake long-term entryism in the mass Communist or Social Democratic parties. Entryism (or entrism or enterism) is a political tactic by which an organisation encourages members to infiltrate another organisation in an attempt to gain recruits ^[48] This tactic was known as entrism sui generis, to distinguish it from the short-term entry tactic employed before World War II. For example, it meant that the project of building an open and independent Trotskyist party was shelved in France, because it was regarded as not politically feasible alongside entry into the French Communist Party.

This perspective was accepted within the Fourth International, yet sowed the seeds for the split in 1953. At the Third World Congress, the sections agreed with the perspective of an international civil war. The French section disagreed with the associated tactic of entryism sui generis, and held that Pablo was underestimating the independent role of the working class parties in the Fourth International. Entryism (or entrism or enterism) is a political tactic by which an organisation encourages members to infiltrate another organisation in an attempt to gain recruits The leaders of the majority of the Trotskyist organisation in France, Marcel Bleibtreu and Pierre Lambert, refused to follow the line of the International. This article is about the French Trotskyist leader Pierre Lambert Boussel should not be confused with Pierre Lambert, the United Nations interpreter The International leadership had them replaced by a minority, leading to a permanent split in the French section. ^[49]

In the wake of the World Congress, the line of the International Leadership was generally accepted by groups around the world, including the U. S. SWP whose leader, James P. Cannon, corresponded with the French majority to support the tactic of entrism sui generis. ^[49] At the same time, however, Cannon, Gerry Healy and Ernest Mandel were deeply concerned by Pablo's political evolution. Thomas Gerard Healy, known as Gerry Healy, ( December 3, 1913 - December 14, 1989) was a Trotskyist Activist. Ernest Ezra Mandel, also known by various pseudonyms such as Ernest Germain, Pierre Gousset, Henri Vallin, Walter etc Cannon and Healy were also alarmed by Pablo's intervention into the French section, and by suggestions that Pablo might use the International's authority in this way in other sections of the Fourth International that felt entrism "sui generis" was not a suitable tactic in their own countries. In particular, minority tendencies in Britain around John Lawrence and the U. John Gordon Michael Lawrence ( 29 September 1915 &ndash 14 November 2002) was a leading Far left activitist in a wide variety of groups S. around Bert Cochran that supported entrism "sui generis" hinted that Pablo's support for their views indicated that the International might also demand Trotskyists in those countries adopt that tactic. Bert Cochran ( December 25 1913 ? &ndash June 6 1984) was an American Communist politician and author ^[50]

Formation of the International Committee of the Fourth International

In 1953, the SWP's national committee issued an Open Letter to Trotskyists Throughout the World and organised the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). For the "International Committee of the Fourth International" that superseded the United Secretariat of the Fourth International in 2003 please see Reunified This was a public faction which initially included, in addition to the SWP, Gerry Healy's British section The Club, the Internationalist Communist Party in France (then led by Lambert who had expelled Bleibtreu and his grouping), Nahuel Moreno's party in Argentina and the Austrian and Chinese sections of the FI. Nahuel Moreno ( April 24, 1924 - January 25, 1987) (real name Hugo Miguel Bressano Capacete) was a Trotskyist leader from The sections of the ICFI withdrew from the International Secretariat, which suspended their voting rights. Both sides claimed they constituted a majority of the former International. ^[51][52]

Sri Lanka's Lanka Sama Samaja Party, then the country's leading workers' party, took a middle position during this dispute. It continued to participate in the ISFI but argued for a joint congress, for reunification with the ICFI. ^[53]

An excerpt from the Open Letter explains the split as follows:

To sum up: The lines of cleavage between Pablo's revisionism and orthodox Trotskyism are so deep that no compromise is possible either politically or organizationally. The Pablo faction has demonstrated that it will not permit democratic decisions truly reflecting majority opinion to be reached. They demand complete submission to their criminal policy. They are determined to drive all orthodox Trotskyists out of the Fourth International or to muzzle and handcuff them. Their scheme has been to inject their Stalinist conciliationism piecemeal and likewise in piecemeal fashion, get rid of those who come to see what is happening and raise objections. ^[54]

From the Fourth World Congress to reunification

The IS published Fourth International until reunification

Over the following decade, the IC referred to the rest of the International as the International Secretariat of the Fourth International, emphasising its view that the Secretariat did not speak for the International as a whole. ^[55] The Secretariat continued to view itself as the leadership of the International. It held a Fourth World Congress in 1954 to regroup and to recognise reorganised sections in Britain, France and the U. S.

Parts of the International Committee were divided over whether the split with "Pabloism" was permanent or temporary,^[56] and it was perhaps as a result of this that it did not declare itself to be the Fourth International. Those sections that considered the split permanent embarked on a discussion about the history of the split and its meanings.

The sections of the International that recognised the leadership of the International Secretariat remained optimistic about the possibilities for increasing the International's political influence and extended the entrism into Social Democratic Parties which was already underway in Britain, Austria and elsewhere. Entryism (or entrism or enterism) is a political tactic by which an organisation encourages members to infiltrate another organisation in an attempt to gain recruits The 1954 congress emphasised entrism into Communist Parties as well as Nationalist parties in the colonies, pressing for democratic reforms, ostensibly to encourage the left-wing they perceived to exist in the Communist Parties to join with them in a revolution. A Political party described as a communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of Communism through a communist form of The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system A Political party described as a communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of Communism through a communist form of A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively ^[57][58] Tensions developed between the mainstream around Pablo and a minority that argued unsuccessfully against open work. A number of these delegates walked out of the World Congress, and would eventually leave the International, including the leader of the new British section, John Lawrence, George Clarke, Michele Mestre (a leader of the French section), and Murray Dowson (a leader of the Canadian group). John Gordon Michael Lawrence ( 29 September 1915 &ndash 14 November 2002) was a leading Far left activitist in a wide variety of groups Lucienne Abraham, also known as Michèle Mestre (1916 - 1970 was a French Trotskyist Politician. Murray Dowson (born Toronto 1915 died before 2002 was a Canadian Trotskyist Politician. ^[59]

The Secretariat organised a Fifth World Congress in October 1957. Mandel and Pierre Frank appraised the Algerian revolution and surmised that it was essential to reorient in the colonial states and neocolonies towards the emerging guerrilla-led revolutions. Pierre Frank (born 24 October 1905, Paris – died 18 April 1984, Paris) was a French The Algerian War ( French: Guerre d'Algérie; 1954-1962 also known as Algerian War of Independence, led to Algeria 's independence from Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc ^[60]

The Sixth World Congress in 1961 marked a lessening of the political divisions between the majority of supporters of the International Secretariat and the leadership of the SWP in the United States. In particular, the congress stressed support for the Cuban revolution and a growing emphasis on building parties in the imperialist countries. The Cuban Revolution refers to the revolution that led to the overthrow of the United States proxy ruler General Fulgencio Batista 's regime on January 1, The sixth congress also criticised the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, its Sri Lankan section, for seeming to support the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, which they saw as bourgeois nationalists; the U. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the major political parties in Sri Lanka. S. SWP made similar criticisms. The supporters of Michel Pablo and Juan Posadas opposed the convergence. J Posadas (1912–1981 (occasionally referred to as Juan Posadas) was the Pseudonym of Homero Romulo Cristalli Frasnelli, an Argentine The supporters of Posadas left the International in 1962. ^[61]

In 1962 the IC and IS formed a Parity Commission to organise a common World Congress. At the 1963 congress, a split in the IC took place, with a significant part centred on the U. S. SWP agreeing to reunify with the IS. This was largely a result of their mutual support for the Cuban Revolution, based on Ernest Mandel and Joseph Hansen's resolution Dynamics of World Revolution Today. The Cuban Revolution refers to the revolution that led to the overthrow of the United States proxy ruler General Fulgencio Batista 's regime on January 1, Joseph Leroy Hansen ( June 16, 1910 – January 18, 1979) was an American Trotskyist and leading figure in the Socialist This document distinguished between different revolutionary tasks in the imperialist countries, the "workers' states", and the colonial and semi-colonial countries. Imperialism has two meanings one describing an action and the other describing an attitude The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers' state) can carry one of several different (but related meanings In strictly speaking any A semi-colony is in Marxist theory a Country which is officially an independent and sovereign nation but which is in reality very much dependent and dominated by ^[62] In 1963, the reunified Fourth International elected a United Secretariat of the Fourth International (USFI), by which name the organisation as a whole is often still referred. The reunified Fourth International was created in 1963 by the reunification of the majorities of the two public factions of the Fourth International: the International Secretariat

Unity discussions after 1963

Lambert's Internationalist Communist Party (PCI) in France and the Socialist Labour League (SLL) in Britain did not take part in the reunification congress, but discussions continued on the topic. The Workers' Revolutionary Party is a small Trotskyist Political party in the United Kingdom. The PCI and SLL maintained the ICFI under their own leadership, opposing key elements in the reunification documents, including the view that the July 26 Movement has created a workers' state in Cuba. The 26th of July Movement ( Spanish: Movimiento 26 de Julio; M-26-7) was the revolutionary organization planned and led by Fidel Castro that The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers' state) can carry one of several different (but related meanings In strictly speaking any They argued instead that Cuba's revolution did not bring power to the working class; the SLL believed that Cuba had remained a capitalist country. ^[63] In their view, the United Secretariat's support for the Cuban and Algerian leaderships reflected a lack of commitment to the building of revolutionary Marxist parties. While not rejecting reunification in itself, the continuing ICFI argued that a deeper political discussion was needed to ensure that Pablo's errors were not deepened. ^[64]

Led by Tim Wohlforth and James Robertson, those within the U. Timothy Andrew Wohlforth (born May 15, 1933) is a United States former Trotskyist leader James Robertson is National Chairman (consultative of the Spartacist League of the United States which is a section of the International Communist League (Fourth S. Socialist Workers Party (SWP), who broadly shared this view formed a "Revolutionary Tendency" in 1962. They argued that the party should have a full discussion of the meaning of Pabloism and the 1953 split. Michel Pablo ( Greek: Μισέλ Πάμπλο; August 24, 1911 - February 17 1996) was the pseudonym of Michalis Along with the remainder of the ICFI, they argued that Cuba's revolution did not prove that the Fourth International was no longer necessary in the colonial countries. However, differences inside the Revolutionary Tendency developed. ^[65] In 1964, with Wohlforth laying the evidentiary basis for claims of "party disloyalty" against Robertson, the tendency was expelled from the party. In the opinion of Robertson's group, Wohlforth conspired with the SWP leadership to get Robertson's group expelled. ^[66]

The ICFI unsuccessfully repeated its appeal for a deep discussion with the reunified Fourth International at the end of 1963, and on later occasions. The reunified Fourth International was created in 1963 by the reunification of the majorities of the two public factions of the Fourth International: the International Secretariat ^[67] Its 1966 conference called for a Fourth International Conference. ^[68] The ICFI approached the USFI again in 1970, requesting "a mutual discussion that might open the way to the Socialist Labour League and its French sister organisation, the Trotskyist Organisation, reunifying with the Fourth International". For the unrelated Italian left communist group see the Internationalist Communist Organisation (Italy. ^[69] Similar approaches were rejected in 1973. ^[70]

After the Lambert's current left the ICFI in 1971, its Organising Committee for the Reconstruction of the Fourth International (OCRFI) opened discussion with the USFI. The Organising Committee for the Reconstruction of the Fourth International (OCRFI was set up in 1972 by various Trotskyist groups mostly formerly affiliated to the In May 1973, Lambert's tendency unsuccessfully requested to take part in the discussions for the USFI's 1974 congress, but the United Secretariat did not take the letter at face value and asked for clarification. In September 1973 the OCRFI responded positively and the United Secretariat agreed a positive reply. However, in the rush of preparations for the world congress the United Secretariat's letter was not sent, leading Lambert's group to repeat its request in September 1974 through an approach to the US SWP. The following month the USFI organised a meeting with the OCRFI. However, discussions decelerated after Lambert's Internationalist Communist Organisation made an attack on Ernest Mandel, which it later acknowledged as an error. For the unrelated Italian left communist group see the Internationalist Communist Organisation (Italy. In 1976 new approaches by the OCRFI met with success, when it wrote with the aim "to strengthen the force of the Fourth International as a single international organisation". However, these discussions decelerated again in 1977 after the Internationalist Communist Organisation leaders stated that it had members inside the Revolutionary Communist League, the USFI's French section. The Revolutionary Communist League ( Ligue communiste révolutionnaire) (LCR is a French democratic Revolutionary socialist Political party ^[71]

Other currents with roots in Gerry Healy's ICFI also came towards the United Secretariat at this time: the Workers Socialist League in Britain and the Socialist League in Australia both opened discussions in 1976. Thomas Gerard Healy, known as Gerry Healy, ( December 3, 1913 - December 14, 1989) was a Trotskyist Activist. The Workers Socialist League (WSL was a Trotskyist Political party in the United Kingdom. ^[72] Both currents would eventually merge with the sections of the International in their countries; the Socialist League merging in 1977, while the majority of the Workers Socialist League became the Socialist Group, which was to attend the ninth world congress and eventually join in 1987.

Unification was also discussed between the USFI and the French group Lutte Ouvriere. Workers' Struggle ( Lutte Ouvrière) is the usual name under which the Communist Union ( Union Communiste) (Trotskyist a French Trotskyist In 1970, Lutte Ouvriere initiated fusion discussions with the French section of the USFI. After extensive discussions, the two organisations agreed the basis for a fused organisation, but the fusion was not completed. In 1976 discussions between the USFI and Lutte Ouvriere progressed again. The two organisations started to produce a common weekly supplement to their newspapers, common electoral work and other common campaigning. ^[73]

Michel Pablo's tendency also raised the question of unity in 1976, with an ambitious proposal that it and the USFI could eventually unify in a new organisation comprising tendencies that were, or were evolving towards, revolutionary Marxism. Michel Pablo ( Greek: Μισέλ Πάμπλο; August 24, 1911 - February 17 1996) was the pseudonym of Michalis The USFI felt unable to move ahead with the proposal. ^[74] Pablo's tendency finally rejoined in 1995.

The International today

Since the 1963 reunification, a number of approaches have developed within international Trotskyism towards the Fourth International.

• The reunified Fourth International (sometimes known as the United Secretariat of the Fourth International or USFI) is the only current with direct organisational continuity to the original Fourth International at an international level. The reunified Fourth International was created in 1963 by the reunification of the majorities of the two public factions of the Fourth International: the International Secretariat The 1963 congress reunified the majorities of all but two of the national sections of the Fourth International. It is also the only current to have continuously presented itself as "the" Fourth International. It is the largest current and leaders of some other Trotskyist Internationals occasionally refer to it as "the Fourth International": ICFI secretary Gerry Healy, when proposing reunification discussions in the 1970s, described it as "the Fourth International";^[75] the International Socialist Tendency also usually refers to it in this way but does not accept that the FI can claim political continuity with the FI of Trotsky. The International Socialist Tendency is an international grouping of organisations around the ideas of Tony Cliff, founder of the Socialist Workers Party in the UK ^[76]

• The International Committee of the Fourth International member groups customarily describe themselves as sections of the Fourth International, and the organisation as whole describes itself as the "leadership of the Fourth International". For the "International Committee of the Fourth International" that superseded the United Secretariat of the Fourth International in 2003 please see Reunified ^[77] However, the ICFI presents itself as the political continuity of the Fourth International and Trotskyism, not as the FI itself. It clearly dates its creation as 1953, rather than from 1938. ^[78]

• Some tendencies argue that the Fourth International became dislocated politically during the years between Trotsky's murder and the establishment of the ICFI in 1953; they consequently work to "reconstruct", "reorganise" or "rebuild" it. This view originated with Lutte Ouvriere and the international Spartacist tendency and is shared by others who diverged from the ICFI. Workers' Struggle ( Lutte Ouvrière) is the usual name under which the Communist Union ( Union Communiste) (Trotskyist a French Trotskyist The International Communist League (Fourth Internationalist, popularly referred to as the Spartacist League and by its critics as " The Sparts " is a For example, the Committee for a Workers International, whose founders dropped out of the reunified FI after 1965, call for a new "revolutionary Fourth International". The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI is an international association of Trotskyist parties ^[79] Indeed, the Fourth International (ICR) reproclaimed the Fourth International at a congress attended by ICR sections in June 1993. The Fourth International - International Centre of Reconstruction is a " Tendency " within the Fourth International, a conglomeration of Trotskyist ^[80]

• Other Trotskyist groups argue that the Fourth International is dead. They call for the establishment of a new "workers' international" or a Fifth International. The phrase Fifth International refers to the efforts made by some sections of the Far left to create a new Workers' International. ^[81]

Impact

In uniting the large majority of Trotskyists in one organisation, the Fourth International created a tradition which has since been claimed by many Trotskyist organisations.

Echoing Marx's Communist Manifesto, the Transitional Programme ended with the declaration "Workers — men and women — of all countries, place yourselves under the banner of the Fourth International. Manifesto of the Communist Party ( often referred to as The Communist Manifesto, was first published on February 21, 1848, and is It is the banner of your approaching victory!". It declared demands to be placed on capitalists, opposition to the bureaucracy in the Soviet Union, and support for workers' action against fascism. ^[1] Most of the demands on capitalists remain unfulfilled. The collapse of the Soviet Union occurred, but through a social revolution leading to the restoration of capitalism, rather than the political revolution proposed by the Trotskyists. The term social revolution may have different connotations depending on the speaker A political revolution, in the Trotskyist theory is an upheaval in which the government is replaced or the form of government altered but in which property relations are predominantly Many Trotskyist groups have been active in anti-fascist campaigns, but the Fourth International has never played a major role in the toppling of a regime.

Those groups which follow traditions that left the Fourth International in its early years argue that, despite initially correct positions, it had little impact. Lutte Ouvriere claims that it failed to oppose the Second World War. Workers' Struggle ( Lutte Ouvrière) is the usual name under which the Communist Union ( Union Communiste) (Trotskyist a French Trotskyist ^[82] Workers Liberty, which follows in the third camp tradition established by the Workers Party, holds that "Trotsky and everything he represented was defeated and — as we have to recognise in retrospect — defeated for a whole historical period. The Alliance for Workers' Liberty (AWL also known as Workers' Liberty, is a Marxist group based in the United Kingdom. The third camp, also known as third camp socialism or third camp Trotskyism, is a branch of Socialism which aims to support neither Capitalism The Workers Party (WP was a Third Camp Trotskyist group in the United States. "^[83]

Other groups point to a positive impact. The ICFI claim that "the [early] Fourth International consisted mainly of cadres who remained true to their aims"^[84] and describes much of the Fourth International's early activity as "correct and principled". ^[85] The reunified FI claim that "the Fourth International refused to compromise with capitalism either in its fascist or democratic variants. " In its view, "many of the predictions made by Trotsky when he founded the Fourth International were proved wrong by history. But what was absolutely vindicated were his key political judgements. "^[86]

See also

Communism  v • d • e  Basic concepts Marxist philosophy Class struggle Proletarian internationalism Communist party Ideologies Marxism Leninism Stalinism Trotskyism Maoism Titoism Juche Left communism Council communism Anarchist communism Religious communism Eurocommunism National communism Communist internationals Communist League First International Second International Comintern Fourth International Prominent communists Karl Marx Friedrich Engels Vladimir Lenin Rosa Luxemburg Joseph Stalin Leon Trotsky Mao Zedong Related subjects Anarchism Anti-capitalism Anti-communism Communist state Communist symbolism Criticisms of communism Democratic centralism Dictatorship of the proletariat History of communism Left-wing politics Luxemburgism New Class New Left Post-Communism Primitive communism Socialism Stalinism Socialist economics Titoism Soviet Union Communism Portal

• List of left-wing internationals
• List of Trotskyist internationals

References

Further reading

• Death Agony of the Fourth International, [1]. Joseph Hansen may refer to Joseph Hansen (dancer, Belgian dancer and choreographer Joseph Hansen (labor leader, American labor leader Alexander Theodore Callinicos (born 24 July 1950 in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) is a Marxist Intellectual Peter Taaffe (born 1942 is the General secretary of the Socialist Party of England and Wales and a member of the International Executive Committee of the Committee The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI is an international association of Trotskyist parties Socialist Organizer is a Trotskyist political party in the United States. The League for the Fifth International (LFI or L5I is an international grouping of Revolutionary Trotskyist organisations Workers' Struggle ( Lutte Ouvrière) is the usual name under which the Communist Union ( Union Communiste) (Trotskyist a French Trotskyist Sean Matgamna, also known as John O'Mahony is a Trotskyist theorist The International Socialist Group (ISG is a Trotskyist organisation in Britain. Workers Power and the Irish Workers Group. 1983.
• Robert J. Alexander, International Trotskyism, 1929–1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement. Duke University Press, 1991.
• Alan Benjamin, A Short History of the Fourth International in the U.S. Retrieved 2004.
• Ernest Mandel, The Reasons for Founding the Fourth International And Why They Remain Valid Today. Ernest Ezra Mandel, also known by various pseudonyms such as Ernest Germain, Pierre Gousset, Henri Vallin, Walter etc
• Francois Moreau, Combats et débats de la Quatrième Internationale. Québec, Vents d'Ouest, 1993.
• David North , 'The Heritage We Defend (1988) ISBN 0929087003, 539pp. David North is an American Socialist ( Trotskyist) He has been the leader (national secretary of the American Workers League (renamed to , a history of the Fourth International
• Jean van Heijenoort. Jean Louis Maxime Van Heijenoort (pronounced highenort) ( July 23 1912, Creil France - March 29 1986, Mexico City The Origins of the Fourth International