Almost famous

Originally posted at Amazon.

This is a new edition of the famous first issue of "New International", a Marxist magazine published by the U.S. Socialist Workers' Party. Originally published in 1983, it contains a lengthy article by SWP national secretary Jack Barnes, titled "Their Trotsky and Ours".

The article marked the SWP's formal repudiation of Trotskyism. This created quite a stir among other Trotskyist groups, since the SWP is one of the oldest of such groups, founded already during the 1930's. The SWP had also been influential in the U.S. anti-war movement during the 1970's, and had a reputation for upholding Trotskyist orthodoxy within the Fourth International. The break with Trotskyism cost the SWP a large portion of its membership, as Barnes purged the party of everyone who refused to accept the new line. Curiously, the SWP seems to have become *more* sectarian after its break with Trotskyism, rather than less so.

I have reviewed "Their Trotsky and Ours" elsewhere, and will therefore say relatively little about it here. I do believe that Barnes has a point when contrasting Trotsky with Lenin, and claiming that Lenin's strategy in the Russian revolution was vindicated. But yes, I'm playing the "devil's advocate", since I support neither - I'm not a Marxist at all.

The SWP would have to break with more than The Old Man to get my undivided attention...