Workers International League - Historical Analysis

History is full of important lessons. The past struggles, victories, and defeats of the world working class can all help us to better understand the events of the present and the future. A thorough knowledge of world working class history is vital for all Marxists committed to the fight for socialism. Be sure to visit In Defence of Marxism and www.trotsky.net for more.

US Labor History
Central Asia
Western Europe
Eastern Europe
Russia and the Soviet Union
Latin America
History in General
(be sure to browse through the The Unbroken Thread which covers topics such as the rise of Hitler, the rise and fall of the Communist International, pre and post WWII Europe, the Chinese Revolution, etc.)
Brief History of Marxist Internationalism

Central Asia

Afghanistan:Why the Russian Bureaucracy Invaded
We are republishing Ted Grant's 1980 article on the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, together with an introduction by Alan Woods. In this article we find a scientific Marxist analysis of the class content of the 1978 Afghan revolution and its historical origins. In addition, we have an explanation for the principled position that we took with regard to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that occurred the following year.

Afghanistan - An Historical Overview
To understand the present war that is taking place in Afghanistan, one must take into consideration the factors that have shaped the history of this tragic land. Doctor Zayar gives an overview of the history of Afghanistan from the Middle Ages to the present day. (October 2001)

Western Europe

The Spanish Revolution Betrayed
The year 2001 marks the 70th anniversary of the proclamation of the Spanish Republic in 1931, an event which was the opening shot in the Spanish Revolution. Also 65 years ago, on July 18th 1936, we saw the uprising of Franco, once the Spanish ruling class understood that they could no longer rule through 'democratic' means. We are publishing here an article by Alan Woods which deals with the last period of the spanish Revolution. This article was first published in 1986 as a concluding part of a series of articles on the Spanish Revolution 1931-37.

The Paris Commune of 1871
The Paris Commune of 1871 was one of the greatest and most inspiring episodes in the history of the working class. In a tremendous revolutionary movement, the working people of Paris replaced the capitalist state with their own organs of government and held political power until their downfall in the last week of May. The Parisian workers strove, in extremely difficult circumstances, to put an end to exploitation and oppression, and to reorganise society on an entirely new foundation. 130 years later the lessons of these events are of fundamental importance for socialists today. (By Greg Oxley, Paris, May 16, 2001.)

The French Revolution
We publish here an article by Alan Woods which was originally written in 1989 to commemorate 200 years of the Great French Revolution, with a new introduction by the author. Alan Woods explains the internal dynamics of the revolution and above all the role played by the masses.

Britain 1926 General Strike: On the Verge of Revolution
75 years ago an earthquake shook the very foundations of British capitalism. In the greatest display of militant power in its history the British working class moved into action in the General Strike of 1926. For 9 days, from May 3, not a wheel turned nor a light shone without the permission of the working class. In such a moment, with such power, surely it ought to have been possible to have transformed society? How can such a position have ended in defeat? (by Phil Mitchinson, May 2001)

The Holocaust - An attempt to explain the inexplicable
We are publishing an article by Inge Eriksson, University lecturer in 'European studies with a historical orientation', at Malmo University, Sweden. The article analyses the roots and conditions that led to the Holocaust under Nazi Germany. It explains that the failure of the labour movement to take power after the First World War, together with the terrible social consequences of the 1929 Crash, created the conditions first for the rise of Hitler and then for the massacre of the Jews.

James Connolly and the Easter Rising
This Easter marks the 85th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin (Ireland) against British imperialist rule. The outstanding leader of that movement was James Connolly. There have been many attempts to portray him simply as an Irish nationalist. But Connolly was, first and foremost, a militant workers' leader and a Marxist. He alone in the annals of the British and Irish Labour Movement succeeded in developing the ideas of Marxism. (by Alan Woods and Ted Grant, Easter 2001)

80th Anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Great Britain
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Communist party of Britain we publish two articles by Steve Reynolds which explain the struggle of the early pioneers. Rich lessons can be found for the present-day Marxists in the early years of the CPGB and its initial struggle to transform itself into a mass Bolshevik Party.

25 years of the Portuguese revolution
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Portuguese revolution we reprint two articles, one written by Ted Grant at the time of the events, and the other published in 1994 by Socialist Appeal.

The Revolution in Portugal (Ted Grant, May 1975)
Revolution in Portugal (Phil Mitichinson, May 1994)

Germany: from Revolution to Counter-Revolution
In 1918-33 revolution and counter-revolution followed hot on each others' heels. The barbarity of the Nazis is well documented. Less well known are the events that preceeded Hitler's rise to power.Rob Sewell gives a picture of the tumultous events - the 1918 revolution, the collapse of the Kaiser's regime, the short- lived Bavarian Soviet Republic, the Kapp putsch in 1920, the French occupation of the Ruhr in 1923 and the ensuing revolutionary upheavals culminating in the abortive Hamburg uprising, finally Hitler's rise to power in 1929-33. Above all this book shows, in the decisive (and tragic) role of the German workers' leadership, the answer to one of the key questions of the modern era: how was it possible for the mightiest labour movement in Europe to be trampled under the iron heel of fascism?

The Spanish Revolution 1931-37
This article by Ted Grant was first published in 1973 as part of the discussions which were taking place in the Spanish underground movement against Franco. I summed up the lessons of the Spanish revolution and served as a contribution to the rearming of the new generation of workers and youth in the Spanish Young Socialists, the UGT and the PSOE. Also available is the introduction to the 1995 edition of the pamphlet, reprinted as a reply to the Stalinist lies on the Spanish Civil War which resurfaced again in the discussion around Ken Loach's film Land and Freedom.

Connolly and the Easter Uprising
This article, written by Ted Grant in 1966, deals with the lessons from the 1916 Easter Uprising and the role of the great Irish Marxist Connolly. Nowadays all sections of Irish society in the 26 counties hypocritically give support to the "brave and undying heroism of Connolly." The Irish capitalists pretend to honour him. Connolly would have split contemptuously in their faces. He fought them, ever since he attained manhood, in the interests of the Irish workers and of International Socialism.

Labour and Ireland
The election of a Labour Government in Britain has raised enormous expectations, not least by workers in Northern Ireland who are looking for a way out of the impasse they have faced for nearly a century. Yet the Labour leadership remain tied to a "bi-partisan" approach that has solved nothing in the past, and looks set to present more of the same for the future. In a short series of articles, Cain O'Mahoney examines labour's role in Northern Ireland and the lessons that must be learnt:
1. Workers Unity: the Only Solution. From 1907 to the Partition
2. Irish Labour's Missed Opportunities. From the Partition to the Troubles
3. Labour and the Troubles. Background to the troubles and labour's role in them
4. Labour Government Sends in Troops. In 1969 the Wilson government sent the troops to N. Ireland

Eastern Europe

Hungary 1956 and the Political Revolution
We are reproducing an article first published in October 1986, the 30th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian workers' uprising against Stalinist oppression. Even though its outcome was a tragic defeat, in which at least 20,000 Hungarian workers were killed and countless others injured, imprisoned and forced into hiding or exile, it nevertheless was undoubtedly the most significant pointer to future developments in the Stalinist states since the consolidation of the bureaucracy around Stalin in the 1920s.

Hungarian Revolution 1956, Forty Years On
We are republishing this article on the 1956 Hungarian revolution, first published on the 40th anniversary in Socialist Appeal issue 45, October 1996. That movement of the Hungarian masses signified the culmination of the growing discontent evident in Eastern Europe at the time. Eastern Europe has seen turbulence in its history for centuries, our present epoch being no exception. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the attempt to re-establish capitalism in the region, millions are coming to ask the crucial question of our time: if Stalinism was a hated and bankrupt system but the move towards capitalism leaves thousands in poverty, unemployment and hopelessness, is there a social system that can provide a job, a house and hope for the future - and if there is one, how can we achieve it. (by Julianna Grant, October 1996)

Hungary and the Crisis in the Communist Party
The events that unfolded towards the end of 1956 in Hungary shook all the Communist Parties of the world. The official line of the Communist Parties was that what was taking place in Hungary was a Fascist counter-revolution! Not all the ranks of the CPs were fooled. This could be no counter-revolution. Many rank and file members of the Communist Parties questioned the official party interpretation of events. It was in order to intervene in the debates taking place in the British CP that Ted Grant wrote an open letter at the end of 1956, that we are republishing here. (by Ted Grant, November 1956)

The Forgotten Revolution. The Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919
On March 21st, 1919, the Hungarian Soviet Republic was proclaimed. On the 1st of August, 133 days later, this heroic chapter in the history of the Hungarian working class was brought to a close. The brief experience of the Hungarian soviet republic is a source of inspiration for all thinking workers and socialists. Only by analysing the mistakes of the past will it be possible to educate the present generation. Alan Woods, November 12, 1979.

Russia and the Soviet Union

The Revolt on the Armoured Cruiser "Potemkin"
A long-out-of-print eyewitness account of the events that took place on the battleship Potemkin during the 1905 revolution in Russia. This fantastic account was written by Afansy Matushenko, one of the leaders of the revolt. It was written sometime after 1917.

A Leninist Hero of our Times: In Memory of Valery Sablin - The true story of Red October
On Thursday 7 September, Channel Four broadcast a fascinating programme as part of its series "Secret History", entitled "Mutiny - the true story of Red October". This remarkable documentary for the first time gave us the true story behind the 1990 Hollywood movie "The Hunt for Red October" a film version of a 1984 novel by Tom Clancy. Clancy's story of Marko Ramius, a defecting submarine captain who takes his ship on an epic voyage across the Atlantic, was inspired by real events.

Lenin's Last Letters
The year 1999 marks the 75th anniversary of the death of the man who, together with Leon Trotsky, made a decisive contribution to the cause of socialism and the working class in this century, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. To mark the occasion, we are republishing this article which was originally written to commemorate the Lenin centenary in 1970.

The meaning of October
"75 years ago this month, an event took place which altered the entire course of human history. For the first time - if we exclude the brief but glorious episode of the Paris Commune - the working people took power into their own hands and began the gigantic task of the socialist re-construction of society."

Bureaucratism or Workers' Power
This document was written by Ted Grant together with Roger Silverman in 1967 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Russian revolution. The article explains how Stalinism arose and clearly shows how even at that time the Stalinist bureaucracy was facing a serious crisis and confidently predicted its inevitable downfall at some stage. For a much more detailed and up to date analysis of events in Russia we advise you to read Ted Grant's book on Russia (Russia: from revolution to counter-revolution) published in 1997.

What's behind the Tito -Stalin split?
We reprint this article by Ted Grant, first published in the July 1948 edition of Socialist Appeal which analyses the real reasons behind the split between Tito and Stalin.

In Defence of the Russian Revolution
This month marks the eightieth anniversary of the Russian Revolution. To conmemorate that magnificent event we republish an edited version of a speech Leon Trotsky gave in Copenhagen in 1932. It outlines and defends both the methods and the ideals of the Bolshevik Party and the role of revolutionary Marxism in the events of 1917. For a full analysis of Russia since 1917 to the present attempts to restore capitalism see Ted Grant's book: Russia: from Revolution to Counter-Revolution.

Latin America

Lessons of Chile 1973
The arrest of former Chilean dictator Pinochet in London has generated a lot interest about Chile. We take advantadge of this opportunity to publish a document written in 1979 by Alan Woods analysing the history of Chilean labour movement and specially the period of the socialist coalition government of Allende. Who was behind Pinochet's coup? What interests was he defending? What were the policies of the Allende government and why despite all warnings was it unable to prevent the coup?

Chile: The Threatening Catastrophe 1971
Written by Alan Woods in September 1971, two years before Pinochet's military coup. Warned against the threat of a military coup if the Popular Unity government failed to mobilise the masses and carry out a genuine socialist programme.

History in General

Historical Materialism
An introduction to Historical Materialism covering the following topics:- What is historical materialism?, Primitive communism, The Asiatic mode of production, Ancient Greece: slavery and democracy, Roman slavery, Decline of the Roman empire, The transition to feudalism, Medieval towns, Class struggle under feudalism, Capitalism, The Capitalist World Market, Imperialism, Revolutionary role of the Working Class and Capitalist Crisis. By Mick Brooks. (27th Sept 1998)

1968: a Year of Revolution
In 1968 the world turned upside down. The long years of the post war economic upswing had led many to declare that class struggle was obsolete, revolution outdated, the working class bourgeoisified, capitalism invincible. Within a few short months, though, they were all proved wrong. Thirty years on, many of the lessons are crucial. That's why, over the course of this year, we will be publishing a series of articles looking at many of these events.

The Unbroken Thread
For over 60 years, Ted Grant has been the foremost figure of Trotskyism in Britain and internationally. In the post-war period, the effects of world boom, the policies of right wing Labour Party reformism and the degeneracy of Stalinism combined to make a massive onslaught against the ideas of Marxism. While Grant's contemporaries now stand on the right of the movement, in dusty academic circles or have sunk into obscurity, the articles in this collection show the clarity of Grant's understanding and his ability to deepen and expand the ideas of Leon Trotsky. No one involved in the struggle to change society and end the rule of capitalism and Stalinism can afford to be without this book. Nor can any serious student of the past 60 years, or of current affairs, afford to ignore its contents. This book, nearly out of print, is now available on-line.

Brief History of Marxist Internationalism