Robert Alexander, International Trotskyism, 1929-1985

1141 Pages·2014·35.56 MB·English

1 9 2 9 - 1 9 85 A D O C U M E N T ED
A N A L Y S IS OF T HE M O V E M E NT
R O B E RT J. A L E X A N D ER
w
International
Trotskyism
1 9 2 9 - 1 9 8 5
A D O C U M E N T E D
A N A L Y S I S O F
T H E M O V E M E N T
Robert J. Alexander
DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Durham and London 1991
To Francis Johns
© 1991 Duke University Press
All rights reserved.
Set in Trump Medieval
Published in the United States of America on
acid-free paper ©
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data
Alexander, Robert Jackson, 1918-
Intemational Trotskyism, 1929-1985 : a docu­
mented analysis of the
movement / by Robert J. Alexander.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 0-8213-0975-0 [cloth). —
isbn 0-8223-1066-X (pbk.)
1. Trotsky, Leon, 1879—1940—
Influence. 2. Communism—History.
3. Communism—International cooperation—
History. I. Title.
HX3r3-8.T76A7 1991
33 433
S ' —dcio 90-38617 C1P
Contents
Preface ix
Origins and Nature of International
Trotskyism i
Some General Characteristics of
International Trotskyism aa
Albanian Trotskyism 32
Trotskyism in Algeria 34
Argentine Trotskyism 37
The First Phase of Australian
Trotskyism S3
The Revival of Australian
Trotskyism 61
Austrian Trotskyism 80
Belgian Trotskyism Before World
War II 91
Belgian Trotskyism During and
After World War II 106
Trotskyism in Black Africa 114
Trotskyism in Bolivia 117
Trotskyism in Brazil 13 x
Bulgarian Trotskyism 140
Canadian Trotskyism 144
Trotskyism in Ceylon/Sri Lanka:
The Rise of the Lanka Sama
Samaja Party 159
Split and Decline of Ceylon/
Sri Lanka Trotskyism 176
Chilean Trotskyism 194
Trotskyism in China 201
Trotskyism in Colombia 224
Costa Rican Trotskyism 227
Contents v
Cuban Trotskyism 228 German Trotskyism Before World
War II 406
Trotskyism in Cyprus 231
German Trotskyism During and
Trotskyism in Czechoslovakia 232
After World War II 425
Danish Trotskyism 23 7
Trotskyism in Great Britain:
Trotskyism in the Dominican The Early Years of British
Republic 247 Trotskyism 437
Ecuadorean Trotskyism 248 British Trotskyism: From
Revolutionary Socialist League to
Egyptian Trotskyism 249
Revolutionary Communist Party 452
Trotskyism in El Salvador 249
British Trotskyism Since
Finnish Trotskyism 250 World War II: The rcp and the
Healyites 465
Fomento Obrero Revolucionario 250
British Trotskyism since World
Fourth International: From
War, II: International Socialists,
International Left Opposition to
Movement for the Fourth img Militants, and Other Groups 481
International 251 Trotskyism in Greece 500
Fourth International: The Healyite International Committee 510
Establishment of the Fourth
International 268 Trotskyism in Honduras 511
Hungarian Trotskyism 512
The Fourth International: The
Fourth International During Trotskyism in Iceland 5*4
World War II 285
Trotskyism in India 516
The Fourth International: The
Immediate Post-World War II Indonesian Trotskyism 533
Period 304
International Committee of the
Fourth International: Split and Fourth International of the 1950s S3 S
Partial Reunion 321
International Committee of the
French Trotskyism Before World Fourth International of the 1960s 539
War II 339
International Revolutionary
French Trotskyism During World Marxist Tendency S44
War II 3 s 6
International Secretariat of the
French Trotskyism: From pci to Fourth International of the 1950s 547
New pci International Socialist Tendency 551
French Trotskyism: The 1952 pci international Spartacist tendency
Minority and Its Heirs> Lutte
{sic) 552
Ouvriere and Other French
Trotskyist Groups 389 International Workers League
(Fourth International) 554
Trotskyism in the French
Antilles 404 Iranian Trotskyism 558
vi Contents
Trotskyism in Iraq 567 Trotskyism and Spain After the
Civil War 710
Trotskyism in Ireland 568
Swedish Trotskyism 724
Trotskyism in Israel 577
Trotskyism in Switzerland 726
Italian Trotskyism 586
Trotskyist International Liaison
Trotskyism in Jamaica 598
Committee 738
Japanese Trotskyism S99 Tunisian Trotskyism 738
Trotskyism in Korea 602
Trotskyism in Turkey 739
Trotskyism in Lebanon 602 United Secretariat of the Fourth
Lutte Ouvriere Tendency of International: Its Origins 740
International Trotskyism 60s The Trajectory of the United
Trotskyism in Luxemburg 606 Secretariat 745
Trotskyism in Mauritius 606 U.S. Trotskyism: From Cannonite
Faction to the Workers Party 76x
Trotskyism in Mexico 607
U.S. Trotskyism: The French
Moroccan Trotskyism 618 Turn in the United States 779
Netherlands Trotskyism 619 U.S. Trotskyism: The
Shachtmanite Split 793
Trotskyism in New Zealand 629
Nicaraguan Trotskyism 632 U.S. Trotskyism: The swp During
and Immediately After World
Norwegian Trotskyism 633 War II 813
Organizing Committee for the U.S. Trotskyism: The swp in the
Reconstruction of the Fourth Difficult 19 50s 834
International (corqi) 634 U.S. Trotskyism: The swp, the
Trotskyism in Panama 636 ysa and the New Left Movements
in the 1960s 850
Peruvian Trotskyism 637
U.S. Trotskyism: The Socialist
Polish Trotskyism 647 Workers Party in the 1970s and
Trotskyism in Portugal 653 Early 1980s 867
Posadista Fourth International 659 U.S. Trotskyism: The swp Purge
of the Early 1980s and Its
Trotskyism in Puerto Rico 666 Aftermath 879
Trotskyism in Romania 66 7 U.S. Trotskyism: The
Shachtmanite Tradition After
South African Trotskyism 668
Shachtman 899
Spanish Trotskyism Until the
U.S. Trotskyism: The Workers
Formation of the poum 678 World Party, Spartacist League,
Spanish Trotskyism Just Before Workers League and Their
and During the Civil War 696 Offshoots 911
I
Contents vii
I
U.S. Trotskyism: Other United Yugoslav Trotskyism 973
States Trotskyist and Ex-
Notes 975
Trotskyist Groups 933
Bibliography 1055
Uruguayan Trotskyism 953
Index of People 1073
Varga Fourth International 955
Index of Organizations 1089
Venezuelan Trotskyism 956 Index of Publications 11x5
Vietnamese Trotskyism 958 Miscellaneous Index 1123
vtii Contents
Preface have been, and hence the proliferation of
different kinds of parties and groups pledg­
ing their basic loyalty to the ideas and pro­
gram of Leon Trotsky.
This book deals with the world move­
ment which Leon Trotsky established after
When, fifteen or more years ago I was work­ his exile from the Soviet Union in 1929.
ing on my earlier study of Trotskyism in Except for some background material in the
Latin America, I discovered the fact that no first chapter about the origins and progress
one had ever written an overall study of In­ of the splits in the Communist Party of the
ternational Trotskyism. Further investiga­ Soviet Union in the 192,0s, I have deliber­
tion confirmed this observation. ately not dealt with the Trotskyist tendency
The late Pierre Frank wrote a small book in the USSR, which in any case was totally
on the history of the Fourth International. liquidated before and during the Great
There have been a number of studies, partic­ Purges. For those interested in that aspect of
ularly doctoral dissertations, on the Trots­ Trotskyism, the best source is undoubtedly
kyist movement in particular countries. the French periodical Cahieis Leon Tzotsky,
There has also been a good deal of historiog­ which devoted two complete issues, num­
raphy—as opposed to history—of the move­ bers 6 and 7/8 of 1980 and 1981 to this sub­
ment, particularly in the form of publication ject. It also dedicated issue number 18 of
and extensive annotation of the writings of June 1984 to Christian Rakovsky, the last of
Leon Trotsky, which is exceedingly useful. the important Soviet Trotskyist leaders to
The late George Breitman of the United surrender to Joseph Stalin, and who was ulti­
States, and Pierre Broud and Rodolphe mately murdered in the purges.
Prager of France were particularly produc­ One other omission should be noted. Ex­
tive in this field. cept for the case of the United States I have
After later working on a history of the not dealt in the pages that follow with the
International Right Opposition of the 1930s, international movement headed by Lyndon
my curiosity was further piqued about the Larouche. In making this decision I was to
history of Trotskyism. The Right Opposi­ some degree influenced by a comment of
tion did not survive World War II. Interna­ one of my correspondents to the effect that
tional Trotskyism, on the other hand, was to do so would be similar to including a
still alive and relatively healthy four de­ history of fascism as part of a history of
cades after the end of that conflict. The ques­ Italian Socialism—quite inappropriate.
tion naturally arose in my mind as to why However, I had another, and perhaps bet­
these two dissident factions of International ter, reason for this omission. It is clear that
Communism should experience such differ­ in the case of the National Caucus of Labor
ent fates. (Perhaps part of the answer will Committees (and its later incarnations] that
emerge from the present volume.) the nclc did originate as a dissident Trots­
In view of the lack of a general survey of kyist group and therefore it is legitimate to
the movement I finally decided to undertake trace its subsequent evolution. The case is
to write one. Had I known when I began how not the same with the international organi­
complex a project it would turn out to be, I zation established under Larouche's aegis.
might well have hesitated to turn my hand The various national groups (outside of the
to it. In the beginning, I had no idea how United States} were established after La­
many countries had had Trotskyist move­ rouche and his followers had given up virtu­
ments at one time or another, or of how ally all pretenses of being Trotskyists, and
many different kinds of Trotskyists there therefore they are not, properly speaking, a
( Preface ix
part of the history of International Trots­ quoted material in this work are as they
kyism. were in what is being quoted.
I decided to try to make this study for at One other comment. A few of those who
least two reasons. First, international Trots­ have been kind enough to help me in gather­
kyism has been a sufficiently significant ing material for this book have raised objec­
tendency in world politics over a suffi­ tions to my "research methods." One of
ciently long period—considerably more these people wrote, "I cannot agree with the
than half a century—to make it important method which consists in writing books
for its story to be told. In the second place, through interviews and newspapers, with­
I felt that I had both a sufficient interest out any interest in the archives. ..." To
in the subject and enough background and some degree I must plead guilty to the "in­
tangential contact with the movement to dictment" implied in this remark. I have not
qualify me to be its first overall historian. relied to a major degree on "the archives,"
Certainly, from the point of view of most whether those of Trotsky at Harvard, the
Trotskyists, I suspect that I have one major collections in Paris, Amsterdam, the Hoover
handicap as a historian of their movement: Institution at Stanford, or in the Socialist
I do not belong to it. Indeed, in 1937, as a Workers Party headquarters in New York
very unimportant young member of the so- City. However, given the nature of the work
called "Clarity Caucus" of the Socialist which I have been trying to produce, and the
Party of the United States (in fact, one of the segment of my life which I was willing and
most confused groups to appear in U.S. left- able to devote to this study, I think that my
wing politics) I was one of those who research approach has been an adequate and
strongly supported the expulsion of the useful one.
Trotskyites from thespuSA. By then, Bolshe­ First of all, I think that a perusal of the
vism, whether in its Leninist, Stalinist or its bibliography at the end of this work will
Trotskyist form, had completely lost what­ show that I have relied on a great deal more
ever passing attraction it might once have than "interviews and newspapers," al­
had for me. though these have been of considerable im­
Hence, I write from a Democratic Social­ portance. Where they have been available I
ist or Social Democratic background. There­ have relied on secondary works dealing with
fore, I shall undoubtedly have interpreta­ segments of the subject under study. These
tions of the Trotskyist movement which were particularly useful for the period of the
members of all of its various factions will 1930s, and included the annotated writings
consider mistaken. My only hope is that this of Leon Trotsky in both English and French,
present volume can qualify for the kind of and historical memoirs of such people as
assessment which the late Joseph Hansen James Cannon and Georges Vereeken of Bel­
gave in a two-part review of my earlier work gium. They have also included doctoral dis­
on Latin American Trotskyism, which can sertations from several countries as well as
be summed up as "for a Social Democrat, collections of documents of the Fourth In­
he's done a pretty good job." ternational in both English and French.
My own political background is relevant For the period since the death of Trotsky
to one stylistic aspect of this book. As an such secondary material has frequently been
old socialist I was accustomed to referring to lacking. Indeed, the history of the Trotskyist
Leon Trotsky's followers as "Trotskyites." movement in most countries had not been
They prefer to be called "Trotskyists." written in any systematic way before I began
For reasons of literary diversity I shall use working on this book. So to try to gather the
both terms. Also, unless otherwise noted, material relevant to writing such studies I
any underscoring or italics which appear in have resorted in the first instance to corre­
x Preface