World Revolution, 1917–1936: The Rise and Fall of the Communist International
by C. L. R. James edited by Christian Høgsbjerg
Duke University Press, 2017 eISBN: 978-0-8223-7334-6 | Cloth: 978-0-8223-6308-8 | Paper: 978-0-8223-6324-8 Library of Congress Classification HX11.I5J25 2017
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Originally published in 1937, C. L. R. James's World Revolution is a pioneering Marxist analysis of the history of revolutions during the interwar period and of the fundamental conflict between Trotsky and Stalin. James, who was a leading Trotskyist activist in Britain, outlines Russia's transition from Communist revolution to a Stalinist totalitarian state bureaucracy. He also provides an account of the ideological contestations within the Communist International while examining its influence on the development of the Soviet Union and its changing role in revolutions in Spain, China, Germany, and Central Europe. Published to commemorate the centenary of the Russian Revolution, this definitive edition of World Revolution features a new introduction by Christian Høgsbjerg and includes rare archival material, selected contemporary reviews, and extracts from James's 1939 interview with Trotsky.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
C. L. R. James (1901–1989), a Trinidadian historian, political activist, and writer, is the author of The Black Jacobins, an influential study of the Haitian Revolution. He is also the author of The Life of Captain Cipriani, Toussaint Louverture: The Story of the Only Successful Slave Revolt in History, and Beyond a Boundary, all also published by Duke University Press.
Christian Høgsbjerg is a historian and works for Leeds University Centre for African Studies. He is the author of C. L. R. James in Imperial Britain and the coeditor of The Black Jacobins Reader, both also published by Duke University Press.
REVIEWS
"World Revolution is a key part of the revolutionary Marxist tradition and well worth reading today."
-- Tony Phillips Socialist Review
"The timing of the re-publication of World Revolution, to mark the centenary of the 1917 Russian Revolutions, might make the reader think that the work is only of historical interest. It is not. It is worth reading today because of the contemporary resonances. . . . If you are interested in the development of Marxist philosophy, in response to the horrors of the Stalinist counter-revolution, I recommend that you read World Revolution."
-- Chris Gilligan Marx & Philosophy Review of Books
"This edited version of James’s account of the internal tremors of the Bolshevik regime and its conflated relation to international communism is valuable from the standpoint that it also includes opinions on how the book was received and interpreted after its publication. Therefore, one of the main strengths of this edition is not just James’s analysis, but the reviews of World Revolution that turn it into a complete guide that depicts his conversion and dedication to Trotskyism. . . . A classic survey that should be read by scholars, students, or individuals with a general interest in the development of the Soviet Union, Marxism, Trotskyism, and international communism between the wars."
-- Fredrik Petersson Revolutionary Russia
"Vital. . . for those interested in reclaiming something from the revolutionary traditions of the twentieth century."
-- Lisa K. Kirschenbaum Journal of World History
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abbreviations xi Editor's Note xiii Introduction / Christian Høgsbjerg 1 World Revolution, 1917-1936 Preface 63 Introductory 65 1. Marxism 75 2. The Forerunners of the Third International 89 3. The War and the Russian Revolution 114 4. The Failure of the World Revolution and the Foundation of the International 135 5. Lenin and Socialism 155 6. Stalin and Socialism 174 7. Stalin Kills the 1923 Revolution 192 8. The Kulak and the British General Council 222 9. Stalin Rules the Chinese Revolution 243 10. The Platform and the Five-Year Plan 276 11. Industry and the Plan 294 12. "After Hitler, Our Turn" 306 13. The Great Retreat 349 14. The Revolution Abandoned 361 15. A Fourth International the Only Hope 387 Appendix on Sidney and Beatrice Webb's Soviet Communism 401 Notes 407 Reviews of World Revolution Selected Reviews of the Original British Edition "The Rise and Fall of the Communist International: James's New Book Reviewed by Fenner Brockway in New Leader 425 Reply from C. L. R. James 429 "Du Côté de Chez Trotsky," in New Statesman, by Raymond Postgate 430 "Lunacy or Logic? Two Views of One Book," in Controversy 432 "Communist" by J. R. Campbell 432 "Trotskyist" by Harry Wicks 434 "The Retreat of Moscow," in The Plebs, by Rowland Hill 455 "World Revolution," in International Affairs, by E. H. Carr 458 "Communism in Theory and Practice," in The Advertiser (Adelaide) 460 "The Third International," in Sydney Morning Herald 461 Selected Reviews of the Original American Edition "No Place for Communists," in the Saturday Review, by Eugene Lyons 463 "History of the CI," in New International by Joseph Carter [Joseph Friedman] 465 "World Revolution," in Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, by Harry N. Howard 469 Appendixes Appendix A. C. L. R. James, Introduction to Red Spanish Notebook: The First Six Months of the Revolution and Civil War by Mary Low and Juan Breá [1937] 471 Appendix B. C. L. R. James, "Report on Activities in the Provinces" [1938] 473 Appendix C. Extracts from the Discussions between C. L. R. James and Leon Trotsky in Coyoacán, Mexico [April 1939] 490 Index 507
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
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Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
World Revolution, 1917–1936: The Rise and Fall of the Communist International
by C. L. R. James edited by Christian Høgsbjerg
Duke University Press, 2017 eISBN: 978-0-8223-7334-6 Cloth: 978-0-8223-6308-8 Paper: 978-0-8223-6324-8
Originally published in 1937, C. L. R. James's World Revolution is a pioneering Marxist analysis of the history of revolutions during the interwar period and of the fundamental conflict between Trotsky and Stalin. James, who was a leading Trotskyist activist in Britain, outlines Russia's transition from Communist revolution to a Stalinist totalitarian state bureaucracy. He also provides an account of the ideological contestations within the Communist International while examining its influence on the development of the Soviet Union and its changing role in revolutions in Spain, China, Germany, and Central Europe. Published to commemorate the centenary of the Russian Revolution, this definitive edition of World Revolution features a new introduction by Christian Høgsbjerg and includes rare archival material, selected contemporary reviews, and extracts from James's 1939 interview with Trotsky.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
C. L. R. James (1901–1989), a Trinidadian historian, political activist, and writer, is the author of The Black Jacobins, an influential study of the Haitian Revolution. He is also the author of The Life of Captain Cipriani, Toussaint Louverture: The Story of the Only Successful Slave Revolt in History, and Beyond a Boundary, all also published by Duke University Press.
Christian Høgsbjerg is a historian and works for Leeds University Centre for African Studies. He is the author of C. L. R. James in Imperial Britain and the coeditor of The Black Jacobins Reader, both also published by Duke University Press.
REVIEWS
"World Revolution is a key part of the revolutionary Marxist tradition and well worth reading today."
-- Tony Phillips Socialist Review
"The timing of the re-publication of World Revolution, to mark the centenary of the 1917 Russian Revolutions, might make the reader think that the work is only of historical interest. It is not. It is worth reading today because of the contemporary resonances. . . . If you are interested in the development of Marxist philosophy, in response to the horrors of the Stalinist counter-revolution, I recommend that you read World Revolution."
-- Chris Gilligan Marx & Philosophy Review of Books
"This edited version of James’s account of the internal tremors of the Bolshevik regime and its conflated relation to international communism is valuable from the standpoint that it also includes opinions on how the book was received and interpreted after its publication. Therefore, one of the main strengths of this edition is not just James’s analysis, but the reviews of World Revolution that turn it into a complete guide that depicts his conversion and dedication to Trotskyism. . . . A classic survey that should be read by scholars, students, or individuals with a general interest in the development of the Soviet Union, Marxism, Trotskyism, and international communism between the wars."
-- Fredrik Petersson Revolutionary Russia
"Vital. . . for those interested in reclaiming something from the revolutionary traditions of the twentieth century."
-- Lisa K. Kirschenbaum Journal of World History
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abbreviations xi Editor's Note xiii Introduction / Christian Høgsbjerg 1 World Revolution, 1917-1936 Preface 63 Introductory 65 1. Marxism 75 2. The Forerunners of the Third International 89 3. The War and the Russian Revolution 114 4. The Failure of the World Revolution and the Foundation of the International 135 5. Lenin and Socialism 155 6. Stalin and Socialism 174 7. Stalin Kills the 1923 Revolution 192 8. The Kulak and the British General Council 222 9. Stalin Rules the Chinese Revolution 243 10. The Platform and the Five-Year Plan 276 11. Industry and the Plan 294 12. "After Hitler, Our Turn" 306 13. The Great Retreat 349 14. The Revolution Abandoned 361 15. A Fourth International the Only Hope 387 Appendix on Sidney and Beatrice Webb's Soviet Communism 401 Notes 407 Reviews of World Revolution Selected Reviews of the Original British Edition "The Rise and Fall of the Communist International: James's New Book Reviewed by Fenner Brockway in New Leader 425 Reply from C. L. R. James 429 "Du Côté de Chez Trotsky," in New Statesman, by Raymond Postgate 430 "Lunacy or Logic? Two Views of One Book," in Controversy 432 "Communist" by J. R. Campbell 432 "Trotskyist" by Harry Wicks 434 "The Retreat of Moscow," in The Plebs, by Rowland Hill 455 "World Revolution," in International Affairs, by E. H. Carr 458 "Communism in Theory and Practice," in The Advertiser (Adelaide) 460 "The Third International," in Sydney Morning Herald 461 Selected Reviews of the Original American Edition "No Place for Communists," in the Saturday Review, by Eugene Lyons 463 "History of the CI," in New International by Joseph Carter [Joseph Friedman] 465 "World Revolution," in Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, by Harry N. Howard 469 Appendixes Appendix A. C. L. R. James, Introduction to Red Spanish Notebook: The First Six Months of the Revolution and Civil War by Mary Low and Juan Breá [1937] 471 Appendix B. C. L. R. James, "Report on Activities in the Provinces" [1938] 473 Appendix C. Extracts from the Discussions between C. L. R. James and Leon Trotsky in Coyoacán, Mexico [April 1939] 490 Index 507
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE