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. " 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 “Published in 1937, close to the ‘Midnight in the Century’ when Hitler and Stalin dominated global politics, C. L. R. James’s World Revolution affirms the actuality of Marxism even as it confronts the degeneration of the Russian Revolution of October 1917. In telling the story of the advance and retreat of the great revolutionary wave at the end of the First World War, James displays his qualities as a theorist, historian, and writer. This new edition includes an invaluable introduction by Christian Høgsbjerg that sets World Revolution in its place in the politics of the British left in the 1930s and in James’s own rich intellectual development.” -- Alex Callinicos, author of ― The Revolutionary Ideas of Karl Marx 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. World Revolution, 1917–1936 The Rise and Fall of the Communist International By C. L. R. James, Christian Høgsbjerg Duke University Press Copyright © 2017 Duke University Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-8223-6324-8 Contents ABBREVIATIONS, EDITOR'S NOTE, INTRODUCTION
Christian Høgsbjerg, World Revolution, 1917–1936, Preface, Introductory, 1 Marxism, 2 The Forerunners of the Third International, 3 The War and the Russian Revolution, 4 The Failure of the World Revolution and the Foundation of the International, 5 Lenin and Socialism, 6 Stalin and Socialism, 7 Stalin Kills the 1923 Revolution, 8 The Kulak and the British General Council, 9 Stalin Ruins the Chinese Revolution, 10 The Platform and the Five-Year Plan, 11 Industry and the Plan, 12 "After Hitler, Our Turn", 13 The Great Retreat, 14 The Revolution Abandoned, 15 A Fourth International the Only Hope, Appendix on Sidney and Beatrice Webb's Soviet Communism, Notes, Reviews of World Revolution, Appendixes, INDEX, CHAPTER 1 Marxism What then is socialism according to the prophets? To answer this question we have to look back and not forw