Product Details

Vol. 1: The Spark 1938-43

This first volume covers the years 1938–43. Having arrived in London from South Africa only a short time earlier, Ted threw himself into the task of building the forces of Trotskyism in Britain. As editor of Socialist Appeal and political secretary of the Workers’ International League (WIL), he quickly established himself as one of the foremost theoreticians of the Marxist movement. The writings in this volume trace the WIL’s growth into one of the most dynamic and successful Trotskyist organisations anywhere in the world.

Ted entered the struggle at a decisive historical moment: Hitler’s armies were sweeping across Europe and the world was once again engulfed in war. As the only organisation to consistently apply Trotsky’s proletarian military policy, the WIL succeeded – despite daunting obstacles – in rooting itself among both the working class and the armed forces.

The debates on the attitude Marxists take towards war remain acutely relevant today. In a period marked by sharpening imperialist tensions and renewed urgency to build a revolutionary International, this volume provides an essential and richly instructive contribution to Marxism.

Vol. 2: The Inferno 1943-45 (692 pages)

The second volume spans the final years of the Second World War, from 1943–45. As the imperialist slaughter reached new levels of devastation, and the conflict shifted decisively to the Eastern Front, the war became a titanic clash between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.

By this time, the Workers’ International League (WIL) had emerged as the leading Trotskyist organisation in Britain. Its cadres were preparing for the momentous events ahead: the impending collapse of the Axis powers and the revolutionary upheavals expected to shake Europe and the wider world. The formation of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) in early 1944 marked the culmination of years of patient work by Ted Grant and the WIL, expressing their determination to advance from hundreds to thousands of members.

This volume offers a vivid picture of some of the most consequential years of the 20th century – years that would reshape the economic and political order for decades to come. The clarity of analysis on events in Europe and Britain, together with the debates within the Trotskyist movement, show Ted Grant reaching new heights as a revolutionary Marxist theoretician. The method and insights contained here form an invaluable resource for the struggle for socialist revolution today.

Vol. 3: The Aftermath 1945-46

This third volume covers the pivotal years of 1945-46, which marked a fundamental turning point in world history – and in the Trotskyist movement itself. With the defeat of Hitler, a new period opened up in the development of both world capitalism and the Soviet Union. Ted Grant and the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) were alone in grasping the significance of this shift.

Stalinism and reformism emerged strengthened, with far‑reaching consequences for the Marxist tendency. The leadership of the Fourth International, around James P Cannon, Ernest Mandel and Pierre Frank, clung to the perspective of capitalism’s imminent collapse. This lead to a series of disastrous theoretical conclusions that sowed the seeds of destruction of the Fourth International. Ted, however, stood virtually alone in applying the genuine method of Marxism to the real situation.

The writings collected here offer an unparalleled insight into the dawn of the post-war era, a period that has decisively shaped the world we live in. Ted Grant’s analysis – spanning from entryism to democratic centralism, Stalinism, centrism, economic perspectives, and more – shows how to apply Marxism to a world undergoing profound transformation.