World Revolution, 1917–1936

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 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)

• Abbreviations  xiEditor's Note  xiiiIntroduction / Christian HØgsbjerg  1World Revolution, 1917-1936Preface  63Introductory  651. Marxism  752. The Forerunners of the Third International  893. The War and the Russian Revolution  1144. The Failure of the World Revolution and the Foundation of the International  1355. Lenin and Socialism  1556. Stalin and Socialism  1747. Stalin Kills the 1923 Revolution  1928. The Kulak and the British General Council  2229. Stalin Rules the Chinese Revolution  24310. The Platform and the Five-Year Plan  27611. Industry and the Plan  29412. "After Hitler, Our Turn"  30613. The Great Retreat  34914. The Revolution Abandoned  36115. A Fourth International the Only Hope  387Appendix on Sidney and Beatrice Webb's Soviet Communism  401Notes  407Reviews of World RevolutionSelected 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  425Reply 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  461Selected 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  469AppendixesAppendix 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]  471Appendix B. C. L. R. James, "Report on Activities in the Provinces" [1938]  473Appendix C. Extracts from the Discussions between C. L. R. James and Leon Trotsky in CoyoacÁn, Mexico [April 1939]  490Index  507