Part of the Politics series on Trotskyism

Leon Trotsky Fourth International Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (919x1134, 8 KB) Logo Vierte Internationale (Fourth International) Vectorized and exported version in PNG format of Image:Logo of the Fourth International. ... Note: This page is very long. ... The Fourth International (FI) is Trotskyisms international organization. ...

Marxism Leninism Russian Revolution Marxism refers to the philosophy and social theory based on Karl Marxs work on one hand, and to the political practice based on Marxist theory on the other hand (namely, parts of the First International during Marxs time, communist parties and later states). ... Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism refers to various related political and economic theories elaborated by Bolshevik revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin, and by other theorists who claim to be carrying on Lenins work. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Prominent Trotskyists James P. Cannon Tony Cliff Ted Grant Pierre Lambert Joseph Hansen Gerry Healy Livio Maitan Ernest Mandel Nahuel Moreno Max Shachtman This is a list of notable Trotskyists, ordered by surname. ... Tony Cliff (May 20, 1917 – May 9, 2000) was a Trotskyist revolutionary activist. ... Edward (Ted) Grant (born July 9, 1913) is a Trotskyist politician. ... Pierre Lambert (born June 9, 1920) (real name Pierre Boussel) is a French Trotskyist leader. ... Joseph Hansen (1910-1979), was an American Communist and leading figure in the Socialist Workers Party. ... Gerry Healy (December 3, 1913 - December 14, 1989) was a Trotskyist activist. ... Livio Maitan was an Italian Trotskyist, leader of Assoziazione Bandiera Rossa. ... Ernest Mandel Ernest Ezra Mandel, also known by various pseudonyms such as Ernest Germain, Pierre Gousset, Henri Vallin, Walter etc. ... Nahuel Moreno (April 24, 1924 - January 25, 1987) (real name Hugo Bressano) was a Trotskyist leader from Argentina. ... Max Shachtman (September 10, 1904 - November 4, 1972) was an American Marxist theorist. ... Trotskyist groups CWI · ICFI · ICU IMT · IST · IWL reunified FI This is a list of the many Trotskyist international tendencies. ... The Committee for a Workers International (CWI) is an international association of Trotskyist Parties. ... It has been suggested that Orthodox Trotskyism be merged into this article or section. ... The Internationalist Communist Union (in French, Union Communiste Internationaliste) is an international grouping of Trotskyist political parties, centred on Lutte Ouvrière in France. ... The International Marxist Tendency (IMT) is a Trotskyist tendency based on the ideas of Ted Grant. ... The International Socialist Tendency is an international grouping of organisations around the ideas of Tony Cliff, founder of the Socialist Workers Party in the UK. It has sections across the world, however its strongest presence is in Europe, especially in the UK, Greece and Ireland. ... See also the Workers International League. ... The reunified Fourth International was created in 1963 by the reunification of the majorities of two public factions of the Fourth International: the International Secretariat of the Fourth International (ISFI) and the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). ... Branches Orthodox Trotskyism Third camp It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into ICFI. (Discuss) Orthodox Trotskyism is a branch of Trotskyism which aims to adhere more closely to the methods and positions of Trotsky and the early Fourth International than other Trotskyists. ... The third camp, also known as third camp socialism or third camp Trotskyism, is a branch of Trotskyism which aims to oppose both capitalism and Stalinism by supporting the organised working class as a third camp. This approach was developed by Max Shachtman and is one of the major components...

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James Cannon in Moscow (1922)

James Patrick Cannon (1890-1974) was an American Communist and Trotskyist leader. Cannon was the founding leader of the Socialist Workers Party. Image File history File links The young communist, James Patrick Cannon in Moscow, 1922. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... The Socialist Workers Party is a communist political party in the United States. ...

Born in Rosedale, Kansas, James P. Cannon was first a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and then of the Socialist Party of America. He was personally trained by Bill Haywood, a prominent IWW leader.[1] The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union currently headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. At its peak in 1923 the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. ... The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States. ... William Dudley Big Bill Haywood (February 4, 1869–May 18, 1928) was a prominent figure in American radical unionism as a leader in the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) and later as a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). ...

Cannon opposed World War I from an internationalist position and rallied to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In 1919, he became a founding member of the Workers (Communist) Party (now known as Communist Party USA) and was part of its leadership from its earliest days, serving as Party Chairman from 1919 to 1928, a position that was actually secondary to that of general secretary. Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul... Internationalism is a political movement which advocates a greater economic and political cooperation between nations for the benefit of all. ... The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a series of political events in Russia, involving first the overthrow of the system of autocracy, and then the overthrow of the liberal Provisional Government (Duma), resulting in the establishment of the Soviet power under the control of the Bolshevik party. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) is a Marxist-Leninist political party in the United States. ... The term General Secretary (alternatively First Secretary) denotes a leader of various unions, parties or associations. ...

In the factionalised CPUSA in the 1920s Cannon was responsible for the International Labor Defense organisation from which he built a power base. His followers were loosely organised in the so-called Foster-Cannon faction which looked to "native" American workers in the unions. The 1920s was a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... The International Labor Defense (ILD) was a legal defense organization in the United States, headed by William L. Patterson. ... William Edward Foster (February 25, 1881 - September 1, 1961), who renamed himself as William Z. Foster, was the long-time General Secretary of the Communist Party USA and trade union leader. ...

While in Russia in 1928, Cannon read a critique of the direction of the Communist International written by Trotsky which the Comintern had mistakenly circulated. He was convinced of the arguments, and attempted to form a Left Opposition within the W(C)P. This resulted in his expulsion. He then founded the Communist League of America with Max Shachtman and Martin Abern, and started publishing The Militant. It declared itself to be an external faction of the W(C)P. 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The first edition of Communist International, journal of the Comintern published in Moscow and Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg) in May 1919. ... 1915 passport photo of Trotsky Leon Davidovich Trotsky (Russian: Лев Давидович Троцкий; also transliterated Trotskii, Trotski, Trotzky) (October 26 (O.S.) = November 7 (N.S.), 1879 - August 21, 1940), born Lev Davidovich Bronstein (&#1051... The Communist League of America (Left Opposition) was founded by James P. Cannon, Max Shachtman and Martin Abern in 1928 after their expulsion from the Communist Party USA for Trotskyism. ... Max Shachtman (September 10, 1904 - November 4, 1972) was an American Marxist theorist. ... Martin Abern, born Martin Abramowitz (December 2, 1898 ? 1949) was a Trotskyist politician. ... The Militant is an international socialist newsweekly connected to the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). ...

Following the collapse of the Comintern in the face of Nazism in Germany they concluded with Trotsky that the Comintern could not be reformed and embarked on a struggle to build a new International and new parties. Concretely this meant that they no longer considered the Communist League to be a faction of the Communist Party but rather considered it the nucleus of a future revolutionary party. It also meant that they were far more inclined to look at working with other sections of the reviving socialist and workers movements from this point forth. The Comintern (Russian: Коммунистический Интернационал, Kommunisticheskiy Internatsional – Communist International, also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organization founded in March 1919, in the midst of the war communism period (1918-1921), by Vladimir Lenin and the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik), which intended to fight by all available means, including... National Socialism redirects here. ...

Cannon and Felix Morrow, with a bust of Trotsky.

Although the Communist League had been a small organisation - opponents dubbing Cannon, Abern and Shachtman "Three generals without an army" - it had won a majority of the Communist Party branch in Minneapolis and St Paul. Therefore when the labor movement revived in the early 1930's the Communist league was well placed to put its ideas into action in the twin Cities and through their influence in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters the union rapidly grew after an historic dispute in 1934. Cannon played a major role in this dispute directing the work of the Communist League on a daily basis, along with Shachtman. Image File history File linksMetadata Trotskycannon. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Trotskycannon. ... Felix Morrow (1906 - 1988) US politician, Communist. ... This article is about the city in Minnesota. ... The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America, commonly known as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) or simply the Teamsters, is one of the largest labor unions in the United States. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

This led Cannon and the CL to fuse with AJ Muste's American Workers Party forming the Workers Party of the United States and later, with their augmented forces, to join the Socialist Party of America as a faction. This led to an internal struggle with a faction which opposed fusing with the Socialist Party and which went on to form the Revolutionary Workers League, led by Hugo Oehler. In 1937 having recruited large numbers of people from the SPA's youth group, the Young People's Socialist League, they left the SPA and formed the Socialist Workers Party. Cannon became its first secretary. Abraham Johannes Muste (January 8, 1885_February 11, 1967) was a socialist active in the labor movement and the US civil rights movement. ... A number of parties have gone by differing versions of the name Workers Party. The American Workers Party is most well known for its leadership in the 1934 Toledo Auto-lite Strike. ... A number of parties have gone by differing versions of the name Workers Party. The Workers Party of the United States, also called the U.S. Workers Party, formed in December 1934. ... The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States. ... The Revolutionary Workers League (RWL) was a radical left group in the United States. ... Hugo Oehler (1903 - 1983) was an American communist. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... YPSLs Logo The Young Peoples Socialist League (YPSL) is a democratic socialist youth group originally affiliated with the Socialist Party of America. ... The Socialist Workers Party is a communist political party in the United States. ...

Cannon was also a leading figure in the Fourth International, the international Trotskyist movement, and visited Britain in 1938 with the intention of aiding the unification of the competing British groups. The result was a patched together unification, the Revolutionary Socialist League, which rapidly disintegrated. The Fourth International (FI) is Trotskyisms international organization. ... The Revolutionary Socialist League was the name of two Trotskyist political parties in the United Kingdom, one in the 1930s and 1940s and a second one which was founded in the 1950s and existed into the 1960s. ...

In 1940, one of Cannon's co-leaders in the SWP, Max Shachtman, left with a large part of the membership to form the Workers Party. One of the key questions in this controversy was Cannon's belief that the Trotskyists should continue to defend the Soviet Union against western imperialism, and that the minority in the SWP should submit to the authority of the majority. The dispute is recorded in Cannon's book 'The Struggle for the Proletarian Party' and in Trotsky's 'In Defense of Marxism'. Another blow was suffered during World War II when Cannon was jailed under the Smith Act, along with other SWP members that opposed the war drive of the US government. Even in jail, however, his influence on the SWP was strong and he wrote to party leaders regularly; for example, recommending it change the party line on the Warsaw Rising. Cannon's book 'Letters from Prison' contains many of these missives. Max Shachtman (September 10, 1904 - November 4, 1972) was an American Marxist theorist. ... The Workers Party is a name used by various political parties throughout the world. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act () of 1940 is a United States federal statute that made it a criminal offense for anyone to knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise or teach the duty, necessity, desirability or propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State... The Warsaw Uprising (Powstanie Warszawskie) was an armed struggle during the Second World War by the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) to liberate Warsaw from German occupation and Nazi rule. ...

Following the war Cannon resumed leadership of the SWP, but this role declined after he left the post of national secretary in 1953 to Farrell Dobbs. Cannon retired to California in the mid-1950s. However he remained an active member of the party's Political Committee. Cannon was very much involved in the splits which developed in both the SWP and the FI in 1952. He took a leading role in guiding the public faction supported by the SWP, the International Committee of the Fourth International, and supported the eventual reunification of the two sides in 1963 which led to the formation of the United Secretariat of the Fourth International. He took no part in the various tendency disputes that developed between 1963 and 1967, except to decry firmer organisational norms developed by his erstwhile supporters. These letters are collected in Don't Strangle The Party. He died in Los Angeles in August 1974. 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Farrell Dobbs (July 25, 1907 – October 31, 1983) was an American Trotskyist politician and trade unionist. ... It has been suggested that Orthodox Trotskyism be merged into this article or section. ... The United Secretariat of the Fourth International (USFI) is the largest Trotskyist international organisation. ...

A profuse revolutionary journalist, many of his articles have been collected in a series of books, the best known of which are Notebook of an Agitator and The Struggle for a Proletarian Party.

Other important books written by Cannon are America's Road to Socialism, The History of American Trotskyism, Socialism on Trial and The First Ten Years of American Communism. History of American Trotskyism, 1928-38, Report of a Participant is a biographical book written by the Communist James P. Cannon, founder and leader of the Socialist Workers Party. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

James P. Cannon

• James P. Cannon Archive
• The Militant, a newspaper published by the Socialist Workers Party
• Pathfinder Books, the bookstore of the Socialist Workers Party
• The Lubitz TrotskyanaNet provides a biographical sketch and a selective bibliography of James P. Cannon