State Capitalism and World Revolution

Originally published in 1950, this analysis by three respected activists successfully predicted the future course of Marxism. Their revolutionary critique of industrial civilization possessed a striking originality that was insular in its political context and optimistic in its expectations for the working class. They envisioned that the working class activity would defy trends away from class and social issues and toward the so-called “End of Ideology.” Brought forth in a new edition, this viewpoint and others reveals much, even years later, that challenges Marxist and other orthodoxies. State Capitalism and World Revolution is the most succinct version of C. L. R. James and his collaborators general conclusions about industrial culture and is a pioneering critique of Lenin and Trotsky, and a reclamation of Marx. This edition includes the original preface from Martin Glaberman and a new introduction from Paul Buhle.

C. L. R. James was known and honored as a historic pioneer of the black movement and is generally regarded as one of the major figures in Pan-Africanism, as well as a leader in developing a current within Marxism that was democratic, revolutionary, and internationalist. He is the author of Beyond a Boundary, Every Cook can Govern, and Revolution. Raya Dunayevskaya was a highly respected and influential philosopher, political activist, and feminist. She was the founder of Marxist Humanism in the United States and the author of Marxism and Freedom and The Power of Negativity. Grace Lee Boggs is an author, lifelong social activist, and feminist. She is known for her years of political collaboration with C. L. R. James and Raya Dunayevskaya. She is the author of The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century. She lives in Detroit, Michigan. Martin Glaberman was an influential American Marxist, teacher, and autoworker. Paul Buhle is a retired senior lecturer at Brown University and author or editor of 35 volumes, including histories of radicalism in the U.S. and the Caribbean, studies of popular culture, and a series of nonfiction comic art volumes. He was founding editor of the journal Radical America, Cultural Correspondence, the director of the Oral History of the American Left archive at New York University, one of the founding figures of the new Students for a Democratic Society, and a leader of the Movement for a Democratic Society. He is the author of The Beats, and Living for Change. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.