The rise and fall of the Fourth International is one of the most important lessons for communists today. At the World Congress of the Revolutionary Communist International, Rob Sewell explains how the degeneration of the leadership of the Fourth International left the working class without a revolutionary party. Ted Grant’s sharp criticisms of the opportunism and sectarianism of the leadership are more relevant than ever for revolutionaries seeking to rebuild genuine Marxism.
By revisiting the successes, failures, and betrayals of the Fourth, we gain the necessary clarity to understand why a mass revolutionary communist international is essential in the fight against capitalism today. For listeners interested in the history of communism, Trotskyism, and revolutionary strategy, this talk offers key lessons on how Marxists must organise, study the ideas, and assess perspectives, and why the method of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, and Ted Grant remains the indispensable guide for overthrowing capitalism in the 21st century.