Dissertation in American Trotskyism

[Redbrasco]

I have to hand in proposals for next terms dissertation within the next two weeks and am giving serious thought to the above in relation to but not specific to the 1930`s.

Was thinking of using Max Shachtman as a starting point, can anyone guide me towards sources, books etc?

Any suggestions on help or any other different approaches I can investigate?

Also I`ve come across Walther Reuther, any info on this person?

Thanks.

[Iraultzaile Ezkerreko]

All I can think of off the top of my head is James P. Cannon's The History of American Trotskyism which doesn't actually cover the era you are looking at. Though it could be useful for background or an introduction.

[graymouser]

I can definitely help out, but I need to know what period you are looking at. If you're interested in Shachtman, you should read History of American Trotskyism as well as Struggle for a Proletarian Party, both by Cannon. The early chapters of Tim Wohlforth's memoir The Prophet's Children are quite extensive about the later years of Shachtman's movement. But Shachtman leaves the Trotskyist scene in 1957 and becomes steadily more and more of a conservative "State Department Socialist."

There are a lot of interesting ways into the history of American Trotskyism. Personally I think the '50s and '60s are the most interesting; the SWP split five times in those two decades, and went through a lot of important changes. There are also now four memoirs out from people who were in the SWP in that period. (Wohlforth, plus Barry Sheppard's The Party, Peter Camejo's North Star and Leslie Evans's Outsider's Reverie).

[Redbrasco]

I can definitely help out, but I need to know what period you are looking at. If you're interested in Shachtman, you should read History of American Trotskyism as well as Struggle for a Proletarian Party, both by Cannon. The early chapters of Tim Wohlforth's memoir The Prophet's Children are quite extensive about the later years of Shachtman's movement. But Shachtman leaves the Trotskyist scene in 1957 and becomes steadily more and more of a conservative "State Department Socialist."

There are a lot of interesting ways into the history of American Trotskyism. Personally I think the '50s and '60s are the most interesting; the SWP split five times in those two decades, and went through a lot of important changes. There are also now four memoirs out from people who were in the SWP in that period. (Wohlforth, plus Barry Sheppard's The Party, Peter Camejo's North Star and Leslie Evans's Outsider's Reverie).

Some great ideas there....I`m really excited about this project, TBH I never thought American left politics were this interesting..

[black magick hustla]

i always thought the crisis of trotskyism after WW II was very interesting, specifically the splits over the nature of the ussr and wwii. johnson forrest tendency, the cliffites, etc