Fourth International

Fourth International. The Fourth International is a worldwide communist organization founded in 1938 by Leon Trotsky and his followers, who opposed the policies of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin and the leadership of the Third International. It was established as an alternative revolutionary center to what its founders deemed the degenerated Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the reformist Social Democratic parties, aiming to realize the original goals of the October Revolution. The organization's history is marked by significant theoretical debates, numerous internal splits, and a persistent effort to build revolutionary parties across the globe based on the principles of Trotskyism and permanent revolution.

History

The founding conference was held in Périgny, near Paris, in September 1938, amidst the rising threat of fascism and the approach of World War II. Key founding documents, such as the Transitional Program, were drafted by Trotsky, outlining a strategy for revolutionary action. The early years were defined by clandestine work during the war, the assassination of Trotsky in Mexico in 1940 by an agent of Stalin's secret police, and subsequent efforts to regroup in the postwar period. A major postwar expansion occurred as sections gained influence in several countries, including within significant trade unions in France and Britain, and during political crises in Bolivia and Ceylon. The International faced severe repression from both capitalist and Stalinist states, with many of its members imprisoned or executed, particularly in the Soviet Union during the Great Purge.

Ideology and program

Its core doctrine is Trotskyism, which is rooted in a critique of the Soviet Union as a degenerated workers' state and an analysis of Stalinism as a counter-revolutionary bureaucracy. The central strategic concept is the permanent revolution, arguing that in historically backward countries the democratic and socialist tasks are intertwined and must be led by the working class in alliance with the peasantry, culminating in international revolution. The Transitional Program remains a foundational text, advocating for demands that bridge daily struggles with the struggle for state power. The organization is also defined by its unconditional defense of the Soviet Union against imperialist attack while maintaining a political revolution against its ruling bureaucracy, a position tested during events like the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the Prague Spring.

Organizational structure and sections

Traditionally, its highest decision-making body is the World Congress, which elects an International Executive Committee and a smaller United Secretariat to guide work between congresses. National sections are organized as independent revolutionary parties that adhere to the International's program and statutes. Historically influential sections have included the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire in France, the Socialist Workers Party in the United States, and the Central Obrera Boliviana-aligned group in Bolivia. These sections publish their own newspapers and journals while contributing to central publications like International Viewpoint.

Splits and reunifications

The organization has experienced multiple major schisms, often over analysis of world events and tactical orientation. The first significant split occurred in 1953, leading to the formation of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and the International Secretariat of the Fourth International, publicly centered on differences over the nature of the Soviet Union and entrism into Social Democratic parties. Further divisions followed the 1963 reunification, with new splits emerging from analyses of Cuba, Maoist China, and guerrilla warfare in Latin America. The Posadist current, which supported the use of nuclear weapons for revolutionary ends, broke away in the early 1960s. Subsequent decades saw further fragmentation, resulting in multiple organizations claiming the mantle, such as the Fourth International (ICR) and the Committee for a Workers' International.

Current status and activities

Today, the organization that traces its lineage directly to the 1938 founding and the 1963 reunification is led by its United Secretariat. It maintains active sections and sympathizing groups on every continent, participating in trade union struggles, anti-racist movements, feminist campaigns, and environmental activism. It is actively involved in broader left formations like the New Anticapitalist Party in France and the Anticapitalistas in Spain. The International organizes regular world congresses, youth camps, and theoretical schools, and continues to publish International Viewpoint as its central multilingual journal. It engages in solidarity work with movements in Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, while analyzing contemporary crises of capitalism and the challenges of building revolutionary leadership.

Category:Fourth International Category:Trotskyist organizations Category:Political internationals Category:Organizations established in 1938