Revolutionary Communist International

Originally written as a reply to Monty Johnstone, a leading theoretician of the British Communist Party, this book uncovers the real ideas of Lenin and Trotsky. This new edition features a brand new introduction by Alan Woods.

Leon Trotsky’s history of the Russian Revolution, from the fall of tsarism through the October insurrection and the first years of Soviet power.

There have been many books and potted histories of the Russian Revolution, either written from an anti-Bolshevik perspective, or its Stalinist mirror image, which paint a false account of the rise of Bolshevism. For them, Bolshevism is either a historical “accident” or “tragedy.” Or it is portrayed erroneously as the work of one great man (Lenin) who marched single-minded toward the October Revolution. Author Alan Woods* reveals the real evolution of Bolshevism as a living struggle of various class forces, tendencies and individuals.

Using a wealth of primary sources, Woods uncovers the fascinating growth and development of Bolshevism in pre-revolutionary Russia up to the seizure of power in October 1917. This is the second, expanded US edition of this monumental work. It comes at an important time, as the world economic crisis calls for a thorough study of working class history in order to educate a new generation of revolutionaries.