The Revolutionary Socialist League (RSL) was a
Trotskyist
Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
group
in Britain which existed from 1956 to 1964, when it became
Militant
The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...
, an
entryist group in the Labour Party.
Formation
After the dissolution of the
Revolutionary Communist Party,
Ted Grant
Edward Grant (born Isaac Blank; 9 July 1913 – 20 July 2006) was a South African Trotskyist who spent most of his adult life in Britain. He was a founding member of the group Militant and later Socialist Appeal.
Early life
Grant's father had s ...
and his supporters were expelled from the RCP's successor
The Club in 1950 and formed the International Socialist Group. They went on to fuse with supporters of the
International Secretariat of the Fourth International
The Fourth International (FI) is a revolutionary socialist international organization consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky, also known as Trotskyists, whose declared goal is the overthrowing of global capitalism and the establishment of wor ...
in Britain as the Revolutionary Socialist League in 1956 and were recognised as the official British section at its fifth world congress in 1957. The RSL held its first congress in 1957.
[Aitman, T. (1991]
A comment on some aspects of entrism
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It was an entryist group within the Labour Party that published ''Socialist Fight''. In 1958 the group was recognised as the British section of the International Secretariat of the Fourth International
The Fourth International (FI) is a revolutionary socialist international organization consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky, also known as Trotskyists, whose declared goal is the overthrowing of global capitalism and the establishment of wor ...
and, after the reunification in 1963, the British section of the Fourth International
The Fourth International (FI) is a revolutionary socialist international organization consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky, also known as Trotskyists, whose declared goal is the overthrowing of global capitalism and the establishment of wor ...
. However, the League registered substantial political differences at the 1965 World Congress, and failed to integrate other supporters of the International in Britain. The Congress recognised two sympathising sections in Britain: the RSL and what became the International Marxist Group
:''See also the International Marxist Group (Germany).
The International Marxist Group (IMG) was a Trotskyist group in Britain between 1968 and 1982. It was the British Section of the Fourth International. It had around 1,000 members and supporte ...
, prompting the RSL to turn its back on the International. In 1964, the RSL founded the newspaper ''Militant'' and the group itself soon became known by this name, although the official name was still used internally.
References
External links
Catalogue of the RSL archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collecti ...
{{Authority control
Political parties established in 1957
Political parties disestablished in 1964
Defunct Trotskyist organisations in the United Kingdom
Fourth International (post-reunification)
Entryists
1957 establishments in the United Kingdom
1964 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
ru:Революционная социалистическая лига (Великобритания)