The new collection of Ted Grants writings are here and more relevant than ever

Marxist Theory · 2026-05-13

Core Argument¶

The article argues that Ted Grant's writings from 1945–1946 are not merely historical artefacts but essential tools for understanding the present conjuncture. The central thesis is that Grant correctly identified the postwar period as one of capitalist stabilisation and boom — not the final crisis predicted by the majority of the Fourth International — and that this analytical method, grounded in a sober assessment of the balance of class forces and economic realities, is precisely what Marxists need today as the postwar order disintegrates. The claim is that Grant's defence of Marxist method against catastrophic schemas and mechanical applications of Trotsky's tactical advice saved the British Trotskyists from the political zig-zags that afflicted the International's leadership, and that this same method is indispensable for navigating the current period of imperialist realignment and economic crisis.

Theoretical Grounding¶

The analysis draws on several interconnected Marxist concepts. First, the relationship between economic base and political superstructure: Grant insisted that economic developments are "ultimately decisive for the development of society as a whole," determining the possibilities for class struggle, the spread of ideas, and the evolution of consciousness. Second, the Marxist understanding of capitalist crisis as cyclical rather than terminal: Grant rejected the notion that capitalism had reached a "fixed upper limit" from which the productive forces could never again develop, instead arguing that temporary stabilisations and booms are possible even within a system that has exhausted its progressive historical role. Third, the concept of the balance of class forces internationally, including the novel factor of Stalinism's postwar strength and its role in containing revolution through "counterrevolution in democratic form." Fourth, the distinction between conjunctural analysis and long-term perspective: Grant criticised the "telescoping" of inevitable long-term crisis with immediate perspectives, a methodological error that led the International's leadership to misread the postwar period entirely.

The article situates Grant within the Trotskyist tradition but emphasises his departure from the dominant current of the Fourth International under Cannon and Healy. Grant's method is presented as the authentic continuation of Trotsky's insistence on concrete analysis of concrete situations, as opposed to the mechanical application of formulae derived from the 1930s.

Conjunctural Relevance¶

The article connects Grant's postwar analysis directly to the current moment in several specific ways. The postwar order of US global hegemony is described as "falling apart," with the article citing the present US administration's own rejection of "the ill-fated concept of global domination for itself." The transatlantic alliance is "breaking down under the hammer blows of Donald Trump's realignment and retrenchment on the world stage," presented as "the culmination of a long-term period of relative decline of US imperialism." The article draws a parallel between the 1945–1946 turning point and the present: just as Grant analysed the forging of a new global equilibrium out of the ruins of war, Marxists today must analyse the unravelling of that equilibrium. The "imperialist conflicts across the world and the economic crisis upending the social contract of the past 80 years" are creating conditions for Marxism to become "a force of history" once again. The article also critiques the contemporary left's nostalgia for postwar reforms, arguing that understanding the "special conjunction of forces" that produced them — including US dominance, Soviet pressure, and the threat of revolution — is essential for avoiding reformist illusions today.

Where the Argument Continues¶

The article is itself a promotional piece for the publication of Ted Grant's Collected Writings, volumes 1–3, and points directly to those texts as the continuation of the argument. The third volume covers 1945–1946 in detail, including Grant's critique of the International's perspective document "The New Imperialist Peace and the Building of the Parties of the Fourth International" and the RCP Perspectives of 1946. The broader corpus of Grant's writings — spanning nine key years across 2000 pages — is presented as the indispensable resource. The article also implicitly points to the ongoing work of the Revolutionary Communist International in applying Grant's method to the current conjuncture, including analyses of Trump's realignment, the breakdown of the EU, and the economic crisis. Readers would look to subsequent IDOM articles on the decline of US hegemony, the nature of the current economic crisis, and the evolution of reformism and centrism for the contemporary application of Grant's method.

Connections¶

The article connects to several key texts and thinkers. Most directly, it points to Ted Grant's own Collected Writings, particularly volume 3. The article references Trotsky's pre-war perspectives on the outcome of the Second World War and his advice on entryism in the 1930s. It engages critically with James Cannon, Pierre Frank, and Gerry Healy as representatives of the catastrophic perspective that Grant opposed. The perspective document "The New Imperialist Peace and the Building of the Parties of the Fourth International" (1946) is a key text under critique. The article also connects to the broader Marxist literature on the postwar boom, the nature of Stalinism, and the theory of capitalist crisis. Readers interested in the method described would also look to Trotsky's "The Transitional Program" and his writings on the French Turn, as well as contemporary Marxist analyses of the decline of US hegemony and the current economic conjuncture.

Key Quotes¶

"Ted Grant made a decisive contribution on this point, explaining why the likeliest outcome of the defeat of this wave of revolutions was not a new period of fascism and dictatorship but, owing to the weakness of the forces of reaction and the pernicious role of the Stalinist and reformist leaders, was one of 'counterrevolution in democratic form'."
"Ted, meanwhile, argued that, although capitalism had played out its historical role as a progressive socio-economic system – clearly demonstrated by the Second World War and the slaughter of over 70 million people – this did not in itself mean the socialist revolution would automatically succeed or that the capitalists had no way to stabilise their system."
"This long-term perspective of [the crisis of] British imperialism is indisputable and has been long foreseen. However, a mistake in conjunction which was made was the telescoping of the inevitable long-term crisis with the immediate perspective for Britain."
"Because of his understanding of the fundamental contradictions of capitalism, Ted Grant pointed out that from a Marxist point of view, the economic development of capitalism was not simply a negative phenomenon. Through trade and the expansion of the world market, the working class grew and expanded its presence and potential power across the face of the Earth."
"Today, many on the left hark back to the reforms of the postwar boom period, without understanding the special conjunction of forces that gave rise to it."
"The burning question is not whether opportunities will present themselves. It is whether we are prepared to intervene and successfully build the only weapon that can overthrow the capitalist system: the revolutionary party."