DAVID NORTH

Leon Trotsky remains the towering figure in the history of revolutionary socialism in the twentieth century. A careful study of his writings is essential for the elaboration of the strategy and tactics of socialist revolution in our epoch, that of imperialist clashes coalescing into a new world war and a worldwide assault on the condition of the working class. Trotskys greatest achievement was the founding of the Fourth International (FI) in 1938, after the Third International under Stalin facilitated the coming to power of Hitler in Germany, without a fight by the multi-millioned working class. A principled internationalist, opposed to Stalins "socialism in one country," Trotsky wrote in the founding document of the FI that "the historical crisis of mankind is reduced to the crisis of the revolutionary leadership." Written over a forty-year period, the essays in this book are devoted to bringing the rich historical lessons to a new generation of workers and young people, in order to resolve the "historical crisis of mankind."

The polemical essays in this volume examine the complex interaction between history, philosophy and politics. The author defends historical materialism against contemporary anti-Marxist philosophical tendencies related to the Frankfurt School and postmodernism.

The annual May Day speeches delivered by David North, between 2014 and 2024, are an extraordinary and timely year-by-year analysis of the relentless escalation of imperialist militarism and the growing danger of a nuclear third world war. In light of the unfolding developments in Ukraine and Gaza, Norths analyses acquire an almost prophetic character. Other issues examined by North in his May Day speeches are the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resurgence of fascism, and the growth of the international class struggle. As in his earlier books, Sounding the Alarm demonstrates David Norths remarkable ability to locate contemporary events in their broader historical context. As historian Tom Mackaman writes in the books preface: "This volume provides a powerful example of Marxism as the science and politics of revolutionary action, which requires careful study by every fighter for socialism."

The lectures presented in this volume are a penetrating analysis of the reactionary ideological and political foundations of Zionism and a powerful call for international action by the working class in defense of the Palestinian people. Second edition includes the March 2024 lecture, "The Gaza Genocide and the Death of Aaron Bushnell: What are the Political Lessons?"

The Heritage We Defend reviews the political and theoretical disputes inside the Fourth International, the international Marxist movement founded by Leon Trotsky in 1938. It is a reply to former WRP General Secretary Michael Bandas document "27 Reasons why the International Committee Should be Buried Forthwith and the Fourth International Built. This work also contains a detailed assessment of the political contribution and evolution of James P. Cannon, Trotskys most important co-thinker in the US, and the evolution of the U.S. Socialist Workers Party more generally. This 2018 edition of the foundational 1988 work by David North, chairman of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site, contains a new preface, photo section and an extensive glossary.

The lectures presented in this volume are both a penetrating analysis of the reactionary ideological and political foundations of Zionism and a powerful call for international action by the working class in defense of the Palestinian people.As David North declared in his third lecture, delivered in Berlin on December 14, 2023: "The ongoing war, for all its horrors, has made one significant political contribution. It has awakened the youth. It has opened the eyes of the world. It has exposed the Zionist regime and its imperialist accomplices for the criminals they are. It has set into motion a tidal wave of outrage that is sweeping across the world and will sweep across those responsible for this genocide."