Ted Grant Writings

A collection of the writings of Ted Grant (1913-2006) covering the period from the 1930s up to the middle of the Second World War.

This is the first volume of Ted Grant’s Writings. It covers the period from 1938 to 1942, when he was involved in building up the forces of Trotskyism in Britain. During the early years of the Second World War, Ted became editor of the Socialist Appeal and political secretary of the Workers’ International League. In this role Ted emerged as the principal theoretician of the British Trotskyist movement. His participation in the revolutionary movement was to span a period from 1928, when he was introduced to Marxism, through to his death in 2006. For all those who knew him, he was a truly remarkable and inspiring figure. The articles and documents contained in this first volume of his Writings coincided with the emergence of the WIL as one of the most successful Trotskyist groups in the world. This present volume covers a decisive time in history. It was the most testing time for British and world Trotskyism. As Hitler occupied Europe, the WIL was alone on the continent in applying the proletarian military policy that had been outlined by Trotsky. This it managed to do in the most successful fashion, allowing the WIL to establish an important proletarian base. We publish here only the articles that were either signed by Ted or that he drafted in his role as the WIL’s political secretary. He would have certainly written the vast bulk of the editorials of Socialist Appeal, but these have not been included. These writings constitute an essential and rich part of the theoretical heritage of Marxism, which can serve to educate the new generation of workers and youth who are entering into political activity at this time of deep capitalist crisis.

Ted Grant was a well-known figure in the international Marxist movement. He had a significant impact on British politics. When he died all the most important newspapers carried extensive obituaries that recognised this fact. This is a remarkable work that comprehensively covers the development of Ted's life and ideas, starting from his early family background in Johannesburg right up to his death in London in 2006 at the age of 93. From his earliest youth in South Africa Ted Grant dedicated his life to the struggle for the emancipation of the working class. Moving to Britain in 1934 to seek new horizons, within a decade he had become the leading theoretician of the Trotskyist movement. The book deals with the launch of the Fourth International and Ted's battle to defend the ideas of Trotsky, which brought him into conflict with the leaders of the International after the Second World War. It explains the important theoretical questions and debates of this period and it outlines Ted Grant's important theoretical contribution to Marxism. Ted was the founder and theoretical inspirer of the Militant Tendency, which Michael Crick once described as the fifth political party in Britain. The book traces the rise and fall of Militant. It provides a fascinating insight into a subject that remains a closed book to most political analysts even now.

Continuing the theme of Trotskyism and the Second World War, this volume covers the period 1943-45. The articles and documents contained within this book cover the period of the emergence of the WIL and the setting up of the Revolutionary Communist Party. The book is divided into three sections. The first deals with the situation in Europe as the war moved towards its conclusion and the Fascist regimes in Italy and Germany collapsed into chaos. The second section deals with events at home and the tasks facing the labour and trade union movement. The final section contains key documents and letters relating to the build up to the formation of the RCP. As in Volume one, Ted's writings are supplemented by other documents to provide a full picture of the situation.

A collection of the writings of Ted Grant (1913-2006) covering the period from the 1943 to 1945 together with other relevant documents relating to the issues raised.

Ted Grant, the undisputed father of Canadian photojournalism, has made a career out of being in the right place at the right time. Over his sixty years in the business, he has immortalized some of the greatest events in history and caught some of the world's most famous and elusive subjects in rare moments of unaffected humanity. From Pierre Trudeau sliding jubilantly down a banister to Ben Johnson in his brief moment of glory at the 1988 Olympics to Sue Rodriguez in her right-to-die campaign, Grant has amassed a collection of over 300,000 photographs—the largest by a single photojournalist in Canadian history. Based on over fifty interviews with the man himself (as well as with his family, friends and colleagues across Canada) and extensive research of the Ted Grant Special Collections in Ottawa, this book is both an iconic and an intimate portrait of the second half of the twentieth century, Canada's coming of age, and the man who saw it all through the lens of his camera.

The reissue of the first volume of Ted Grant's Selected Works marks a new stage in making his ideas more widely known to a new generation of Marxists. Stalinism may no longer be as pressing an issue as it was in the latter half of the 20th century, but it is far more than a theoretical/historical question—today’s situation is deeply impacted by the events of the past. In the post-World War II period, Marxists had to explain the phenomenon of Stalinism, which was no longer confined to the degenerated workers’ state of the USSR, but was spreading around the world. While every other leader of the Fourth International lost their bearings on this and every other fundamental question—veering to ultraleftism, opportunism, reformism, and even the extreme right—Ted stayed the course, sticking to the fundamentals of Marxism to navigate these uncharted waters. His writings on these momentous and complex events are a textbook example of how to apply the ideas of Lenin and Trotsky to the changing world around us, a “must-read” for all those who wish to master the Marxist method. By Ted Grant with an updated introduction by John Peterson.

A photographic tribute to women doctors, nurses and other medical professionals. Women in Medicine celebrates the women who spend their lives providing treatment, giving comfort and easing the pain of patients in hospitals and clinics across North America. The book's introduction traces the tumultuous progress of women healers from ancient Egypt until the present. Centuries before medical schools formally trained women, they learned through trial and error by caring for family members. The acceptance of women's ability to heal changed with the times -- one era's angel of mercy was another era's witch. Today, women comprise over 80 percent of all medical workers and are increasing their numbers as doctors, surgeons, researchers and professors. The striking black and white photographs capture the daily working lives of women in medicine in a variety of roles including: Midwives Nurses Technicians Therapists Physicians' Assistants Researchers. Sprinkled throughout these candid, unposed images are memorable quotes from both historic and contemporary sources.