[Marxism] RE: Barry Sheppard at the Brecht Forum

[Brian Shannon <Brian_Shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I agree with Sheppard that there are two distinct phases of the modern 
history of the U.S. Socialist Workers Party: Before and After Barnes 
(and Sheppard too, for that matter).

Volume 1 of Barry's memoir presents a relatively straightforward 
history as he experienced it during its regeneration in the late 1950s 
and 1960s with the influx of antiwar and civil rights oriented students 
and its absolute and relative growth compared to other tendencies. 
There is not only nothing in it of the Barnes leadership, there is not 
even very much of the pre-1960s SWP.

Critics of the SWP should write their own views on the history of that 
party. Both Louis Proyect and José Perez have done so in the past, as 
have Fred Feldman and others.

I am sure that Sheppard and others will be interested, so long as it 
isn't too narrow.

We could wait a year to see what Barry says and then jump in the way 
"Trots" and other practitioners of "Leninism" are famous for. However, 
I think that Barry's book may set the standard for many years. Since 
building a socialist movement is a cooperative enterprise, I think that 
the most responsible thing to do is present our own ideas into the mix 
now.

However, there is no reason to criticize Volume 1 for not dealing with 
questions that must of necessity be dealt with in Volume 2.

Brian Shannon



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