Revolutionary History
 Cover of Volume 3, №1, 1990 | |
| Subject | History of Trotskyism |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Edited by | Al Richardson, Esther Leslie |
| Publication details | |
| History | 1988-2015 |
| Publisher | Merlin Press |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Delayed | |
| Indexing | |
| ISSN | 0953-2382 |
| OCLC no. | 989960086 |
| Links | |
| Part of a series on |
| Trotskyism |
|---|
 |
Revolutionary History was a British journal covering the history of the far left. It was established by the historians Sam Bornstein and Al Richardson and maintained an editorial board representing many strands of British Trotskyism.[1]
Journal scope[edit]
Alongside the history of Trotskyism Revolutionary History articles also covered other anti-Stalinist communist traditions. Most issues were themed and consisted of documents that had either never appeared in English or had been out of print for many years, together with contextual and introductory materials. Some issues consisted of original studies of episodes of revolutionary struggle or studies of specific individuals or organisations. Revolutionary History has been described as the English equivalent of the French journal Cahiers Léon Trotsky. [2]
Revolutionary History used the motto ‘Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it’, paraphrasing the philosopher George Santayana in The Life of Reason. The motto was chosen to reflect the publication’s aim to highlight and explore the contribution of small non-conformist groups in revolutionary history. [3] In an exchange with its editor Richardson, the Marxist historian Ian Birchall once criticised the journal for not living up to its motto, quoting the lyrics of the song Bill Bailey to suggest it was too sectarian. Richardson defended the journal, replying “…learning from history can be ‘simple’ – providing you are allowed to get to know about it in the first place.”[4]
Publication history[edit]
Revolutionary History was founded in 1988 as an English-language quarterly by the Trotskyist historians Bornstein and Richardson. Later, the journal would appear approximately once a year and was published through Merlin Press.[5] Following the death of founding editor Richardson in 2003, the journal was edited by various visiting editors, alongside the editorial board including the academic Esther Leslie.[6] The first series of Revolutionary History finished in 2013 on volume 11. The journal began a second series in 2015 but thereafter ceased publication.[7]
Supplements and side publications[edit]
Unpublished articles were also provided as a digital supplement to Revolutionary History.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ Obituary of Al Richardson, Weekly Worker 506, Thursday November 27, 2003
- ^ "Revolutionary History". trotskyana.net. Journals. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Revolutionary History". trotskyana.net. Journals. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "Al Richardson Exchange with Ian Birchall, (1995)". marxists.org. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "Revolutionary History". trotskyana.net. Journals. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Editorial". Revolutionary History. 1. 9 (2): 1–2. 2006. ISSN 0953-2382.
- ^ "Revolutionary History". trotskyana.net. Journals. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Revolutionary History: Unpublished articles". marxists.org. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
External links[edit]
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