[Podcast] The Marxist who predicted the post-war order: Ted Grant’s legacy

Ted Grant is not widely known outside of revolutionary circles, but he was the most important Marxist theorist since the death of Leon Trotsky, who alone predicted the course of world politics after WWII. Amongst other things, he foresaw the post-war economic upswing; the expropriation of capitalism in China and much of Eastern Europe; Stalin’s clashes with Tito and Mao; and much more besides. In this episode, his closest collaborator Alan Woods, the main leader and theorist of the RCI, reminisces about Ted’s life and works, and explains the importance of his contributions.

Born Isaac Blank in South Africa, Ted was a lifelong revolutionary whose political activity spanned more than 70 years. After emigrating to Britain in the 1930s, he played an instrumental role in building the forces of Trotskyism during the War. Unfortunately, the so-called leaders of the Fourth International, founded by Trotsky before his assassination in 1940, failed to grasp the latter’s method and utterly misunderstood the post-war world situation.

When Ted and his supporters attempted to present their point of view, they were bureaucratically expelled from the International, which soon degenerated even further and splintered into a series of irrelevant sects. Ted and his supporters eventually regrouped and established the most powerful Trotskyist organisation in the world, the Militant Tendency, which at its height was a household name with thousands of members.

But this success went to the heads of part of the Militant’s leadership, who downplayed Marxist theory and sought short cuts, eventually wrecking the organisation. Ted and a small group of supporters once again found themselves in the wilderness, and once more rebuilt their forces, laying the basis for the organisation today known as the Revolutionary Communist International. Though Ted passed away in 2006, the RCI preserves the traditions, ideas and objectives he exemplified and fought for all his life.

In today’s episode, Alan talks about Ted’s legacy. He emphasises not only Ted’s brilliant mastery of Marxism, which gave him a huge advantage over his contemporaries; but also his humanity, his indignance towards all forms of injustice, and his profound sense of optimism. While the road to revolution is long and often difficult, Ted always said, there are two indispensable traits for any revolutionary: a sense of proportion and a sense of humour!

Aside from the organisation we inherit today, Ted’s main legacy can be found in his tremendous contributions to Marxist theory and analysis. The third volume of his collected works will be released in January 2026.

Pre-order your copy today!

Pre-orders for the US and Canada are currently available here. Pre-orders for Britain are available here.