David North (socialist)

• Author
• Activist

David North
Chairman of the Socialist Equality Party
Incumbent
Assumed office August 2008

David North is an American Marxist, who has been active in the international Trotskyist movement since 1971. ^[1] He is currently the National Chairman of the Socialist Equality Party in the United States (SEP), ^[2] formerly the Workers League, and previously served as its National Secretary until the party's congress in 2008. ^[3] North chairs the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS), and is published by the International Committee of the Fourth International.

North has written numerous books and articles on the topics of socialism, Marxist history, and politics; ^{[4] [5]} his books include In Defense of Leon Trotsky, A Quarter Century of War, and The Russian Revolution and the Unfinished Twentieth Century. ^[1]

Political history

Early Years

North was a student of the history department at Trinity College. ^{[6] [1]} In 1969, North interned with the Democratic Senator Vance Hartke, who was known for his left-wing ^[7] opposition to the Vietnam War. ^{[8] [9]} North has written that his journey towards socialism was fueled by "anger over the never-ending Vietnam War and steadily increasingly disillusionment with the Democratic Party and American liberalism" before discovering the works of Leon Trotsky in the fall of that year. ^[10]

Workers League

North joined the Trotskyist Workers League and was elected to the post of national secretary in January 1976. ^[11] Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, North covered and participated actively in numerous labor strikes, most notably the 1973-1974 unionization drive of miners in Harlan County, ^[11] and the 1983-1986 Phelps Dodge miners strike. ^[12]

Investigation into Trotsky's Murder

North helped lead the investigation initiated by the International Committee into the circumstances surrounding the assassination of Leon Trotsky in 1940 and the extensive infiltration of the Fourth International by agents of both the Soviet secret police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. ^{[13] [14]}

In 1982, North informed the Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP), the British section of the ICFI and close collaborator of the Workers League, of his differences with the theoretical methods and politics of the organization. North's 1982 and 1984 documents were distributed throughout the ICFI and to the WRP membership during the crisis that erupted in the WRP in August 1985. ^[15] While a majority of the ICFI accepted North's criticisms, as well as a section of the WRP membership, the WRP rejected the political authority of the ICFI over its national organization and broke from the International Committee in February 1986. ^[16] North opposed the restoration of capitalism in the Soviet Union. ^[17]

Socialist Equality Party

At the founding congress of the Socialist Equality Party (US), held in August 2008, North was elected as the national chairman of the party. ^[3] As part of his political activism, in 2018 North undertook a speaking tour to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the "Fourth International" founded by Leon Trotsky. ^[18]

Views

Marxism

North has defended the view that Trotsky represented a Marxist alternative to Stalinism, and therefore states that the collapse of the USSR does not mean that Marxism is a failed project. Summarizing these views as described in North's book The Unfinished Twentieth Century, sociologist Charles Thorpe writes that North "makes a powerful case that, to paraphrase Faulkner, these debates and experiences are not dead; they're not even past". ^[19]

North has argued that contrary to modern academic traditions, Marxism is not defined by academics, but instead by Marxist organizations and Marxist struggle. He writes that this tradition is represented above all by the Trotskyist opposition to Stalinism and its contemporary continuity in the Socialist Equality Party. ^[2]

Censorship

In 2017, North alleged in an open letter that changes to Google's ranking system and search engine, known as Project Owl, demoted left-wing outlets such as the WSWS. ^[4] Google would not comment to The New York Times about the WSWS. Interviewed by the NYT, North said that he opposed censorship under the pretext of combating fake news: "I'm against censorship in any form. It's up to people what they want to read." ^[4]

Identity Politics

In his book The Frankfurt School, Postmodernism and the Politics of the Pseudo-Left, North writes that identity politics are used to conceal class conflict. North adds that identity politics use democratic slogans but in fact promote the socioeconomic interests of the affluent and rich. ^[20]

North and others writing for the World Socialist Web Site have joined some historians in criticizing the 1619 Project, objecting to a history focused on racial grievance rather than class struggle. ^[21] North and others interviewed several prominent historians including James M. McPherson, Richard Carwardine, Gordon S. Wood, Victoria E. Bynum, James Oakes, Adolph L. Reed Jr., and Clayborne Carson. ^[21]

United States

Speaking about the 2016 United States presidential election, North told Neues Deutschland that Donald Trump "embodies a cross between all the criminal and immoral features and machinations of the real estate, finance, gambling and entertainment industries". ^[1] North expressed criticism of the Democratic Party as well, describing the party's presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as "an iron lady of Wall Street and the military-intelligence establishment." ^[1]

Interviewed by journalist Chris Hedges in 2018, North stated that while middle class groups promoted identity politics as a response to social tensions and poverty, American workers were not racist and "have a deep belief in democratic rights". ^[22] North stated that the 20th century problems of war and fascism remained real threats in the 21st century. ^[22]

Works

Books

• North, David (1988). The heritage we defend: A contribution to the history of the Fourth International . Detroit, Mich: Labor Publications. ISBN   0-929087-00-3. (Preface via World Socialist Web Site)
• North, David (1989). Perestroika versus socialism: Stalinism and the restoration of capitalism in the USSR. Detroit, Mich: Labor Publications. ISBN   0-929087-39-9. OCLC   21203230.
• North, David (1991). Gerry Healy and his place in the history of the Fourth International. Detroit: Labor Publications. ISBN   978-0-929087-58-0.
• North, David (2004). The crisis of American democracy: The presidential elections of 2000 and 2004. Oak Park, Mich. Bankstown, NSW: Mehring Books. ISBN   1-875639-36-5.
• North, David (2007). Marxism, history & socialist consciousness. Oak Park, Mich: Mehring Books. ISBN   978-1-893638-03-7.
• North, David (2007). Leon Trotsky & the Post-Soviet school of historical falsification. Oak Park, MI: Mehring Books. ISBN   978-1-893638-02-0.
• North, David (2010). In defense of Leon Trotsky. Oak Park, Michigan: Mehring Books. ISBN   978-1-893638-05-1.
• The Russian Revolution and the Unfinished 20th Century (2014) ISBN   978-1-893638-40-2
• North, David (2015). The Frankfurt School, Postmodernism and the Politics of the Pseudo-Left: AMarxist Critique. Oak Park, Michigan: Mehring Books. ISBN   978-1-893638-50-1.
• North, David (2016). A Quarter Century of War: The US Drive for Global Hegemony 1990-2016. Oak Park, Michigan: Mehring Books. ISBN   978-1-893638-69-3.
• North, David (2021). The New York Times' 1619 Project and the racialist falsification of history: Essays and interviews. Oak Park, Michigan: Mehring Books. ISBN   978-1-893638-93-8.
• North, David (2023). Leon Trotsky and the Struggle for Socialism in the Twenty-First Century. Oak Park, Michigan: Mehring Books. ISBN   978-1-959-124-02-3.
• North, David (2024). The Logic of Zionism: From nationalist myth to the Gaza genocide. Oak Park, Michigan: Mehring Books. ISBN   978-1-959124-08-5.
• North, David (2025). Sounding the Alarm: Socialism Against War. Oak Park, Michigan: Mehring Books. ISBN   978-1-959124-10-8.

Other publications

• The USSR And Socialism: The Trotskyist Perspective (1989) ISBN   0-929087-45-3
• In Defense of the Russian Revolution: A Reply to the Post-Soviet School of Historical Falsification (1995) ISBN   978-0-929087-72-6
• Socialism, Historical Truth and the Crisis of Political Thought in the United States (1996) ISBN   978-0-929087-73-3
• Workers League and the Founding of the Socialist Equality Party (1996) ISBN   978-0-929087-74-0
• Equality, the Rights of Man and the Birth of Socialism (1996) ISBN   1-873045-32-8
• Anti-Semitism, Fascism and the Holocaust: A critical review of Daniel Goldhagen's "Hitler's Willing Executioners" (1997) ISBN   978-0-929087-75-7
• A Tribute to Tom Henehan: 1951 to 1977 (1998) ISBN   978-0-929087-78-8
• Ernest Mandel 1923–1995: A Critical Assessment of His Role in the History of the Fourth International (1997) ISBN   1-875639-14-4
• Marxism and the Trade Unions (1998) ISBN   1-875639-29-2
• Leon Trotsky and Fate of Socialism in 20th Century: A Reply to Professor Eric Hobsbawm (1998) ISBN   1-875639-22-5
• Reform and Revolution in the Epoch of Imperialism (1998) ISBN   1-875639-28-4
• After the Slaughter: Political Lessons of the Balkan War (1999) ISBN   1-875639-35-7
• A Tribute to Vadim Rogovin (1999) ISBN   978-0-929087-50-4
• The Economic Crisis & the Return of History (2011) ISBN   978-1-893638-14-3

See also

• James P. Cannon
• Fourth International

References

1. Vesper, Karlen (January 2, 2018). "Socialism is coming back". Neues Deutschland. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
2. Saccarelli, Emanuele (2017). "Book review: The Frankfurt School, Postmodernism and the Politics of the Pseudo-Left: A Marxist Critique by David North". Critical Sociology. 43 (4–5): 799–802. doi:10.1177/0896920517699161. S2CID   151862205.
3. "Socialist Equality Party holds founding Congress". World Socialist Web Site. September 19, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
4. Wakabayashi, Daisuke (September 26, 2017). "As Google Fights Fake News, Voices on the Margins Raise Alarm". The New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
5. "About Us Mehring Books". mehring.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
6. "Letter to the Editor: A Letter to President Berger-Sweeney from David W. Green '71". September 13, 2020.
7. "U.S. Pullout by '72 Sought by Hartke". April 7, 1971. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
8. Gracey, Kevin (October 31, 1969). "Open Semester Program Proceeds 'Satisfactorily'". The Trinity Tripod . p. 3. Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
9. Jackson, Harold (July 31, 2003). "Vance Hartke". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved October 30, 2025.
10. "The Israeli state's fascist ideology and the genocide in Gaza". World Socialist Web Site. December 19, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
11. Gerry Healy – A Revolutionary Life.
12. Aulette, Judy; Mills, Trudy (1988). "Something Old, Something New: Auxiliary Work in the 1983-1986 Copper Strike" . Feminist Studies. 14 (2): 251–268. doi:10.2307/3180152. hdl: 2027/spo.0499697.0014.204 . ISSN   0046-3663. JSTOR   3180152.
13. "British Trotskyism: Trotskyist Writers: Gerry Healy: The Rise and Fall of Gerry Healy". marxists.org. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
14. London, Eric (January 31, 2019). "Introduction". Agents: The FBI and GPU Infiltration of the Trotskyist Movement. Detroit: Mehring Books. ISBN   978-1893638853.
15. "Trotskyists split over purged chief". The Observer. October 27, 1985.
16. "Internal bulletins". mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
17. North, David. "How Robert Service Earned the Ire of Trotskyists Like Me: How Robert Service Earned the Ire of Trotskyists Like Me". The Wall Street Journal.
18. Woutas, Aidan (October 23, 2018). "Chairman of the Socialist Equality Party talks future of ideology, populism". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on September 23, 2025. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
19. Thorpe, Charles (2017). "Radical Intellectuals, History, and the Soviet Union". Journal of Historical Sociology. 30: 86–91. doi:10.1111/johs.12146.
20. Dietl, Stefan (2018). Die AfD und die soziale Frage. Unrast Verlag. p. 144.
21. Wood, Peter. "1619 Again: Revisiting the Project's Troubled Past". National Association of Scholars. National Association of Scholars. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
22. Hedges, Chris (February 5, 2018). "The Bankruptcy of the American Left". Truthdig. Retrieved November 28, 2018.

External links

• World Socialist Web Site