Millions of workers and youth in the US are fed up with the two parties of the capitalist class: the Republicans and the Democrats. The lack of a mass working-class party leaves voters with little real choice: either vote for one of the ruling class’s parties; cast a protest vote for a tiny third party; or abstain altogether. But why is there no mass workers’ party in the US? Why have past attempts to build one failed? What lessons can we learn from history to change this in the future?

By reviewing the major political battles in the history of the US class struggle, Tom Trottier shows that workers in this country have taken the road of class independence many times before—only to be held back and betrayed by leaders and organizations that were not up to the tasks before them. By drawing out the lessons from these struggles and learning from the mistakes that were made, a new generation of revolutionaries can prepare for the turbulent times ahead.

The two-party system of the capitalists is more discredited and crisis-ridden than ever. Sooner or later, the revolutionary aspirations of the US working class will again come to the fore. The rise of a mass workers’ party will inevitably be an explosive event. With a Marxist leadership, those future struggles can lead to the establishment of a workers’ government and the socialist transformation of society.

Also includes the article "The Fight for Socialism and the Lessons of the Labor Party" on the effort to form a US labor party in the 1990s and 2000s.

By Tom Trottier

40 pages.