This second volume of Tony Cliffs writings deals with the British working class movement over the past four decades. The period saw dramatic changes— post-war boom, magnificent struggles that toppled the Tories in 1974, retreat and slow recovery. All the pieces embody the notion that the emancipation of the working class can only be won by the action of the working class itself.
So the writings focus on the real working class, its forms of struggle and organisation. In pieces such as 'The Employers' Offensive', Cliff concentrates on work organisation and shop stewards' roles. Though the context has altered, many of these issues are still with us.
Another consequence is that Marxists must constantly reassess the balance of class forces. The answer to that question shapes the others. How confident are workers in this period? How can socialists best relate to current struggles? 'On Perspectives', 'The Balance of Class Forces in Recent Years' and 'The State of the Struggle Today' are object lessons in how to judge this.
Reformist political and union leaders separate direct class struggle and politics. Marxism emphasises their interaction, and the first and last pieces—'The Labour Party in Perspective' and 'Change is Going to Come: But How?'—deal with this. Against the reformist approach stands the alternative—rank and file organisation, and socialists rooted in the workplace. The 'Factory Branches' pamphlet written in 1973-74 set out for the SWP how to build this alternative.
These writings are a journey of discovery about the British working class, its history, nature and potential, from a consistently revolutionary standpoint.