A History of the Left in South Africa

Baruch Hirson - historian and political scientist - was a towering figure of the intellectual Left in South Africa for much of the 20th century. Yael Hirson has collected and edited his writings to produce a comprehensive picture which includes the role of trade unions, the Communist Party, Trotyskist groups, aspects of workers's resistance to oppression by the state and big business - so often closely linked - and the vital questions of race, colour and class in the struggle against the apartheid state. This book provides a unique insight into the formative influences which helped to guide the South African resistance movement and will prove an essential reference point to those interested in the early political career of Nelson Mandela.