The first number of the SWP’s internal bulletin after its formation in January, 1938 became one of international Trotskyism’s central documents as The Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International, The Mobilization of the Masses around Transitional Demands to Prepare the Conquest of Power, widely known as the Transitional Program, by Leon Trotsky was first published as a draft theses for the upcoming founding conference of the Fourth International.

Draft Theses “The Death Agony Of Capitalism And The Tasks Of The Fourth International” by Leon Trotsky. Socialist Workers Party Internal Bulletin. Vol. 1 No. 1. April-May, 1938.

Contents: The Objective Prerequisites for a Socialist Revolution, The Proletariat and its Leadership, The Minimum Program and the Transitional Program, Sliding Scale of Wages and Sliding Scale of Hours, Trade Unions in the Transitional Epoch, Factory Committees, “Business Secrets” and Workers’ Control of Industry, Expropriation of Separate Groups of Capitalists, Expropriation of the Private Banks and State-ization of the Credit System, The Picket Line – Defense Guards/Workers’ Militia – The Arming of the Proletariat, The Alliance of Workers and Farmers, The Struggle Against Imperialism and War, Workers’ and Farmers’ Government, Soviets, Backward Countries and the Program of Transitional Demands, The Program of Transitional Demands in Fascist Countries, The USSR and Problems of the Transitional Epoch, Against Opportunism and Unprincipled Revisionism, Against Sectarianism, Open the Road to the Woman Worker! Open the Road to the Youth!, Under the Banner of the Fourth International!

The U.S. Trotskyist movement began official, semi-regular internal bulletins to host political debate and discussion as the Communist League of America in 1930. In 1931, an International Bulletin was also produced running through 1934 to separate out the international debates. After the formation of Workers Party of the United States bulletins continued. With the entry of the Workers Party into the Socialist Party in the ‘French Turn’ internal bulletins were discontinued. In a reflection of the different size and resources of the CP, the CLA-WP-SWP bulletins were largely mimeographed rather than printed. A new set of Bulletins for internal discussion of the newly formed SWP in January of 1938 were produced, as well as another International Bulletin for discussion of the founding of the Fourth International. As a whole, these bulletins, unlike the internal bulletin of the CP, focus on long-form debate and internal discussion of Party resolutions and policy with the movement’s top leaders and thinkers contributing. Often, before congresses or plenums, special bulletins would be printed to host the relevant debate. The International Bulletins contain many of Trotsky’s and other international voices’ first English-language translations. Often those voice used pseudonyms, Crux is Trotsky. An invaluable resource for students of US Communism, Trotskyism, and the larger US workers’ movement.

PDF of full bulletin: https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/document/swp-us/idb/swp-1938-45/v01n01-1938-ib.pdf