Ivan Kraypo French Trotskyist. Date of Birth: 24.09.1911 Country: France

1. Early Life and Marxism
2. Trotskyism and the Fourth International
3. World War II and the Fourth International
4. Later Years

Early Life and Marxism

Yvan Craipeau was born in Roche-sur-Yon on September 24, 1911. From a young age, he became captivated by Marxism. His interest in the ideology led him to be expelled from school, prompting him to relocate to Paris.

Trotskyism and the Fourth International

In the late 1920s, Craipeau became an advocate for the Left Opposition within the French Communist Party. He played a pivotal role in the formation of the Communist League in 1930. In 1935, he assumed the role of personal secretary to Leon Trotsky, a renowned revolutionary.

Craipeau was instrumental in establishing the International Workers Party in 1936, which later evolved into the French section of the Fourth International. However, he diverged from Trotsky's analysis in the book "The Revolution Betrayed." According to Craipeau, the Soviet Union's political system represented a form of bureaucratic collectivism, leading to a disagreement with Trotsky on the issue of defending the USSR.

World War II and the Fourth International

During World War II, Craipeau recognized the challenges faced by the Fourth International. Despite the difficulties, he collaborated with Marcel Hic to secretly publish the journal "La Vérité." In 1944, he joined the newly formed International Communist Party, serving as its general secretary from 1946 to 1948.

Craipeau's views aligned with Ted Grant's position that a crisis of capitalism was not imminent during this period. In 1948, he was expelled from the Fourth International and the International Communist Party.

Later Years

In the early 1950s, Craipeau departed for Guadeloupe, where he worked as a schoolteacher and secretary of the National Federation of Education trade union. Upon his return to France in 1954, he engaged in the "New Left" movement and subsequently became involved with the Socialist Left Union and the Unified Socialist Party.

Craipeau authored several books documenting the history of the Trotskyist movement, leaving a lasting legacy as a dedicated and influential figure in the Marxist tradition. He passed away on December 13, 2001.