Joseph Hansen (historian)

Joseph Hansen (1910-1979) was an American Marxist, Trotskyist, and writer. He is best known for his long association with Leon Trotsky, serving as Trotsky's secretary and bodyguard in Mexico from 1937 until Trotsky's assassination in 1940.

Hansen was born in Richfield, Utah. He joined the American Trotskyist movement in the 1930s and quickly became a leading figure. After Trotsky's death, Hansen played a crucial role in leading the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in the United States and the Fourth International, the international Trotskyist organization. He served as the national secretary of the SWP from 1953 to 1973.

Hansen was a prolific writer and theorist on a wide range of topics, including Marxism, philosophy, revolutionary strategy, and the history of the Trotskyist movement. He wrote extensively on the Cuban Revolution, the Sino-Soviet split, and the Black liberation movement. His writings are collected in several volumes.

Key works by Hansen include:

• Dynamics of the Cuban Revolution (1978)
• Marxism vs. Ultraleftism: The Record of Healy's Break with Trotskyism (1973)
• The Degenerated Revolution: Soviet Economy and Politics (1971) (with Pierre Frank and George Breitman)
• Trotskyism in America (1969) (with George Breitman and Naomi Allen)

Hansen's contributions to Trotskyist theory and practice have been subject to debate and re-evaluation within the broader socialist movement. He remains a significant figure in the history of American Trotskyism.