Martin Abern - Definition and Overview

Martin Abern, born Martin Abramowitz (December 2nd 1898 ? 1949) was a Trotskyist politician. Born in Romania, he moved to Minneapolis in 1903 and joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1914. He refused to join the US Army during World War I and as a result was expelled from the University of Minnesota and imprisoned.

After his release, Abern joined the Socialist Party of America and then the Communist Party in 1923. He quickly rose to sit on its central committee, but was expelled in 1928 for supporting Trotsky and James P. Cannon. He joined the Communist League of America, and then became a founding member of the Socialist Workers Party in 1938. In 1940, he joined Max Shachtman's new Workers Party although he continued to support Trotsky's unconditional defence of the Soviet Union.