Tom Kemp

Tom Kemp (1921–1993) was a renowned figure in the realm of Marxist economic and political theory. He left a significant impact in the socialist and Trotskyist parties in the UK with his numerous groundbreaking books on Marxist ideology and economic progression. One of his most compelling work includes Theories of Imperialism which made substantial contributions to the assimilation of globalization into Marxist theory. Tom Kemp was born into a working-class family in Wandsworth, London. In his youth, Kemp immersed himself in socialist activities, becoming a member of the Young Communist League (UK) and the Communist Party of Great Britain. His activism started in his school years when he started distributing communist literature about the Spanish Civil War. In 1939, he began his studies at the London School of Economics. Post World War II, he married a Frenchwoman, marking his life-long interest in French history and development. He completed his studies in 1946. Combining ethics and knowledge, he joined the economics faculty at the University of Hull in 1950 where he worked for more than 30 years. His academic contributions ranged over Marxist theory and economic development. Kemp also gained repute for his informed contributions to journals such as Labour Review and International Socialist Review while also being featured in the Encyclopædia Britannica. Kemp was respected for his political activism especially within the Socialist Labour League and the Workers Revolutionary Party. Despite facing a critical blow to his political career in 1967, Kemp eventually regained his influence, playing a strategic role in theoretical aspects within the party and the International Committee of the Fourth International until his passing in 1993.