Ian Birchall

{{Short description|British Marxist historian and author}}

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{{BLP sources|date=January 2013}}

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Ian Birchall (born 1939) is a British Marxist historian and translator, a former member of the Socialist Workers Party and author of numerous articles and books, particularly relating to the French Left. Formerly Senior Lecturer in French at Middlesex University,{{cite news|author-first=Ian |author-last=Birchall |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/jul/25/comment.politicsphilosophyandsociety?INTCMP=SRCH |title=Sartre was an Optimist, not a Nihilist |work=The Guardian |date=25 July 2007 |access-date=4 February 2013}} his research interests include the Comintern, the International Working Class, Communism and Trotskyism, France and Syndicalism, Babeuf, Sartre, Victor Serge and Alfred Rosmer. He was on the editorial board of Revolutionary History, a member of the London Socialist Historians Group and has completed a biography of Tony Cliff.

In 2013, Birchall joined opposition to the SWP Central Committee during the internal crisis over allegations of rape{{Cite web |url=http://www.cpgb.org.uk/home/weekly-worker/949/swp-crisis-twilight-of-the-idols |title=SWP crisis: Twilight of the idols - Communist Party of Great Britain |access-date=12 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203060143/http://www.cpgb.org.uk/home/weekly-worker/949/swp-crisis-twilight-of-the-idols |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead }} and resigned from the organisation in December.Ian Birchall [http://grimanddim.org/political-writings/2013-letter-of-resignation/ "2013: Letter of Resignation"], Grim and Dim, 15 December 2013

In August 2015, Birchall was one of 20 authors of Poets for Corbyn, an anthology of poems endorsing Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election.{{cite book |author-last=Bennetts |author-first=Russell |title=Poets for Corbyn |url=http://www.berfrois.com/uploads/2015/08/poets_for_corybn_v2_cover1.pdf |year=2015 |publisher=Pendant Publishing |page= |isbn=978-0-9928034-5-2 |access-date=15 July 2017 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103302/http://www.berfrois.com/uploads/2015/08/poets_for_corybn_v2_cover1.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |author-last=Bennetts |author-first=Russell |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/aug/28/poets-for-jeremy-corbyn |title=Yes we scan: Poets line up for Jeremy Corbyn |newspaper=The Guardian |date=25 August 2015 |access-date=15 July 2017}}