"The international proletariat first appeared on the scene in the early Thirties of the nineteenth century, and its first great action was the French Revolution of 1848"

The quote by C. L. R. James is referring to the development of the worldwide proletariat, or working class, in the early 1800s. This working class was comprised of people from all over the world who were unified by their shared economic battles. The quote is highlighting the French Revolution of 1848 as the very first great action of the global proletariat. This transformation was a major occasion in European history, as it saw the topple of the French monarchy and the facility of a republic. The transformation was a result of the working class' discontentment with the overbearing economic and social conditions they were dealing with. The French Revolution of 1848 was a significant turning point in the history of the worldwide proletariat, as it showed the power of the working class to produce social and political change.