Category Archives: History & Theory

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. One of the largest strike waves in Middle East history swept across Egypt in the years before the mighty demonstrations that erupted in Tahrir Square in January 2011, part of the ‘Arab spring’. As a new mood of protestContinue reading “Workers’ struggles set the stage for Egypt’s 2011 uprising”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. For millions of people, the 1989 opening of the Berlin Wall was rightly celebrated as a great victory for democratic rights. But the build up to the official celebrations to mark its 30th anniversary have, as before, been dominatedContinue reading “Germany: 30 years since Berlin Wall brought down”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. Today marks the 102nd anniversary of the Russian Revolution, a world-historic event. The October revolution led to a huge transformation of the former repressive Czarist Empire – politically, economically, culturally, and also concerning questions of gender and sexual equality,Continue reading “In defence of the Russian Revolution”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. Today, 1 October, marks the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader, Mao Zedong, proclaiming the People’s Republic of China. Below, we republish a book review by Peter Taaffe (first published in The Socialist newspaper, 14 JulyContinue reading “70th anniversary of People’s Republic of China – Mao and the Chinese revolution”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. The terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York in 2001 was not the first ‘9/11’. In Chile on 11 September 1973, a bloody coup, led by General Pinochet and backed by the US administration, overthrew the democraticallyContinue reading “Chile 1973: The other ‘9/11’ – The bloody coup against the Popular Unity government”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. The revolutionary movements shaking Sudan and Algeria, and mass upheavals in other parts of the neo-colonial world, underlines the relevance of Leon Trotsky’s ‘Theory of Permanent Revolution’. This is particularly the case for the international workers’ movement and revolutionaryContinue reading “The striking relevance of Leon Trotsky’s ‘Theory of Permanent Revolution’”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. This week saw two important historical anniversaries – the first conference of the Communist (Third) International, held on 6 March 1919, established to help organise Marxist revolutionary forces on an international basis and, after years of defeats of revolutionaryContinue reading “100 years since founding of Communist International; 90 years since Trotsky’s expulsion from Soviet Union”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International.  The horrific slaughter of the First World War has haunted generations. By the time it ended, it had put into question the ‘right’ of the ruling classes to rule, something that helped provoke revolutions and mass struggles around theContinue reading “1918: Revolution ends First World War as international radicalisation shakes the world”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. ‘Socialism: Utopian and Scientific’ should be read and studied by socialists, worker-activists and young people interested in socialist ideas, as it greatly adds to our understanding of the roots of socialism and the tasks the working class need toContinue reading “The renewed relevance of Engels’ classic, ‘Socialism: Utopian and Scientific’”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. 50 years since the greatest general strike in history Much has changed in the half century since the revolutionary events of May 1968 in France. At that time there was still a ‘cold war’ between states with very differentContinue reading “France 1968: when workers were on the brink of taking power”