Category Archives: History & Theory

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. Who was Malcolm X? "By any means necessary" – Malcolm X’s expression of militant civil rights – is known worldwide by young people fighting against racism. In the 1950s and 60s, black workers in the US southern states roseContinue reading “Black History Month”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. Colonialism, national liberation and revolutionary struggle Fifty years ago, in 1962, the ‘Algerian war’, one of the longest and bloodiest anti-colonial conflicts, ended with the victory of the Algerian fighters against French imperialism. Algeria had been under French colonialContinue reading “Algeria: War of independence 1954-1962”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. Contradictions of history being unravelled amid mass struggles of today Today is the 39th anniversary of “the other 9/11” – the brutal coup in Chile led by Augosto Pinochet, backed by US imperialism which overturned the democratically elected governmentContinue reading “Chile: Anniversary of “the other 9/11””

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. Heroic few weeks when working class took power Today is the anniversary of the start of the Paris Commune. Below, we reproduce an article written last year by Niall Mulholland, to celebrate its 140th anniversary. The mass struggles againstContinue reading “Paris commune 1871: When workers “stormed heaven””

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. Forty years ago, Bangladesh became an independent state, breaking away from Pakistan. This followed years of repression at the hands of the political and military elite in power since Pakistan’s independence from British colonial rule in 1947. KHALID BHATTIContinue reading “Bangladesh: The birth of Bangladesh”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. 40th anniversary of Attica Prison Uprising “We are MEN! We are not beasts and do not intend to be beaten or driven as such. The entire prison populace has set forth to change forever the ruthless brutalisation and disregardContinue reading “US: “Sound before the fury of the oppressed”!”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. The bloody terrorist outrages of 11 September 2001 in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington were one of the defining moments in recent history. We publish this article some days before the actual anniversary of 9/11 as a contribution toContinue reading “The consequences of 9/11: A world turned upside down”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. When workers shut down GM This year marks the 75th anniversary of the 44-day GM sit-down strike. This organized the largest automaker in the world and established the United Auto Workers (UAW) as one of the most powerful unionsContinue reading “US: 75th anniversary of 1936 auto sit down strikes”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. Marxism, materialism and particle physics The following article is based on a talk given by Pete Mason during the 2010 CWI Summer School, held in Belgium, last July. In a personal contribution, Pete looks at quantum mechanics and itsContinue reading “Science: Quantum mechanics and dialectical materialism”

This article was originally written for socialistworld.net, the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International. New book on 1960/61 general strike published by CWI in Belgium Below we publish an article by Nicolas Croes, based on the new book “La grève générale insurrectionnelle et révolutionnaire de l’hiver 1960/61” by Gustave Dache. See also anContinue reading “History: 50 years since “strike of the century” in Belgium”