The Last Social Democrat
Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated on this day in 1986. He was the last social democratic leader to really believe in a world beyond capitalism.
28-02-2020
Anton Ösgård
Olof Palme Was an Internationalist Hero
From South Africa’s ANC to Chilean socialists, in the 1970s, liberation movements around the world had few greater allies than Swedish prime minister Olof Palme. He used high office to speak out for the oppressed abroad — and to build an internationalist movement in his homeland.
28-02-2020
Kristen R. Ghodsee
Socialists Have Long Fought for Women’s Liberation
Socialist men can be important organizers in the struggle for both workers’ rights and women’s emancipation. Nowhere is that seen more clearly than in the life of German socialist August Bebel, who did more to win women's rights than any other nineteenth-century politician.
1-03-2020
Aneurin Bevan
Tides of History
In 1959, after Labour had suffered three consecutive election defeats, Nye Bevan made a defiant conference speech in defence of socialism. We republish that speech today.
The Labor Movement Needs to Learn Its History
With union membership at record lows, we need to look to the past to dig ourselves out of the present. The radical-led Farm Equipment Workers Union, which fought for shop-floor democracy and racial equality, is a guide.
An English Revolutionary
On St. George's Day, we republish E. P. Thompson's essay on the life and politics of William Morris – an English revolutionary and the greatest moral critic of capitalism of his age.
Pertini, il presidente partigiano
25 aprile, Pertini parla a Milano per l'anniversario della liberazione - 1973
Il 25 aprile 1973 Sandro Pertini, l'ex partigiano divenuto ormai presidente della Camera dei deputati, parla ai cittadini riuniti in Piazza del Duomo a Milano così come aveva fatto esattamente ventotto anni prima, in occasione del comizio per la liberazione della città dal nazifascismo.
Rosa Luxemburg on the Meaning of May Day
”As long as the struggle of the workers against the ruling class continues, May Day will be the yearly expression of our demands.” Rosa Luxemburg on the meaning of International Workers' Day.
5-05-2020
David Harvey
Why Marx Still Matters
Karl Marx was born on this day in 1818. His work remains as relevant as ever.
Lelio Basso ed il terzo articolo della Costituzione Italiana - l'uguaglianza
25-05-2020
Socialist Party of America
The St. Louis Proclamation
Unlike their European counterparts, the Socialist Party of America stood firm against World War I, refusing to give in to the siren song of nationalism. Here, in honor of Memorial Day, we reprint in full their 1917 antiwar proclamation insisting that "the working class of the United States has no quarrel with the working class of any other country."
How Jewish Socialists Fought to Stop the Pogroms of the Russian Civil War
The Civil War of 1917–21 brought the third wave of pogroms in the former Russian Empire, mostly perpetrated by the counterrevolutionary forces. But even some Red Army units committed antisemitic atrocities — and independent Jewish socialists played a decisive role in forcing the Soviet state to stop them.
The Forgotten History of the Jewish, Anti-Zionist Left
The roots of modern Zionism are in colonialism. This was the foundation of the Jewish left’s opposition to Zionism in the 1930s and ’40s, on the grounds that it is a form of right-wing nationalism and imperialism that is fundamentally opposed to working-class internationalism.
Addio Lugano bella Addio Lugano bella (Einaudi, 2020) completa la trilogia che Massimo Bucciantini considera “tre capitoli di un unico libro”. Assieme a Campo dei fiori, dedicato alle vicissitudini della statua di Galileo a Roma, e a Un Galileo a Milano
(tratto dal sito www.rivistailmulino.it)
Eugene Debs Believed in Socialism Because He Believed in Democracy
Eugene Debs’s unswerving commitment to democracy and internationalism was born out of his revulsion at the tyranny of industrial capitalism. We should carry forth that Debsian vision today — by recognizing that class struggle is the precondition for winning a more democratic world.
3-09-2020
Juan Somavía
Salvador Allende: respect for the world
When Salvador Allende entered the General Assembly of the United Nations, a very exceptional thing happened: there was huge, spontaneous applause from the delegates, who rose to their feet. At the end of his speech, the president of Chile was again cheered at length with a persistent standing ovation. This only happened once again, with Nelson Mandela, after his release.
The Rise of Allende
Fifty years ago today, socialist leader Salvador Allende was elected president of Chile. His government unleashed a wave of hope that a more democratic society was possible – and worth fighting for.
The Young Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg's socialism was shaped by a deep internationalism, much of which she imbibed from her Jewish upbringing in what was then known as 'Russian Poland.'
6-10-2020
Roberta Lexier
The Regina Manifesto and the Origins of Canada’s Parliamentary Socialists
Canada’s Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, forerunner of today’s New Democratic Party, may have been less militant than some of its contemporary rivals. But its founding document is a powerful call to arms — and present-day socialists could learn from its boldness.
12-10-2020
William Smaldone
For Rudolf Hilferding, Socialism Was About Freedom
Austrian socialist Rudolf Hilferding, author of the magisterial Finance Capitalism, used the tools of Marxism to develop a rigorous understanding of the changing capitalist economy while making the case for a socialism that put freedom and democracy at the center of the project.
Karl Kautsky Was Once a Revolutionary
Lenin’s famous denunciation of Karl Kautsky as a “renegade” has long discouraged Marxists from actually engaging with the German-Austrian socialist’s writings. But if the Bolshevik leader sharply criticized Kautsky’s retreats, this was also because of his great admiration for his earlier work — a revolutionary Marxism that lay decisive stress on the battle for democracy.
