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By Manuel Reichetseder
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Friday, 21 March 2008 |
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On March 12, 145,000 workers took part in
a massive work stoppage in Slovenia. Rising inflation and low wages are pushing
the workers onto the path of class struggle. In line with the process of
radicalisation taking place across Europe, the Slovenian workers are beginning
to mobilise in a big way.
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By Jesse Read
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Friday, 21 March 2008 |
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The Slovenian workers have taken part in
several massive mobilisations in recent months. Here we reproduce a New Zealand
comrade's experiences and lessons learned during his recent stay in Ljubljana,
Slovenia.
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By Pobunjeni um editorial board
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Monday, 25 February 2008 |
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There has been a lot of media hype about the big rally
in Belgrade
last week after the announcement that Kosovo had declared its "independence".
But the real mood in Serbia,
especially among the working class, is very different. There are indications
that the workers are tired of the nationalism and chauvinism being pumped out
by the Serbian bourgeoisie and in particular are fed up with all the bourgeois
parties. What is missing a political expression of the working class.
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By Filip Sacirovic in Belgrade
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Monday, 18 February 2008 |
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We are publishing an eyewitness account from Belgrade of the violence that broke out after Kosovo
announced its independence from Serbia.
In spite of the media footage the vast majority of the masses ignored the small
number of demonstrators! The working class responded quietly, treating the
rioters with nothing but fear and disgust! Hardly anyone is prepared to come
out and support the Serbian bourgeois... Its credibility is wearing as thin as
the patience of the masses.
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By Goran M
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Monday, 17 December 2007 |
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The manoeuvres of the various big powers in the region are leading to calls for “independence” for Kosovo, which in actual fact hide the naked material interests of the imperialists. The Serbian ruling elite however is now threatening to raise the stakes, potentially throwing the whole region into turmoil once more. The only solution can be offered by a working class struggling across the national borders for a Socialist Federation of the Balkans.
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By Goran M
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Friday, 14 December 2007 |
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The process of
capitalist restoration in Serbia
has been brutal. Hundreds of thousands of workers in the old industries have
lost their jobs. The old social buffers provided by the planned economy have
been dismantled. In this atmosphere a sombre mood dominates the working class.
The only outlet the ruling class can offer is to keep whipping up nationalist
sentiment.
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By Phil Sharpe
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Thursday, 22 November 2007 |
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On Saturday, November 17, a massive demonstration of 70,000
workers and youth took place in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The workers
are fed up with low wages, high prices, cuts in services and privatisation.
They have had a taste of capitalism and clearly don’t like it.
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By Nikola Vukobratović, Socialist Youth of Croatia
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Monday, 16 April 2007 |
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This article was sent to us by Nikola Vukobratović, who is the Chairman of the Socialist Youth of Croatia, the
youth organisation of the Socialist Workers' Party of Croatia. Since most of
our readers will not be familiar with the corruption scandals mentioned in the
article, we provide here a short introduction.
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By Filip Sacirovic in Belgrade
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Thursday, 25 January 2007 |
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The
collapse of the former Yugoslavia
had led to a swathe of privatisations, cuts in social spending and a systematic
dismantling of all the gains of the past. But one event back on November
revealed that below the surface a new situation is brewing. Suddenly in
reaction to worsening conditions, the imposition and increase in fees and so on,
the students in one Faculty occupied the university building in an exemplary
manner.
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By Goran Markovic, President of the Main Board of the Workers Communist Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Wednesday, 15 November 2006 |
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We have received this article from the President
of the Workers' Communist Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although we may not
agree with every point in it, it gives a very good idea of the totally negative
effects of the break up of the former Yugoslavia on the living conditions of
workers on both sides of the divide. But there are signs that the class
struggle is simmering below the surface.
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By Petar Pavlovic, Chairperson of Croatian Young Socialists
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Wednesday, 15 November 2006 |
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The break-up of the former Yugoslav Federation led to an unmitigated disaster for the workers of all the republics that emerged from the debris. This article shows how the Croatian economy entered a long period of depression, with very high levels of unemployment. Now a certain stabilisation has been achieved but only at the cost of accumulating a huge foreign debt.
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By Croatian Young Socialists
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Friday, 06 October 2006 |
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We are making available to our readers this platform. It
shows that after all the reactionary bloodletting and criminal break-up of the
former Yugoslavia,
the idea that socialism is possible is not dead.
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By Goran M
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Monday, 03 July 2006 |
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The recent referendum in Montenegro
produced a majority for separation from Serbia, but this small country
remains seriously divided. In reality there is no “independence”, but a small
nation prey to the whims of imperialism.
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By Goran M. in Belgrade
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Wednesday, 15 March 2006 |
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In the morning hours of
Saturday, March 11, Slobodan Milosevic, was found dead in his prison
cell at the Hague. With his death, the bourgeois media began once
again to dig through the recent history of the Balkans in an attempt
to make sense of the break-up of former Yugoslavia. But what was the
role played by Milosevic, and what is the feeling over his death in
Serbia?
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By Luka Pregelj
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Tuesday, 06 December 2005 |
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The workers and students in Slovenia have awakened. For the first time since Slovenia’s separation from Yugoslavia, workers and students from all across Slovenia came together on November 26 to march for a common goal and to clearly demonstrate that they are prepared to fight against the government’s counter-reforms in education and the economy. |
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By In Defence of Marxism
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Wednesday, 23 March 2005 |
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We have received a letter from a communist activist in Bosnia-Herzegovina who has recently been fired from his job at a private university for his political convictions and activities. He needs your support. Write letters of protest to the university authorities! |
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By Goran M. in Belgrade
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Wednesday, 19 January 2005 |
 The bloodshed that took place throughout the former Yugoslavia in the last decade has been interpreted in many different ways by many different bourgeois theoreticians. In an attempt to explain the ongoing war, the media labelled it as “ethnic”, “religious”, “civil” and in some cases even “tribal”. As Marxists we fight against these misinterpretations which flow from a basic misunderstanding of the causes and nature of the wave of violence which hit the Balkans in the nineties. |
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By Luka Pregelj
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Thursday, 15 April 2004 |
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On April 1, 2004 around 200 workers of the Slovenian company Comet, the main
producer of wet stones in Slovenia, went on strike. They have now been striking
for one week and it seems that the strike will not come to an end if the workers
do not get what they demand. In the recent period there has been an ascent in
the class struggle in the
Slovenian industrial sector. Following the workers' strike in Unior company,
which produces all kinds of tools from screwdrivers, spanners, tongs etc., this
has been the fourth strike in the industrial sector this year. |
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By Goran M. in Belgrade
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Tuesday, 23 March 2004 |
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What happened in Kosovo last week was not a spontaneous outbreak of
hostilities between Serb and Albanian Kosovars, but a planned and
well-orchestrated manouevre by nationalists to "ethnically cleanse"
the province and push towards some kind of ethnically "pure" Kosovo.
Workers on either side will lose out from such a scenario. |
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By Fred Weston
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Friday, 19 March 2004 |
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Almost five years since the fighting ceased and NATO troops were sent in to
pacify the region, conflict between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians has flared
up once again. This renewed conflict confirms everything we have said about
Kosovo and the wider problems affecting the whole of the Balkans. The
fundamental problems have not been resolved. They have been simmering below
the surface. |
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By Goran M. in Belgrade
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Monday, 24 November 2003 |
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The sharp radicalisation within Serbian society continues,
and was put in the spotlight once again last week by the third failed
presidential election in a row. The working people of Serbia simply stayed at
home, ignoring the government calls to go out and elect a president. The
election results clearly showed just how deep the crisis in the country is, and
how unpopular and weak the pro-western ruling caste is in reality. From Pobunjeni Um
Editorial Board. |
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By Goran Markovic
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Saturday, 15 November 2003 |
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We have received this report from Goran
Markovic, President of the Main Board of the Workers' Communist Party of Bosnia
and Herzegovina and are happy to publish it. It highlights the reawakening of
the workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the terrible war that tore this
country apart. The interesting thing is that workers on both sides of the divide
are struggling for the same things. |
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By Goran M. in Belgrade
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Thursday, 13 March 2003 |
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Just after the assassination of the Serbian Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic,
a Marxist in Belgrade sent us this report and analysis. Djindjic certainly had
many enemies and our correspondent looks at each one of them. This event
reflects the mess that the transition to capitalism has created in the former
Yugoslavia. From Pobunjeni Um Editorial Board. |
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By Goran M. in Belgrade
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Monday, 03 March 2003 |
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A Yugoslav Marxist student
looks at the achievements of state education under the old Titoist regime and
compares it to today’s level of education as the whole system is being gradually
privatised. Although marred by the bureaucratic deformations of the old Titoist
regime, it did show the potential that exists from having a fully state run
system. What would have been possible if there had been genuine socialism and
workers’ democracy in Yugoslavia? And what does the future hold for the present
and future generations of students in the former Yugoslav republics as the
greedy hand of capitalism slowly but surely begins to strangle what was good in
the old system? |
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By Dragan Draca
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Sunday, 23 February 2003 |
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During the four decades of "the building of socialism" in the former
Yugoslavia there had been formulated more economic theories of
socialism than in all the other self-proclaimed "socialist" countries
of Eastern Europe and elsewhere. Dragan Draca explains the bureaucratic
motives behind this to justify every U-turn in economic policy during
that period.
(February 23, 2002) This is the English version of the Serbo-croatian
original ZABLUDE PROŠLOSTI
published by the Yugoslavian Marxist website Pobunjeni
Um. |
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By Fred Weston
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Wednesday, 18 December 2002 |
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Last May’s strikes forced the then government into a compromise over wage
levels. Since then the government has fallen and a new government has come to
power. Now as the economic situation worsens a new strike wave is spreading
across Macedonia. |
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By Goran M. in Belgrade
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Tuesday, 15 October 2002 |
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On September 29, the first round of the Serbian Presidential elections was held. The two candidates, Kostunica (Democratic Party of Serbia) and Labus (Group of Citizens), went through to the second round, where Kostunica of the Democratic Party received a majority, but the turnout was so low, only 45.5% of the total electorate, that the elections were not valid. Goran M. in Belgrade, gives us an idea of the mood among the masses that has led to this stalemate. It was obvious that there was no enthusiasm for either of the two candidates or their pro-capitalist policies. |
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By Fred Weston
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Thursday, 30 May 2002 |
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The workers of Macedonia have once again shown that only through struggle can
any meaningful victory be achieved. The strike of 80,000 public sector workers
which started last week has forced the government to back down. |
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By Goran M. and Alek A.
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Monday, 27 May 2002 |
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Our correspondents from Macedonia report on the recent strike wave that has hit the country.
After years of waiting for things to "get better" the Macedonian workers have lost their patience.
In a region blighted by ethnic conflict, the potential for working class struggle is clearly shown,
and is an indication of how things will develop all over Eastern Europe.
The class struggle is back on the agenda. |
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By In Defence of Marxism
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Tuesday, 07 May 2002 |
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This is a report of the May Day march in Belgrade. |
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By Vladimir Unkovski
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Wednesday, 17 April 2002 |
A young Marxist from Yugoslavia has written to us about how things used to be in Yugoslavia before the events of the late 80s and 90s which tore the country apart. By Vladimir Unkovski.
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By Fred Weston
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Tuesday, 21 August 2001 |
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Nato is to send 3,500 troops to Macedonia with the stated aim of disarming the Albanian rebels who have been involved in armed conflict with the Macedonian army. NATO is going in because Macedonia is on the verge of open civil war. If this were allowed to spread and get out of control it would have far greater consequences than simply that of destabilising Macedonia itself. It could bring Greece and Turkey (both NATO members) into a war where they would be fighting on opposite sides thus seriously weakening NATO's south eastern flank. |
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By Alek Atevik
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Friday, 22 June 2001 |
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We have received this article from Alek Atevik in Skopje, Macedonia. It analyses the historical background and the situation facing Macedonia today. Particularly striking is the reference to workers strikes. As the author points out, when it is a question of defending jobs and wages, such as at the Yugohrom factory, there is no divisions between Albanians and Macedonians. Workers' unity cuts across the ethnic divide! |
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By A.A.
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Sunday, 18 March 2001 |
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Below we publish a letter we received commenting on our article 'Macedonia - the next powder keg?' What is particularly interesting is what is said about places where the local population is mixed, Albanian and Macedonian speaking. Apparently some form of militia has been formed to protect all the population from attacks from the Albanian guerrillas. |
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By Fred Weston
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Friday, 16 March 2001 |
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What is unfolding in Macedonia today [March 2001] confirms what we have always said. There will never be a solution to the National Question on the Balkans so long as the underlying economic and social problems remain. After they thought they had brought the situation in Kosovo under control, the situation across the border in Macedonia is flaring up. |
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By two correspondents in Belgrade
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Thursday, 26 October 2000 |
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Two correspondants from Belgrade provided us with an almost day-to-day account of last week's events in Serbia. These accounts show clearly how the intervention of the working class was decisive in toppling the old regime. What is also clear is the attempt on the part of both the old regime and the "opposition" to curb the spontaneity of the masses. |
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By Alan Woods
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Tuesday, 10 October 2000 |
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There is a very old tradition in Balkan politics to resort to conspiracy theories to explain everything. There is always some dark plot brewing in some foreign chancellery or other, some obscure forces that are supposed to be manipulating events for god knows what purpose. Such stuff is as inseparable from Balkan political comment as Hail Marys from a nunnery or sex scandals from Bill Clinton's bedroom. After the overthrow of Milosevic, we are now informed that it was all the result of a conspiracy... |
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By Alan Woods and Ted Grant
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Monday, 09 October 2000 |
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The events in Yugoslavia represent a political earthquake. In the space of 24 hours the entire situation has been transformed. The decisive element in the equation has been the sudden eruption of the masses on the scene. The scenes of an avalanche of humanity descending on Belgrade, the strikes, the confrontations with the police, the storming of the Parliament, have captured the imagination of the world. What is the meaning of the events in Yugoslavia? What is the nature of this movement? And what attitude should Marxists take towards it? |
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By Steve Jones
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Wednesday, 16 August 2000 |
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Over the last year Socialist Appeal has carried a number of articles on the Balkans conflict which have challenged the official interpretation of events. This is also considered in depth by a number of the contributors to "Degraded Capability: The Media and the Kosovo Crisis." Although, as the title suggests, this book deals mainly with the role and actions of the media, it does start with a consideration of the conflict itself. |
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By Alan Woods and Ted Grant
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Friday, 25 February 2000 |
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A 4 part document by Alan Woods and Ted Grant. The
question of nationalities has
always occupied a central position in Marxist theory. In
particular, the writings of Lenin
deal with this important issue in great detail. It is true to
say that, without a correct
appraisal of the national question, the Bolsheviks would
never have succeeded in coming to
power in 1917. This document reviews the rich Marxist
literature on this issue and applies
it to today's conditions. |
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By Fred Weston
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Tuesday, 25 January 2000 |
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During the NATO bombings in Serbia and Kosovo the propaganda machine of the media in the West was in full swing in order to justify everything NATO was doing. On 16th January ITV broadcast a documentary by Jonathan Dimbleby which confirms most of what was reported at the time were lies and propaganda. Fred Weston reviews. |
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By Ted Grant and Fred Weston
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Wednesday, 01 September 1999 |
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The press in the West have been highlighting the opposition movement that has been developing in Serbia. They have been announcing the imminent fall of Milosevic ever since the ending of NATO's bombing campaign. Ted Grant and Fred Weston analyse this "opposition" and outline the position of Marxists. |
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By Ted Grant and Fred Weston
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Thursday, 15 July 1999 |
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This article looks at the effects of the war in Kosovo on international relations, the perspectives for the opposition movement in Serbia, the situation in Kosovo and the relations between the KLA and NATO, and stresses the need for an independent working class internationalist policy. |
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By Alan Woods
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Wednesday, 07 July 1999 |
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This short article by Alan Woods, was originally written for
the Galician language
magazine "Onte e Hoxe" and it deals with the
general position of Marxism in
relation to the national question and also explains the
situation in relation to Kosovo. |
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By In Defence of Marxism
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Wednesday, 23 June 1999 |
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In this interview, conducted on June 6, 1999, Dragan argues that: "a socialist and internationalist policy is the only way to successfully fight imperialism and domestic Stalinists" |
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By Barbara Humphries
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Wednesday, 23 June 1999 |
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Burn This House", published in 1997 is worth reading as the Balkans have been yet again plunged into war. It is written by critical non-nationalist Muslim, Croatian and Serbian historians and journalists who challenge the ethnic-nationalism of the politicians currently running former Yugoslavia and the views and strategies of the so-called "international community". Reviewed by Barbara Humphries. |
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By Ted Grant and Fred Weston
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Wednesday, 16 June 1999 |
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NATO has not achieved a "victory" in Kosovo. It has not achieved its war aims. The TV and the press are attempting to convince public opinion that the bombing campaign has achieved its objectives. But as in all wars the first casualty is the truth itself. Anyone who wants to understand what is really happening must be careful not to be blown off track by the propaganda machine of the bourgeoisie. |
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By Alan Woods
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Tuesday, 08 June 1999 |
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History repeats itself, wrote Karl Marx. First as tragedy, then as farce. After the most inept military campaign since the Crimean War, we are now treated to the spectacle of the most ridiculous diplomatic bungling in history. |
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By Socialist Appeal
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Friday, 04 June 1999 |
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72 days of NATO bombing have shattered Yugoslavia, its infrastructure, its economy, the homes and jobs of hundreds of thousands of Serbs and Kosovars have been destroyed, not to mention the lives lost, and for what? |
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By Alan Woods
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Thursday, 13 May 1999 |
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The situation in the Balkans is changing from day to day, even from hour to hour. From the beginning of the conflict Socialist Appeal has followed all the twists and turns in the war and the diplomatic and propaganda manoeuvres that accompany it. We here publish an analysis of the recent developments. |
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