The fall of the Berlin Wall: 20 years later

Written by Alan Woods Monday, 09 November 2009

The fall of the Berlin Wall: 20 years laterTwenty years ago as the Berlin Wall came tumbling down the bourgeoisie in the west was euphoric, rejoicing at the “fall of communism”. Twenty years later things look very different as capitalism has entered its most severe crisis since 1929. Now a majority in former East Germany votes for the left and harks back to what was positive about the planned economy. After rejecting Stalinism, they have now had a taste of capitalism, and the conclusion drawn is that socialism is better than capitalism.

 

Ireland: 100,000+ on the streets - Keep up the pressure and turn the 24th November into a 24 hour General Strike!

Written by Séamus Loughlin Monday, 09 November 2009

Ireland: 100,000+ on the streets - Keep up the pressure and turn the 24th November into a 24 hour General Strike!Tens of thousands of people: public sector and private sector workers and their families, unemployed workers, pensioners and students thronged the streets of eight cities in the south on Friday, November 6; while 10 further demonstrations took place in the north also. 70,000 marched into Merrion Square in Dublin, 20,000 in Cork, 10,000 in Waterford, 6,000 in Galway, 5,000 in Sligo, 5,000 in Limerick, 4,000 in Tullamore and 1,500 in Dundalk. Not bad for a Friday with a grim weather forecast.

 

Allow the Tamil Refugee in: Joint Statement from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia

Written by Militan – Indonesia (www.militanindonesia.org) Monday, 09 November 2009

Allow the Tamil Refugee in: Joint Statement from Indonesia, Malaysia, and AustraliaMore than 300 desperate Tamil refugees are being refused asylum by the Australian authorities, with the connivance of the Indonesian authorities. While governments leave these people in a terrible state, workers in Australia and Indonesia have expressed support and solidarity. Join them!

 

Pakistan: 92nd anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution celebrated in Rawalpindi

Written by Farhad in Rawalpindi Monday, 09 November 2009

Pakistan: 92nd anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution celebrated in RawalpindiIn the tradition of the Pakistani Marxists commemoration meetings to celebrate the anniversary of the Russian Revolution were held in different parts of the country. Here we provide a report on the meeting in Rawalpindi.

 

[Audio] The Fall of the Berlin wall and the East German revolution

Written by Heiko Khoo Monday, 09 November 2009

[Audio] The Fall of the Berlin wall and the East German revolutionA speech at the North European IMT Winter School in Berlin held in January 2009 on the Fall of the Berlin wall and the East German revolution by Heiko Khoo.

 

The class struggle in the Roman Republic, part ten – Caesarism (2)

Written by Alan Woods Friday, 06 November 2009

The class struggle in the Roman Republic, part ten – Caesarism (2)By now, the parasitic nature of Roman society was clearly illustrated in a systematic plundering of the productive provinces by the unproductive centre. This provoked a revolt of the Italians who rose up against Rome, known as the Social War, but they were defeated after several years of bloody conflict and out of this emerged powerful generals such as Marius and Sulla.

 

USA: A Brief Analysis of Election 2009

Written by Tom Trottier in the U.S. Friday, 06 November 2009

USA: A Brief Analysis of Election 2009Off-year elections were held in a number of places around the country on November 3, 2009. We are publishing here a balance sheet by a comrade of Socialist Appeal in the USA.

 

[Audio] The Russian Revolution and the Communist International

Written by Fred Weston Friday, 06 November 2009

[Audio] The Russian Revolution and the Communist InternationalTomorrow marks the 92nd anniversary of the Russian Revolution. For the first time the working class conquered state power and at least began the task of the socialist transfomation of society. Listen here to this meeting of the ULU Marxist Society where Fred Weston, editor of the website 'In Defence of Marxism' (marxist.com), speaks on the Russian Revolution and the founding of the Comintern.

 

Mexico: Fruitful speech of Alan Woods in SUTIEMS

Written by Militante Mexico Friday, 06 November 2009

Alan Woods recently spoke to a group of trade union activists in the Education sector in Mexico on "The Crisis of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Workers" in the SUTIEMS premises.

 

Iran: Eyewitness report from Tehran's demonstrations on 4 November

Written by Militant's reporters in Tehran Friday, 06 November 2009

Iran: Eyewitness report from Tehran's demonstrations on 4 NovemberHere we provide a brief eyewitness account of the November 4 demonstrations in Tehran sent by activists involved in the the events.

 

Page 4 of 466

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The Iranian Revolution

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The Chinese Revolution of 1949 By Alan Woods[Download] [More Audio]

El Salvador: La burguesía se opone a los cambios - Debemos enfrentarles con la movilización en las calles

Written by Juan Barrera Santiago Friday, 20 November 2009

Para cualquier trabajador está más que claro que ARENA dejó el país es una situación sumamente lamentable llena de grandes y profundos problemas que no tienen una sencilla solución, no siempre se es lo suficientemente consiente de la magnitud del problema. El país está en ruinas, esto no es un adjetivo exagerado sino la más clara realidad.

 

El Salvador: A 20 años de la ofensiva general de 1989 - Debemos completar las tareas revolucionarias pendientes

Written by Ricardo Ayala Friday, 20 November 2009

La gran ofensiva guerrillera "hasta el tope" del 11 de Noviembre de 1989 fue la más grande acción militar del FMLN durante la guerra civil, concentró el 70% de sus fuerzas militares en la capital y sus alrededores. Aun se siente el miedo y el odio de clase cuando la burguesía y sus representantes se refieren a ella, dando la imagen de una acción asesina por parte del frente y ocultando cuál fue el actuar de ellos contra los barrios obreros. Unos meses antes pensaron que el FMLN estaba acabado y su derrota vendría en poco tiempo, les duele en el alma haberse equivocado y haberse visto obligados a ceder en una serie de aspectos para llegar a los acuerdos de paz de enero de 1992.

 

Alan Woods: Oligarquía apátrida interna es la Quinta Columna que apoyaría una guerra contra Venezuela

Written by Venezolana de Televisión Thursday, 19 November 2009

Alan Woods: Oligarquía apátrida interna es la Quinta Columna que apoyaría una guerra contra VenezuelaEl escritor británico dijo que EEUU busca atacar a Venezuela desde Colombia / Consideró que los oligarcas no han sido tocados totalmente en sus intereses, y es parte de las tareas pendientes de la Revolución / Considera correcta la posición del Presidente Chávez de preparar a la población para la defensa de la soberanía

 

Alan Woods: “No se puede hacer una revolución a medias”

Written by Ciudad CCS Thursday, 19 November 2009

Alan Woods: “No se puede hacer una revolución a medias”"Alan Woods es uno de los pensadores marxistas de mayor reconocimiento en el mundo. Es un firme defensor de la Revolución Bolivariana. En esta entrevista le propusimos abordar una serie de aspectos político-teóricos con el fin de que sirvan de disparadores de un debate que contribuya a profundizar el proceso revolucionario." Entrevista publicada en Ciudad CCS, el diario gratuito de la Alcaldía de Caracas.

 

Venezuela: Gobernador Adán Chávez participó en foro sobre crisis del capitalismo

Written by In Defence of Marxism Thursday, 19 November 2009

Venezuela: Gobernador Adán Chávez participó en foro sobre crisis del capitalismoPGB/JS._ El gobernador del estado Barinas, Adán Chávez asistió al foro sobre “la crisis mundial del capitalismo y las acciones del imperio contra la revolución bolivariana”, dictado por el escritor británico Alan Woods, quien se encuentra de visita por segunda ocasión en la entidad llanera.

 

“Las universidades están ardiendo”. Grandes movilizaciones estudiantiles en Austria

Written by Gernot Trausmuth (Viena) Wednesday, 18 November 2009

“Las universidades están ardiendo”. Grandes movilizaciones estudiantiles en AustriaLa crisis del capitalismo está sacudiendo cada rincón del mundo. Ahora Austria, considerado en el pasado como el país de la paz social y el "diálogo", ha sido golpeado por una inmensa protesta estudiantil que está atrayendo un apoyo cada vez más amplio entre los trabajadores, que también están mostrando signos de radicalización.

Youth for International Socialism

1st US Edition of BolshevismNew from Wellred USA! The first US edition of Bolshevism: The Road to Revolution by Alan Woods. This monumental 500+ page study of the history of growth and development of Bolshevism demolishes the myths of both Stalinist and pro-capitalist historians of the Russian Revolution. Read More

pakistans-other-story-european-thumb.pngThe Pakistan Revolution of 1968-69 was one of the greatest revolutionary movements of the 20th century. It is rich in lessons and Lal Khan's book is an outstanding summing up of these lessons. It deserves most careful study by every revolutionary.Read More

The Crisis of Fundamentalism in Iran: Towards Socialist RevolutionA new book has come out recently, written by Maziar Razi of the Iranian Marxists' Revolutionary Tendency, with an Introduction by Alan Woods. It is a collection of articles on the crisis of the Iranian regime and the perspecti... Read More

International Marxist TendencyThe crisis capitalism has entered globally is having a deep impact on the real living conditions of billions of workers all over the world. With this comes a growing consciousness among ordinary working people and youth that something is seriously wrong with this system, that this cannot be the way human bei... Read More

Reformism or RevolutionThis book by Alan Woods is a polemic against a well-known (in Latin American terms) intellectual Heinz Dieterich. Dieterich claims to have invented a new "Socialism of the 21st Century" and much else into the bargain. He offers a great deal of advice to those involved in the Venezuelan Revolution dressed... Read More

Part of the intention of this article is to combat the kind of senseless anti-Americanism that one encounters all too frequently in left circles. Marxists are internationalists and do not take up a negative stance in relation to the people of any country. We stand for the unity of all working people against oppression and exploitation. What we oppose is not Americans, but American capitalism and American imperialism. The American people and above all the American working class have a great revolutionary tradition. On the basis of great h... Read More

Lenin, Trotsky and the Theory of the Permanent RevolutionWellred Publications is pleased to announce the publication of a new book on Trotsky's famous theory of the Permanent Revolution, written by John Roberts. This work critically analyses and compares Lenin and Trotsky's writings in relation to the theory of the Permanent Revolution and defends that theory against revi... Read More

Russia, from Revolution to Counter-RevolutionThis book, by Ted Grant and with a preface by Trotsky's grandson Esteban Volkov, covers the key developments in Russia since the Revolution right up to the present day. It traces the elimination of workers' democracy, the rise of Stalinism, the advances of planned economy and the eventual collapse of the bureaucratic sy... Read More

Germany, from Revolution to Counter-RevolutionIn 1918-33 revolution and counter-revolution followed hot on each others' heels. The barbarity of the Nazis is well documented. Less well known are the events that preceeded Hitler's rise to power. Rob Sewell gives a picture of the tumultous events - the 1918 revolution, the ... Read More

History of British Trotskyism, by Ted Grant This book by Ted Grant is a unique contribution to the history of British Trotskyism. It begins with the debate on Trotskyism in the British Communist Party in 1924 and ends with the break-up of the Revolutionary Communist Party in 1949 and the beginning of more than thir... Read More

Bolshevism, the Road to Revolution. By Alan WoodsThere have been many books and potted histories of Russia, either written from an anti-Bolshevik perspective, or its Stalinist mirror image, which paint a false account of the rise of Bolshevism. For them, Bolshevism is either an historical "accident" or "tragedy". Or it is portraye... Read More

Lenin and Trotsky, what they really stood for It is now more than thirty years since the publication of the first edition of this work. It was written as a reply to Monty Johnstone, who was a leading theoretician of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Johnstone had published a reappraisal of Leon Trots... Read More

The Iranian Revolution, a Marxist PerspectiveThis book represents an important contribution to our understanding of the Iranian revolution. This work will be particularly useful in the West where it is universally believed that the revolution of 1979 was a movement of Islamic fundamentalists led by the Ayatollah Khomeini to push Iran b... Read More

The History of PhilosophyThis text was originally written by Alan Woods as a part of the book Reason in Revolt: Marxist Philosophy and Modern Science, but eventually the book became too long and this part had to be left out. Therefore this history of philosophy is published here for the first time. With chapters on: Do we Need Philosophy?, The ... Read More

Kashmir's OrdealThe comrades in Pakistan were just about to publish a new book on Kashmir when the devastating earthquake hit a month ago. The comrades have been hard at work on their solidarity and relief operations. Given the current crisis in Kashmir, they have decided to go ahead with the publication of the book. Over the weeks we will pu... Read More

The Irish Republican movement has been struggling for a united Ireland for decades. Today it is no nearer this objective than when it was founded. Marxists understand that a united Ireland can only be achieved on a socialist basis. So long as capitalism dominates Ireland there will be division and strife. Therefore it is time to take stock of the past of the Republican movement and to draw a balance sheet. Only by such means can we build the revolutionary movement urgently needed to prevent a further descent into sectarian chaos and achie... Read More

In the Cause of Labour - A History of British Trade UnionismThere are many narrative histories of the struggles of British workers. However Rob Sewell’s book is different. The purpose of this history of British trade unionism is not only to recite the wrongs inflicted on working people, or simply to describe their heroic struggles. It is an attempt to draw out the lessons of the events that helped ... Read More

The Unbroken ThreadFor over 60 years, Ted Grant has been the foremost figure of Trotskyism in Britain and internationally. In the post-war period, the effects of world boom, the policies of right wing Labour Party reformism and the degeneracy of Stalinism combined to make a massive onslaught against the ideas of Marxism. While Grant's contemporaries ... Read More

Reason in Revolt: Marxist Philosophy and Modern ScienceThis book, by Ted Grant and Alan Woods published in 1995 coinciding with the centenary of Engels' death, defends the validity of the philosophical writings of Marx and Engels. It does this by showing that the scientific discoveries of the twentieth century confirm the very essence ... Read More