World Perspectives

The dead end of capitalismThe world has entered a protracted period of turmoil and crisis at all levels, which is being expressed by a crisis in world relations, wars, austerity, increasing misery and obscene accumulation of wealth in a few hands. We have also been witnessing the sudden eruption of the class struggle, insurrectionary movements and revolutions in one country after another, as the objective conditions are forcing millions of people to seek solutions to the intolerable burden that capitalism is placing upon us. 

What are the processes at play on a world scale that are determining this scenario? Trotsky once said that theory is the superiority of foresight over astonishment. The sudden, violent manifestations of popular discontent always take the bourgeoisie and its hired “experts” by surprise. The shallow empiricists of the bourgeoisie only look at the surface of events (the “facts”). They do not trouble themselves to look beneath the surface to uncover the deeper processes that are at work everywhere.

Marxist theory is a powerful guide to action for revolutionaries. In order for it to be applied, it is necessary to assess scientifically what are the fundamental processes at play and how they are likely to be reflected into the consciousness of all classes. This task is fulfilled by a constant appraisal of our analyses and forecasts, which have to be contrasted against the events as they develop in order to arm the most-advanced layers: those who are striving for the victory of socialist revolution, with a clear understanding of the perspectives and tasks. 

The documents in this section are the result of worldwide discussions throughout the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) and have been adopted by our world congresses. These documents represent tools for sharpening our understanding of how the world situation is changing, and the tasks arising from this.

At the end of January, around 100 comrades of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) from across the globe came together for a leadership meeting that represented a decisive landmark in our history. Below, we publish a full transcript of the opening talk by Alan Woods on the turbulent world situation, and the urgent tasks that this places before communists. On Monday, we look forward to publishing a full report of the meeting, which will include important announcements of interest to revolutionary communists everywhere.

The world has reached a turning point: now is the time of revolutions and counter-revolutions. It has never been more important for Marxists to understand the economic and social processes happening all around us. We publish here the transcript and video of a talk given by Alan Woods at the recent World Congress of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT). Alan gives a detailed account of the current world situation, from the war in Ukraine to the ...

At the end of January, the international leadership of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) met in Italy. This was the leading body’s first in-person meeting in exactly three years, the last having taken place in January 2020, just as COVID-19 was spreading across the globe. Now, at last, comrades from every continent – 27 countries in total – could meet to reflect and discuss.

Nouriel Roubini is an interesting and unorthodox bourgeois economist. His main claim to fame is that he correctly predicted the 2008 financial crisis, a feat that did not endear him to most other economists, who predicted absolutely nothing.

As capitalism traverses its death agony, the world is experiencing turmoil: from the war in Ukraine, to the unresolved pandemic, to runaway inflation and the threat of a new recession triggered by the war. In the following talk, delivered at the recently held national conference of Socialist Appeal, the British section of the International Marxist Tendency, Fred Weston explains the fundamental driving factors of this crisis, how it is making life unbearable for millions of working people, how it is transforming consciousness, and how it is preparing the ground for an era of revolutionary upheaval.

The pandemic has sharpened and deepened what was an already existing crisis of capitalism. We are now facing the deepest social, economic and political crisis in decades. Despite a certain recovery, the measures the capitalists were forced to take in the last period (i.e. massive amounts of state spending) are now being felt in rising inflation, resulting in a growing cost of living crisis that is provoking resentment and instability all over the world.

The following is a transcript of a lead off by marxist.com editor, Alan Woods, at the world perspectives discussion at the 2021 congress of the International Marxist Tendency. In this speech, Alan lays out the most fundamental processes unfolding in a global situation marked by unprecedented crisis and dislocation at every level. Capitalism has never been more unstable, nor the potential for class struggle greater. The missing element is a bold, revolutionary leadership to show the workers, youth and poor of the world a way out of this morass.

This document was approved by delegates at the 2021 World Congress of the International Marxist Tendency (full report here). It provides our general analysis of the main processes taking place in world politics, at a time marked by unprecedented crisis and turmoil. With dynamite in the foundations of the world economy and the COVID-19 pandemic still casting a shadow over the global situation, all roads lead to intensified class struggle.

At a meeting of leading members of the International Marxist Tendency at the end of January, Alan Woods (editor of marxist.com) provided an overview of the dramatic events unfolding at the start of 2021. The crisis of world capitalism is causing ruptions, dislocation and class polarisation in one country after another. We have also included below an audio recording with the Spanish translation removed. 

Alan Woods, editor of marxist.com, looks at the tumultuous state of the world at the dawn of 2021. Capitalism is in a profound crisis. While a handful of billionaires enrich themselves, the vast majority are trapped between the coronavirus pandemic and poverty. But Marxists remain optimists. The working class and youth are beginning to stretch their muscles in preparation for the battles to come. 

We republish here the ‘Report on the World Economic Crisis and the New Tasks of the Communist International’, written by Leon Trotsky in June 1921. In this masterpiece of perspectives, which is highly relevant to the world situation to day, Trotsky analyses the nature of the organic, global crisis of capitalism, of a system being suffocated by its own mountains of debt, speculation and inflation.

We are living through a decisive turning point in history. At such times, it is natural to look for reference points or historical parallels. But nothing seems to really fit what we are experiencing.