The growth of the far right is a real threat in the United States and internationally, but it is not inevitable. In this reading group, starting Feb. 14th, we will briefly look back at the nature of classic fascism, before examining both disastrous and successful strategies to fight fascism, how it has transformed, and discussing the far-right in the United States under Trump and after. More, for reading list and links...
Category: Theory
Antonio Gramsci: 130 years since his birth
When we saw Joseph Biden calling for unity at his inauguration, we immediately thought of Gramsci’s line, "The historical unity of the ruling classes is realized in the state." Antonio Gramsci, born 130 years ago, on January 22nd, 1891, lived his life as a revolutionary, from daily agitation in the Turin workers struggles at the end of WWI, through the rise of fascism and his death in Mussolini’s prison. In between, he made fundamental contributions to Marxist theory of strategy and the revolutionary party as elaborated by Karl Marx, Rosa Luxembourg, and V.I. Lenin. In American academia, Gramsci’s important concept of hegemony has often been confusingly used to reject working class activity and concentrate on the articulation of counter hegemony within the domain of culture. Certainly, Gramsci’s intelligent and dialectical cultural writings are useful and enjoyable to read. But, as Leandros Bolaris emphasizes below (translated by Iannis Delatolas), Gramsci’s Marxism was always the "philosophy of action", the theory of the liberation struggle of the working class. When we consider issues like the rise of a new brand of fascism today, the use of social media in spreading false consciousness, or the relation of working class action to the revolutionary party, Gramsci remains a brilliant and useful part of the Marxist tradition.
Marx21’s picks of Notable Books of 2020
Marx21 has asked around and compiled this year-end list of twenty-five notable books of 2020. Missed one of your favorites? Write in and tell us.
Lessons of the Polish Solidarity movement
Eric Fretz takes a look back at Solidarność, the anti-Stalinist trade union movement in Poland — arguing that 40 years on, this inspiring yet tragic history is ripe with lessons for socialists today.
Redes de ayuda mutua hacia: Una crítica constructiva
Thomas Hummel, de Marx21 USA, explora el surgimiento de redes de ayuda mutua durante la pandemia del COVID-19, ofreciendo una crítica fraterna de las mismas como estrategia política, y mostrando alternativas socialistas. Publicado originalmente en español aquí en marx21.net. Las organizaciones de ayuda mutua han aparecido a lo largo de todo el país en respuesta… Continue reading Redes de ayuda mutua hacia: Una crítica constructiva
Mutual Aid Networks: Toward a Constructive Critique
Thomas Hummel explores the emergence of mutual aid networks during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a comradely critique of mutual aid as a political strategy and putting forward socialist alternatives. Mutual aid organizations have appeared all over the country in response to coronavirus and the economic shutdown. Very often these organizations are vital, keeping people alive… Continue reading Mutual Aid Networks: Toward a Constructive Critique
León Trotsky: Guía anticapitalista
(Publicado originalmente en http://www.marx21.net) “This title must find an excellent reception among Spanish-speaking readers, not only because Trotski is always attractive and necessary, but because Choonara's text is free from the vulgarisation it tends to fall into when, in a few pages, it tries to narrate something complex . Choonara not only brings us the… Continue reading León Trotsky: Guía anticapitalista
Lenin at 150
Thomas Hummel celebrates the Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin’s 150th birthday by exploring some of his enduring contributions to socialist theory and practice today. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known to the world as Lenin, was born on this day one hundred and fifty years ago. His birthday comes at a moment when the logic of capitalism, the… Continue reading Lenin at 150
Guest Post • The working class & the left: What kind of party do we need? By Giorgos Pittas from Workers Solidarity, Greece
Recently a debate opened up in a pro-Syriza paper [EfSyn, The Journal of the Editors] and initiated by Journalist Tasos Pappas. It is a debate about the nature of the party that the left needs. In the aftermath of the Syriza capitulation and as the New Democracy right party is again in power. This is… Continue reading Guest Post • The working class & the left: What kind of party do we need? By Giorgos Pittas from Workers Solidarity, Greece
¿Cuál es la tradición marxista?
John Molyneux Desde la muerte de Marx hemos visto surgir innumerables “marxismos” divergentes y contradictorios entre sí. La imagen de la URSS y del estalinismo ha llevado a que mucha gente vea el marxismo como lo opuesto a un proceso de liberación. Es por esto que la pregunta de “Cuál es la auténtica tradición marxista”… Continue reading ¿Cuál es la tradición marxista?
