On this day 85 years ago, Leon Trotsky was brutally attacked by a Stalinist assassin. He died the following day. This short obituary summarises the breadth of Trotsky’s marvellous contributions to humanity: as a theoretician, as a journalist, and as a working-class fighter.

The recent meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska has been met with a chorus of condemnation by the leaders of Europe. In this article, Alan Woods cuts through the propaganda in the media, and gives a Marxist analysis of the events in Ukraine.

Marxism is not a checklist of policies or slogans for us to repeat mindlessly. It is a scientific method, which requires serious study. In this introduction, taken from an upcoming pamphlet on dialectical materialism, Nye Shaw explains the fundamentals of Marxist philosophy.

Right-wing SNP Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has announced she will stand down in next year’s Holyrood election. Meanwhile, left-wing former MP Mhairi Black has left the party altogether. This paints a picture of a crisis-ridden party, stumbling into a blind alley.

Plans for a new left-wing party by Corbyn and Sultana have drawn enthusiasm and curiosity amongst young people – many of whom will now be able to vote in the next election. But will the ‘kinder, gentler politics’ of reformism cut it for ‘Generation Revolution’?

This results day, hundreds of thousands of 18-year-olds step into an uncertain future – because capitalism offers none. The media sounds alarm over youth ‘turning to communism’ – we welcome it, and call on young people to get organised with us in the weeks and months ahead.