The April Theses: Lenin rearms the Bolsheviks
Alan Woods discusses the events surrounding Lenin’s return to Russia on 16th April 1917.
Marx’s “Capital” in a Day – 150th anniversary
September 2017 marks the 150th anniversary since the publication of Das Kapital – Karl Marx’s masterpiece of political economy. To celebrate this anniversary, Socialist Appeal are hosting Capital in a Day, covering the revolutionary ideas within Marx’s Capital and their relevance to today’s world of crisis-ridden capitalism.
Bellicose Trump: world relations in turmoil
The isolationist Trump has had a change of heart. Instead of his promise to keep out of the Middle East, he has launched an attack against the Syrian government. This new American intervention in the Syrian civil war, along with sabre-rattling by the US President over North Korea, reflects not the strength of US imperialism, but the weakness of the Trump administration.
Melenchon’s rise in French elections – ruling class in panic
The last three weeks have seen a rapid rise in the polls for Jean-Luc Melenchon, the candidate of the Rebellious France movement for the presidential election, on the back of a radical left programme. The Establishment is now terrified of the prospect of a Le Pen / Melenchon second round – a contest that the left-wing firebrand could win.
North of Ireland: What lies behind Stormont’s collapse?
The power-sharing deal in the North of Ireland, established with the Good Friday Agreement, has broken down. The old system of rule no longer works, an indication of the pressures that flow from the economic crisis. Gerry Ruddy looks at why and how this has come about.
Ireland: Bus Éireann dispute – explosive anger a harbinger of the class struggle to come
Bus drivers in Ireland have reacted to attacks by the bosses with fierce militancy. Their struggle is a clear indication of the anger building up across Ireland. As cracks open up in the Fine Gael-led coalition government over everything from water charges to police corruption, it is evident that this weak and divided government can be brought down.
Capitalism’s false dawns of recovery
Buoyed by statistics showing growth in many key countries, capitalist commentators are once again optimistically predicting that “green shoots of recovery” are blossoming for the world economy. But with this empirical attitude comes an incredible hubris – for none of the fundamental contradictions have been resolved. The system remains riddled with crisis.
Young workers to lose out from Tory apprenticeship scheme
British capitalism has been mired in industrial decline for decades, stuck in a low skill, low wage economy. To address this problem and grab the headlines, the Tories have announced plans to train three million new apprentices. But, as Ben Gliniecki discusses, the Tories’ token efforts are riddled with contradictions.
The stinking hypocrisy of Trump’s attack on Syria
Last week, under orders from President Trump, the US navy launched a series of missile attacks on the Al Shayrat airbase in the central governorate of Homs in Syria. This attack was said to be in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. Once again, however, we see the reeking hypocrisy of the imperialists on display.
ASDA workers facing attacks – fighting union needed!
Terms and conditions for workers at major supermarket chain ASDA are under threat, as the bosses look to boost their profits on the backs of their staff. The trade union supposed to be representing ASDA workers, however, is remaining “neutral” in this struggle. GMB leaders need to show the way forward with a call for fighting action.
Britain: In the eye of the storm – part three
We publish here the third part of a Socialist Appeal document on the perspectives for the class struggle in Britain. In this third and final part, we look at the perspectives for the Labour Party. Despite the election (and re-election) of Corbyn as leader, the Blairite right wing maintain control of the PLP and apparatus. The outcome of the Labour civil war depends on the question of leadership.
Hitler and the Rise of Fascism in Germany
In this talk from the REVOLUTION! 2016 Marxist festival, Hans-Gerd Ofinger discusses the rise of the Nazis in Germany, discussing how Hitler was able to come to power – in his own words – “without so much as breaking a pane of glass”.