Was the USSR communist?
Keelan Kellegher discusses the Stalinist degeneration of the USSR that led to its demise.
Stalinism
Lenin’s struggle against bureaucracy
Today marks the centenary of Lenin’s ‘Testament’, in which he took up the struggle against Stalin and the bureaucratisation of the Soviet state. His Testament – suppressed for decades – dispels the slander that Stalinism was the continuation of Leninism.
In Defence of Trotsky: A reply to the Morning Star
Interest in the ideas of Leon Trotsky is growing, as workers and youth look for a revolutionary solution to capitalism’s crises. But some on the left have muddied the waters in regards to ‘Trotskyism’. It is important we set the record straight.
An open letter to the YCL – What did Lenin really stand for?
Drawn in by its name, a new layer of revolutionary activists are joining the Young Communist League. But instead of educating members in Marxism, the YCL focusses its energies on stunts. We need to steel ourselves in the genuine ideas of Lenin.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of Putin
This month marks the 30th anniversary of the collapse of the USSR. The most powerful deformed workers’ state was collapsing into chaos as supposed communists were looting the state and its assets. The workers of the Soviet Union had to pay the price.
Hitler’s war on the Soviet Union – and how Stalin prepared the way for it
Today is the 80th anniversary of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in World War Two. This bloody catastrophe, which claimed the lives of almost 5m Soviet troops and saw the Nazis plunge deep into Soviet territory, was facilitated by the wrecking behaviour of Stalin and the bureaucracy.
The 1949 Chinese Revolution
In this talk from last year’s Revolution Festival, Daniel Morley (writer for Socialist Appeal) looks back at the events leading up to the 1949 Chinese Revolution, explaining why the revolution played out as it did, and discussing the process that has unfolded since: from revolution to Tiananmen to capitalism.
30 years on: The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Stalinism
In this talk from the recent Revolution Festival, Marie Frederiksen – editor of the Danish Marxist paper ‘Revolution’ – discusses the impact of the Berlin Wall, which was broken apart 30 years ago, on 9th November 1989.
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Stalinism
Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, portrayed as capitalism’s victory over Communism. In reality, it marked the end of a bankrupt Stalinist regime. Decades on, workers are turning to genuine Marxist ideas.
The Chinese Revolution of 1949
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the 1949 Chinese Revolution – when millions of peasants and workers rose up to overthrow the landlords and capitalists. This inspiring revolutionary movement provides many important lessons for today.
From revolution to Tiananmen Square: the birth of capitalism in China
On 4th June 1989, the mass movement of students and workers in Tiananmen Square that had shaken the Chinese regime was repressed into submission. Daniel Morley looks at the lessons of these titanic events.
The Prague Spring: a rebellion against Stalinism
In this video from the 2018 Revolution Festival, Francesco Merli of In Defence of Marxism (www.marxist.com) discusses the events and lessons of the 1968 Prague Spring – a revolt against the Stalinist bureaucracy that was put down by Moscow.