Social Progress: is it real or a figment of the imagination?
Has humanity enlarged its power and freedom, improved its conditions and increased its chances of happiness? In simple terms, is social progress a fact?
Marxist theory
Marxist theory is our sharpest weapon in the class struggle. Here, you can find our most recent theoretical articles. For historical articles, click here
You can also visit our education hub to find a selection of articles, books, talks and reading guides.
In memory of Phil Lloyd (1934-2007)
Comrade Phil Lloyd has died in Swansea at the age of 74. He joined the
tendency led by Ted Grant back in the 1950s. He was a pioneer of the Marxist
tendency and played a key role in its development. Alan Woods was one of the
youth that that Phil Lloyd helped to recruit and educate. Here Alan remembers
the man and fighter.
Ted Grant: In Defence of Trotskyism
Just before the collapse of the Berlin Wall and later the Soviet Union,
Ted Grant delivered this speech on the crisis in the USSR. To deflect
any blame, Gorbachev and co. heaped blame on Stalin and Brezhnev, even
going so far as to rehabilitate some of the victims of the purge trials
– including those accused of "Trotskyism". But Trotsky was not
rehabilitated: he was still hated by the bureaucracy because they
feared the ideas he represented.
Leon Trotsky – revolutionary martyr
Leon Trotsky’s murder was no accident or spontaneous action by the dictator Stalin, but
a monstrous preconceived act that was the culmination of a murder campaign against
the whole of the old Bolshevik leadership of the revolution and those who stood
by the genuine ideas of Marxism. We republish this article published in Militant in 1985.
How it Happened
Today is the 67th anniversary of the death of Leon Trotsky. Together
with Lenin, Trotsky was one of the great Marxist theoreticians of the
20th century, who dedicated his life to the emancipation of the working
class. Not only did he work for the overthrow of capitalism, but also
for the overthrow of Stalinism, a monstrous totalitarian regime which
held the Russian working class in submission. As a consequence, Stalin
sought during the Purge Trials to murder the entire leadership of the
Bolshevik party, and ordered the assassination of Leon Trotsky. After
the failed attempt in May 1940, Stalins assassin eventually succeeded
in murdering Trotsky on the 20th of August in Mexico city. Today we
publish Natalya Sedov Trotskys original account of the assasination.
In Memory of Ted Grant 1913 – 2006
One year ago today the Marxist theoretician Ted Grant died after more than seventy years of political activity. His death marked the end of an era, but not the end of the struggle for the ideas he always defended.
The Passion of the Christ – Directed by Mel Gibson
Over the Easter period Channel 4 showed the film 'The Passion of the Christ' documenting the life of Jesus Christ. Here we re-publish the original review and critique of the film by Rob Sewell, which showed the revolutionary origins of Christianity.
An Introduction to Marxist Economics
This is an updated version of an educational piece on Marxist economics that was produced in October 1974. It is an introduction to what often seems a complicated subject. It includes recommendations for further reading and should be read by all those interested in deepening their knowledge about Marxism.
If you are serious about changing society, study revolutions!
This year is the 90th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. We celebrate this key anniversary by publishing an article on the need for young people and trade unionists to study theory. Theory, after all, is the generalised experience of past struggles. How better can we prepare for the future? By learning the lessons of the past.
The History of Philosophy – Part Five: Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz
In this part of the series on The History of Philosophy, Alan Woods explores the development of materialist philosophy on a higher level as the ideas of dialectics were re-discovered, but with the intervening progress of philosophy during the Renaissance.
The History of Philosophy – Part Six: Indian and Islamic philosophy
In this final part of the series on the History of Philosophy, Alan Woods examines the important role of Indian and Islamic philosophical ideas, and the way in which these influenced and impacted back upon Western philosophy.
Phil Mitchinson – Comrade, Friend and Fighter
It will come as a great shock to all comrades to
hear the tragic news of the premature death of comrade Phil Mitchinson, the
deputy editor of the Marxist journal Socialist
Appeal and leading member of the International Marxist Tendency.
Regrettably Phil suffered a severe heart attack late last night, was rushed to
hospital, but staff were unable to save him. He was 38 years of age.