Lenin and the Bolsheviks | What did Lenin really stand for?
Rob Sewell explains why we need to build a revolutionary leadership on the model of the Bolsheviks.
Strategy and tactics
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.
How to build a revolutionary party
Ben Gliniecki answers the vital question of how we can build revolutionary leadership today
Lenin and Bolshevism: The significance of the RSDLP Second Congress
There are many myths surrounding Lenin and the Bolsheviks – particularly regarding the origins of the revolutionary party in Russia. Rob Sewell examines an important chapter from the history of Bolshevism, and the lessons for Marxists today.
Germany 1921: The tragedy of the ‘March Action’
100 years ago, the ultra-left leaders of the German Communist Party prematurely launched a revolutionary offensive. This proved to be a fiasco, wrecking the authority of the party. The 1921 ‘March Action’ contains important lessons for today.
‘Left patriotism’: An opportunist disorder
In search of a magic formula to win over the working class, some ‘Marxist’ commentators have called for the left to pander to patriotism. The labour movement must ignore these siren calls and fight for socialist internationalism.
The early years of the Communist Party
In this video from Revolution Festival 2019, Ben Gliniecki – writer for Socialist Appeal – discusses the beginnings of the Communist Party of Great Britain, which was founded 100 years ago on 31 July 1920.
‘The First Five Years of the Communist International’: a revolutionary treasure trove
The First Five Years of the Communist International, consisting of Trotsky’s writings and speeches on building the Third International, is a must-read for all revolutionaries. Get your copy from Wellred Books today.
Open letter to the members and former members of the Socialist Party
The Socialist Party and its international organisation are facing a deep political crisis. This is the product of decades of incorrect methods and perspectives. It is important for Marxists to draw out the lessons of these events.
100 years on: The founding of the Communist International
One century ago, on 2-6th March 1919, the first congress of the Third International took place in Moscow. This marked the birth of the Communist International, which became a vital school of revolutionary ideas and strategy.
Once again – Why Marxists should be in the Labour Party
Rob Sewell provides another contribution on the debate about the way forward for the unions and the Left in the fight against the Blairites, the Tories, and the cuts. The position of Socialist Appeal is clear: all forces on the Left should get organised, support Corbyn, and fight to transform the Labour Party into a genuinely socialist party.
Marxism and anarchism
Alan Woods contrasts the ideas and methods of Marxism with those of anarchism, focussing on questions like revolutionary leadership, spontaneity, and the state.