Today marks the 50th anniversary of the coup in Chile, when General Pinochet and the military – backed by US imperialism – overthrew the socialist government of Salvador Allende. Revolutionaries must fully absorb the lessons of these tragic events.

In part two of our series on the lessons of the Communist International, Lubna Badi outlines the events of the German Revolution of 1918-1923 and draws out the lessons for communists today.

The Spanish Civil War began on this date in 1936 with the beginning of the coup by General Franco. The fascist forces could have been defeated, with the working class rising up and fighting back. But their heroism was betrayed by the Stalinists.