The World School of Communism 2026 held 2-7 August was the largest event the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) ever held. With 500 attending in person, 7,900 registering to watch online, and thousands attending watch parties around the world, we estimate that more than 10,000 people signed up to participate in one way or another in this year’s World School of Communism.
[Catch up on all the sessions of this year’s World School here]
Participants wrote in to join our School from over 130 countries, with 4,400 of them writing in asking to join the RCI.
Members organised watch parties for the World School from Dallas to Delhi, with hundreds in attendance. In Denmark, comrades organised a 250-strong ‘Nordic School’, a week-long event to watch the School, replete with sports, music, and activity.
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The Alps too were alive with discussion long into the night, as the Swiss section of the RCI organised 130 communists to spend the week camped out in a scenic setting to watch the World School livestreams.
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In the midst of the most crisis-addled epoch in capitalism’s history, the rest of the ‘left’, having no perspective or clear ideas, wallows in despair. By contrast, the World School was a bastion of revolutionary optimism and resolve, precisely because it was a school of clear ideas – as summed up in the event tagline: ‘The Power of Ideas’. Across a week of discussion, with over 20 sessions streamed live to communists around the world, this week aimed to ignite a passion among young communists for the broad, powerful ideas of Marxism, those ideas which are the vital armament that young revolutionaries need to overthrow capitalism.
The World School of Communism will undoubtedly prove to be the launchpad for the further advances of the RCI, as we set ourselves the immediate goal of becoming 10,000 organised revolutionary communists internationally.
Perhaps no other figure gives a more accurate picture of where our International is heading emerging from this School than the astonishing financial collection, which raised over €700,000.
The decline and fall of a social order
Firing the starting gun was Alan Woods, leader and theoretician of the RCI, who set the stakes in the opening session by analysing the tumultuous world situation we are living through.
He began by drawing a parallel between our world, the dying days of ancient Rome, and the chaotic breakdown of the feudal order. Just as then, the world seems to be breaking apart into wars, famines, genocides, while a debauched, parasite elite gets richer than ever.
For many, feudalism’s decline felt like the end of the world. But as Alan explained: “It was not the end of the world. It was the end of a particular system of exploitation.”
Collapsing living standards, imperialist war, genocide, the Epstein scandal, austerity – Alan cut through the chaos to explain that behind all these horrifying symptoms is the fact that capitalism has long ceased to bring humanity forward.
But this hellish situation finds its opposite in the consciousness of workers, young people, and the poor across the world. As the School was in session, a still-ongoing life-and-death revolutionary struggle was unfolding in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Paras, a leading communist from the Pakistani section of the RCI described the bravery of the masses:
“They have lost their fear of death. Mothers are kissing the foreheads of their sons and sending them into battle against the brutality of state repression.”
The School sent a message of internationalist solidarity to the masses of Kashmir. We unreservedly send our support to those fighting for their freedom.
“When the masses are mobilised, no power on earth can stop them,” explained Paras. But in Kashmir as in all revolutions, “they also need a leadership that can carry them to victory and that is missing now in Kashmir.”
Our urgent task is to build that leadership in every country on the planet.
There is no lack of material. Support for communist ideas is increasing everywhere. Antonio Balmer of the Revolutionary Communists of America, for example, cited a poll that found that 21 percent of Americans have a favourable view of communism, including 38 percent of young people. This, in the ‘belly of the beast’, the home of the Red Scare!
The power of ideas
In the middle of this epoch of war, revolution and counter-revolution, it may come as a surprise that the communists would dedicate a week to political discussion on topics like art, philosophy, and history.
Alan compared the World School to Lenin’s extensive study of Hegel during the great imperialist slaughter of the First World War.
“What was Lenin doing? He was sharpening his knives… by studying dialectics and Marxist philosophy. And you must follow his example.”
The 20+ discussions over the course of the week spanned the whole breadth of Marxist theory. Sessions such as ‘Multi-Polarity and Marxism: How Communists Fight Imperialism’ and ‘1929 and the Great Depression’ primed the School’s guests to answer burning questions arising for young revolutionaries today.
But others, like ‘Marxism and Art’ and ‘Shostakovich: The Musical Voice of the Russian Revolution’, aimed to introduce communists new and old to the treasures of human culture that are today the preserve of a minority. Alan concluded his talk on ‘Marxism and Art’ by saying;
“We should not be narrow. We should embrace with all our heart and all our soul all of human culture, all of human life. We should raise our horizons to the great prize: the final victory of the proletariat, and the establishment of a world communist commonwealth in which art and culture will finally become the possession of the whole people.”
The School also tackled important questions of history. While Trump celebrated the 250th anniversary of the USA with dirtbike shows and a wrestling match, the RCI’s US section celebrated by reclaiming this revolutionary event, which has been long distorted by the American ruling class. John Peterson, leading member of the RCA, introduced his book, Revolution and Counterrevolution in America: A Marxist Perspective.
Unsurprisingly, the American section sold over 100 copies of the book throughout the week.
Similarly, Ben Gliniecki spoke on the British General strike which, 100 years ago, almost brought Britain to revolution. Whereas the British ruling class has totally buried this defining moment in working class history, we communists lay claim to it. His book, A Communist History of the British General Strike, sold out!
One of the most significant talks of the week was on Lenin and Trotsky: What They Really Stood For, introduced by Niklas Albin Svensson. This coincided with the republication of Alan Woods and Ted Grant’s book of the same name, which is available to buy from Wellred Books here.
Originally published in 1969, to connect with young communists disillusioned with Stalinism, this masterfully restores the real ideas of Lenin and Trotsky, which have been so utterly distorted. Its republication could not have come at a better time, as it connects the best traditions of our past with the immense tasks in our future. In-person guests could not wait to get their hands on it, and it was by far the best-selling book of the week.
This is only a taste. No report could get across the full breadth of ideas covered in the School. Instead, we direct the reader to the full recordings of all the talks, listed at the end of this report.
But, to provide just one indication of the appetite for Marxist theory evoked by the School, Wellred Books – the publishing house of the RCI – sold €5,900 worth of revolutionary literature to the attendees. This sum smashes what Wellred raised over the RCI’s last two international events – it is about 25 percent higher than last year’s World Congress.
Marching with history
On the final day, Ben Curry – of the International Secretariat of the RCI – gave an inspiring report of the leaps and bounds that the RCI has made in the year so far.
This year’s World School was qualitatively different from those of the past. Ben explained that, as world events inevitably move in the direction of revolution, and as that reflects itself in the consciousness of our class, we are growing up alongside history.
In 2023, the RCI correctly identified the growing trend towards communism, particularly amongst the youth. Back then, when we launched the ‘Are You a Communist?’ campaign and boldly planted the flag of communism, we were 4,400 comrades. Today, after three years of dedicated work by members of the RCI internationally, we are 8,700.
Since the launch of the RCI in 2024, 15 of our sections have grown by more than 25 percent, seven sections have grown by more than 50 percent, three have more than doubled. One, the Mexican section, has tripled in size. In fact, from 111 comrades in 2021, the section has exploded to 630 today. As Ben read out today’s Mexican membership figure, a Mexican comrade in the audience corrected the figure to 650 – such is the pace of growth in the Mexican section.
What is the secret? As Andrea from the Irish section of the RCI – which has also grown rapidly from 11 to 82 in three years – explained, in words that are true of the whole International:
“There is no special sauce… It is the objective conditions that are pushing thousands of young people in the direction of communism. And it is that, combined with a focus on Marxist theory and perspectives, a bold orientation towards the youth, and a determination to achieve all goals that we set for ourselves. That is what is building the RCI in Ireland.”
But we are not just striving to build a big organisation. Our tasks are enormous. As Hamid Alizadeh, from the International Secretariat explained, “we are in a struggle to lead the world communist movement!”
Already, our comrades are being drawn into tremendous class battles – like the comrades in Minneapolis who participated in the general strike against ICE, or the Pakistani section which, as Hamid explained, “are attempting to build in this whirlwind of revolution and counter-revolution” in Kashmir.
Our overwhelming task is to transform the hundreds of new, young communist recruits into professional, trained revolutionaries. Into Bolsheviks.
There is only one way to do this: inspiring and arming ourselves with the revolutionary ideas of Marxism. That whole outlook enthused the school. And that is not just a narrow question of strategy and tactics. As Ben poignantly explained in the conclusion of his report:
“There is a thread connecting each of us to history, there are also a million other threads, a tapestry, Marxism is not narrowly about politics and the class struggle. It encompasses art, poetry, and literature. Science, ancient history, philosophy. Every domain of human knowledge and experience. The only way to electrify the party and bring up genuine cadres is to broaden out the discussion of ideas to the greatest degree possible.”
On the basis of these ideas, across the world, the various groups and sections of the RCI are marching forwards together.
Rising to the task
The crisis of capitalism is preparing the conditions for world revolution. We are also preparing. There is much to come, both in terms of what world events have to offer – movements such as those in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir will come to every country in the future – and in terms of we in the RCI must achieve if we are to play the role we aspire to.
If there is one thing to take from this year’s World School, it is this: history is throwing down the gauntlet. It is presenting revolutionaries with a formidable task, that of forging the leadership capable of conquering the world, of destroying the capitalist system, and establishing a socialist future. The RCI is striving to rise to that task.
Hamid closed out the week by telling the tale of the Trotskyists of the Left Opposition who gave everything for the cause of communism. At that time, the march of their ideas – Leninism – was violently halted by the Stalinists. But today, through the RCI, you can hear their march again:
“Our march is not yet overwhelming. But we are definitely louder and we are no longer marching against the stream. And the task of this school is to feed us the necessary ideas and inspiration to redouble our efforts and continue our path. With the power and conviction that the time for our ideas has come. If we do that we will grow and our march will become overwhelming. And we will take the vengeance of history, not just for the Bolsheviks and the Left Opposition, but for all of those who were sacrificed on the slaughter bench of class society.
“Comrades, our time is coming. Let’s strive towards it with all our might. For the future is ours.”
Catch Up
Imperialist war and class struggle: perspectives on the world revolution
Multi-Polarity and Marxism: How Communists Fight Imperialism
Is The World Going Fascist?
How Marx Became a Marxist
The Rise and Fall of Social Democracy
Britain’s ‘Almost-Revolution’: The 1926 General Strike
Progress, Decline, and the Marxist View of History
Lenin and Trotsky: What They Really Stood For
In Defence of the Enlightenment
The Origins of Marxist Economics
Philosophy and Science: A New Era in Cosmology
250 Years Since America’s First Revolution
Defend the Cuban Revolution!
France 1936: Reform or Revolution?
Marxism & Art
Mao’s Anti-Imperialism: Lessons for Today
The Epstein Class Exposed: Their Morals and Ours
The Yugoslav Revolution
Rojava: Why Was the Revolution Defeated?
Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution
1929 and the Great Depression
Shostakovich: The Musical Voice of the Russian Revolution
Building the Revolutionary Communist International
