Author: Joe Attard

7 November (in the New Style calendar) marks the anniversary of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia. For communists, the Russian Revolution is the greatest event in human history. But for many right-wing, liberal and reformist critics of Lenin and the Bolsheviks, it was an anti-democratic catastrophe that condemned Russia to murderous dictatorship. It’s time we set the record straight.

The workers and peasants of Russia achieved something that many thought impossible: not only bringing down the hated Tsar Nicholas ‘The Bloody’, but going on to overthrow capitalism itself, and begin the task of building a society free of exploitation, oppression and want. The monumental events of the Russian Revolution are rich with lessons for the struggle for communism today.

The first episode of the International Marxist Tendency’s new podcast, Spectre of Communism, welcomes Alan Woods – author and editor of marxist.com – to discuss this remarkable event.

Alan deals with the historic importance of 1917, the role of the Bolshevik party under the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky, answers the lies hurled against the revolution, and explains what communists today can take away from this incredible struggle.

New episodes of the Spectre of Communism podcast will be available every Tuesday! Listen on your preferred platform here: https://linktr.ee/specom

For those wanting to learn more about the Russian Revolution, we recommend Bolshevism: The Road to Revolution by Alan Woods.

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On Saturday 7 October, Hamas forces in Gaza launched an unexpected attack on Israel, triggering an immediate response from the Israeli Defence Force. Fundamentally, this is a conflict between unequal forces, as the Palestinian masses have for decades been the victims of a regime of terror promoted by the likes of Netanyahu and Israel’s imperialist backers in the west.

In this special episode, International Marxist Radio returns before the launch of the International Marxist Tendency’s new podcast in coming weeks. Fred Weston – a leading comrade of the IMT from the editorial board of marxist.com – analyses this sudden turn in events in Palestine and explains how communists around the world should respond.

While bourgeois commentators reel in shock and denounce any and every act of violence by the oppressed Palestinians, they turn a blind eye to the crushing dominance of the Israeli military. 

First and foremost, the task of Marxists is to understand the current situation, which is why we would recommend this recent article, written shortly after Hamas’ initial attack: 

https://www.marxist.com/israel-palestine-no-to-the-invasion-of-gaza.htm

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PODCAST FINALE! Watch a video of the discussion on YouTube, premiering 2 August 15:00 British time: https://youtu.be/ew7oKxdvm5I 

More and more workers and youth all over the world are being drawn to the ideas and banner of communism, much to the anger and anxiety of the bosses, bankers and bourgeois politicians. 

With capitalism at a total impasse, and no end in sight to wars, economic hardship, state violence and oppression, the growing enthusiasm for a revolutionary alternative is hardly surprising. The inspiring legacy and accomplishments of the October Revolution of 1917, and the heroic lineage of generations of communists struggling for a better world, offer a beacon of hope to humanity amidst the chaos and catastrophe of capitalist crisis. 

But what is communism? What does it mean to be a communist in the 21st Century? In our final episode of International Marxist Radio (the official podcast of the International Marxist Tendency), our host Joe Attard and guest speaker Ben Gliniecki (a leading member of Socialist Appeal, the IMT’s British organisation) discuss these questions. 

Looking at the tumultuous events on the world stage, they address the increasing radicalisation of young people in particular, who are only further drawn to communism when the ruling capitalist class and its mouthpieces attempt to discredit it! They also discuss the IMT’s highly successful ‘Are You A Communist?’ campaign, which is drawing big numbers of people into our ranks, helping to build the forces of genuine Marxism. 

If you are inspired by this discussion and want to get involved, reach out and get organised! Start fighting for communism in our lifetimes today! 

Note: while this is the final episode of International Marxist Radio, a new IMT podcast, The Spectre of Communism, will launch in coming months. SUBSCRIBE and keep an eye on your preferred podcast platforms for the new show! 

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MORE about the IMT 

Website (In Defence of Marxism): https://www.marxist.com/ 

Find out how to JOIN: https://www.marxist.com/join-us.htm 

More on Socialist Appeal’s ‘Are You a Communist?’ campaign: https://socialist.net/are-you-a-communist-then-get-organised-join-the-marxists/

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The Roman Republic was a society characterised by great social and political upheaval. This is a period of well-documented and important class struggle, which has many parallels with the situation today. If we are to avoid making the mistakes of history, a close study of the past is absolutely crucial for all Marxists.

This week’s episode of International Marxist Radio welcomes Alan Woods, writer, theoretician and leading member of the International Marxist Tendency, to discuss his latest book, Class Struggle in the Roman Republic. 

This text, the first complete Marxist history of the Roman Republic, is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of a period that spanned over one thousand years. The book tackles the key processes that led to the eventual demise of the Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire. 

Class Struggle in the Roman Republic is available to buy now!

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The Spanish Revolution and Civil War (which began this week in 1936) represent a profoundly heroic period of struggle by the Spanish working class and peasantry. The masses gave their all in the fight against Franco, only to be failed by their leadership. Both the anarchists and the Stalinists at the head of the fight against fascism failed to lead the workers and peasants to victory. Especially the latter consciously sold out the revolution, ushering in a period of reaction and dictatorship that would last for decades.

This week’s episode of International Marxist Radio welcomes Arturo Rodriguez, a Spanish member of the International Marxist Tendency, based in Portugal. Arturo discusses the role of both the theoretical confusion of the anarchists and the counter-revolutionary policy of the Stalinists in the ultimate defeat of the Spanish Revolution.

For more on the role of Stalinism in particular during the Civil War, we recommend Arturo’s latest article, published on socialist.net.

Listeners interested in the topic of this podcast should keep an eye out for Arturo’s forthcoming article on the role of anarchism in the Spanish Civil War.

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David Graeber and David Wengrow’s anthropological opus, The Dawn of Everything, claims to offer an entirely new, radical view of the development of human society (implicitly: one that knocks down Marx and Engels’ historical materialism). This is no small task, but is the book as earth-shattering as the immodest title suggests?

Despite making waves in certain left-wing circles, the book offers a thin gruel. By fetishising the ‘creative’ potential of human ‘free will’, Graeber and Wengrow ignore the material conditions underlying the development of specific forms of society. In doing so, they defend an abstract idealism that has nothing to offer in terms of explaining our past, nor advancing the class struggle to end oppression and exploitation today.

This week’s episode of International Marxist Radio features Joel Bergman, a leading member of Fightback/La Riposte Socialiste, the Canadian section of the International Marxist Tendency. 

The discussion is based on Joel’s recent article in the latest edition of In Defence of Marxism magazine, which is available to pre-order now! http://www.marxist.com/magazine.htm

*Note: at the end of the episode, we incorrectly say that Joel’s article appears in issue 41 of the IDoM magazine, whereas it will actually be in issue 42, themed around The State. Apologies for the confusion!

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Last week, a French policeman shot an unarmed French-Algerian teenager (Nahel M.) in the chest after a traffic stop. Before pulling the trigger, Nahel was told “I will lodge a bullet in your head”. A video of the brutal slaying was uploaded to social media, resulting in a massive outpouring of rage that swept the country.

Police violence in France is the worst in Western Europe, and this latest outrage occurs at a time when President Macron’s government is already weak and despised, fresh off the back of a powerful struggle against his unpopular pensions ‘reform’. 

The tremendous tensions in French society are ready to brim over at any moment: all that is needed is for the workers’ movement and the left to connect the masses’ disparate struggles into a political programme to overthrow Macron, along with the rotten capitalist regime he represents.

Jules from Révolution, French section of the IMT, joins us once again to discuss the situation in the country, and perspectives going forward. You can read the French comrades’ latest statement on these developing events here: https://www.marxist.com/france-teenager-murdered-by-police-the-workers-movement-must-intervene.htm 

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Last weekend, Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the infamous Russian mercenary company Wagner, led an apparent mutiny. After withdrawing his troops from the front line of the Ukraine War, Prigozhin took control of the military bases at Rostov-on-Don and began what he called “march for justice” (albeit a heavily armed one), heading towards Moscow. Within a day, it was all over, but what are we to make of these dramatic events?

A significant degree of uncertainty still surrounds Prigozhin’s adventure, particularly the motivations of the different individuals involved. This week’s episode of International Marxist Radio features regular guest Jorge Martin who helps shed some light on this murky affair. 

For further analysis, Jorge’s recent article on the topic can be found here: 

http://www.marxist.com/russia-prigozhin-s-failed-adventure.htm

We recommend reading the statement put out by supporters of the International Marxist Tendency in Russia, shortly after Prigozhin’s manoeuvre, which can be found here: 

http://www.marxist.com/prigozhin-s-attempted-coup-a-statement-by-the-organisation-of-communist-internationalists-imt-in-russia.htm

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175 years ago, a wave of revolutions swept across the European continent, in which the working class played a key role in challenging the might of the feudal order. From France to Germany to Italy, the masses led a struggle for democratic and economic demands, winning significant concessions from the decrepit ruling classes of Europe. Marx and Engels were not just passive witnesses to these events, but active participants.

As well as being an immensely important chapter in the history of the working class, this period was crucial for the political development of Marxism. Thanks to the revolutions of 1848, Marx and Engels advanced their understanding of the struggle for socialism, producing many of the fundamental ideas that would come to play a central role in the revolutionary movements of the 20th century. 

This week on International Marxist Radio, Josh Holroyd, writer and editor for marxist.com, joins us once again to discuss the events of 1848 and their impact on the lives and works of Marx and Engels. Most importantly, Josh traces the significance of these lessons to the current class struggle, and explains why Marx and Engels’ insights from 1848 are every bit as relevant today.

This episode follows on from a previous discussion with Josh on the podcast (‘How Marx Became a Marxist’), in which he covered Marx and Engels’ early political career up to and including the publication of the Communist Manifesto. That episode is available here: https://www.marxist.com/podcast-how-marx-became-a-marxist.htm

For an invaluable example of Marx and Engels’ insight during this period, we recommend reading the Address of the Central Committee to the Communist League from 1850, a balance sheet of the revolutionary wave, which is discussed in the podcast: https://www.marxist.com/address-of-the-central-committee-to-the-communist-league.htm

This episode also pays tribute to Sieva Volkov, also known as Esteban, who recently passed away at the age of 97. Esteban was the grandson of Leon Trotsky and dedicated his life to defending the legacy and ideas of this great revolutionary. A tribute to Esteban’s life and work, written by Alan Woods, can be found here: http://www.marxist.com/the-death-of-sieva-volkov-trotsky-s-grandson-a-tribute-to-a-great-fighter-by-alan-woods.htm

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