Category: Theory
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When British troops were sent onto Ireland’s streets
On 14 August 1969, British troops were deployed onto the streets of the North of Ireland. Operation Banner had begun. At the time, some mistakenly believed they were there to bring peace. The Marxists warned they would bring no such thing. Below we republish an article first printed in the In Defence of Marxism magazine…
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James Connolly – A chapter of horrors: Daniel O’Connell and the working class
Daniel O’Connell was born in Kerry 250 years ago as of this week. Hailed in the history books as “The Liberator”, O’Connell’s record in fighting for the oppressed Irish masses is not as straightforward as we are initially made to believe – quite the contrary in fact. We republish today an extract from James Connolly’s…
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Lenin and the importance of the workers’ press
“Out of this spark will come a flame.” Such was the strapline of Lenin’s newspaper Iskra (‘Spark’), which he founded in 1900 with a small group of comrades. How true those words were! Only 17 years later, Lenin and the Bolsheviks led the working class of Russia to power in the world’s first successful socialist…
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“Che” – an icon? The life and ideas of Ernesto Guevara
72 years ago almost to the day – on July 26, 1953 – a small group of revolutionary students and intellectuals led by Fidel Castro launched an assault on the Moncada Barracks in Cuba. Though the July 26 offensive was defeated, it marked the beginning of a chain of events that would culminate in the…
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Ted Grant: Programme of the International
We publish below a document produced by Ted Grant in May 1970. Much has changed since it was first produced, and the Revolutionary Communist International has continually refined and updated its perspectives and analysis in subsequent books and articles. However, the historical value of this document, especially those parts concerning the history of the internationals,…
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The Twelfth of July by James Connolly
The Ulster loyalist celebrations known as ‘The Twelfth,’ celebrated every 12 July in the North of Ireland, commemorate the victory of William of Orange over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. They are used to whip up sectarian tensions by specifically anti-catholic groups such as the Orange Order, who amongst…
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The degeneration and collapse of the Fourth International: in defence of our heritage
The Fourth International was founded by Trotsky in 1938. By that point, the Second ‘Socialist’ International and the Third ‘Communist’ International had completely betrayed their historic missions and acted as traitorous obstacles in the way of the victory of the working class. A new revolutionary leadership was required worldwide, one founded upon the Marxist ideas…
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Where to Begin?
We republish below Where to begin?, Lenin’s famous call to arms. Here Lenin makes the case for a disciplined revolutionary party, organised around an “All-Russian” political newspaper. Through the aid of a newspaper, Lenin explains, “a permanent organisation will naturally take shape that will engage, not only in local activities, but in regular general work,…
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Women and the Struggle for Socialism
The fight against the oppression of women is one of the most fundamental tasks for communists. Oppression finds its roots in class society and can only be eradicated through the abolition of capitalism by means of a socialist revolution. But such a revolution is itself impossible without a correct understanding, clear programme, and consistent struggle…
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What will socialism look like?
For many today, it is clear what we are fighting against: corruption, crisis and austerity. But it can be harder to articulate or even picture exactly what we are fighting for. Today we republish an article originally written in 2015 where Ben Gliniecki from the Revolutionary Communist International examines: how might a new society work?…