The past several months of highlight the inherent power of coordinated mass action. Those who previously considered themselves non-actors in society came to realize their power.
The Power of United Front Mass Action vs. Anarchist Pretensions
Category: Marxist Theory & History
The Militarization of American Science
To celebrate our comrade Cliff Conner's new book "The Tragedy of American Science," out now from Haymarket Books, we re-publish an early excerpt published in Socialist Action in April 2018.
Socialist Action Launches New Member Educational Series
The bi-weekly educational series is a response by the Party to educate and integrate a growing wave of new recruits drawn to the ideas of revolutionary socialism.
Philosopher Antonio Gramsci: How revolutionary?
By MARTY GOODMAN “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born; now is the time of monsters.” “I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.” “To tell the truth is revolutionary.” — Antonio Gramsci, Italian communist leader and philosopher (1891-1937). “We must stop this brain working for 20 … Continue reading Philosopher Antonio Gramsci: How revolutionary?
Trotsky conference in Cuba: An interview with the organizer
By ROB LYONS From the 6th to the 8th of May, the first International Academic Conference examining the life and ideas of the great Ukrainian revolutionary and leader of the Russian revolution Lev Davidovitch Bronstein, now universally known as Leon Trotsky, was held in Havana, Cuba. The Conference was organized by the Juan Marinelo Cultural … Continue reading Trotsky conference in Cuba: An interview with the organizer
The New Deal: Roosevelt’s answer to ‘radicalism’
By DAVID RIEHLE Four score and seven years ago … Franklin Roosevelt brought forth in this country a New Deal. Not a Square Deal (Teddy Roosevelt) or a Fair Deal (Truman) but a NEW DEAL. New York Governor Roosevelt was nominated for president at the Democratic Party national convention in Chicago on July 2, 1932. … Continue reading The New Deal: Roosevelt’s answer to ‘radicalism’
The day Trotskyists shut down a country: 65th anniversary of the Sri Lankan Hartal
By RUWAN MUNASINGHE “The structuring of the LSSP leadership ... showed itself best during the August 1953 Hartal (general strike). The LSSP leadership appeared as a really revolutionary team at the head of insurgent masses, fighting in the streets simultaneously for immediate material gains for the impoverished masses and for the socialist overthrow of the … Continue reading The day Trotskyists shut down a country: 65th anniversary of the Sri Lankan Hartal
Marxism & the social reproduction of labor: Exploring the roots of women’s oppression
By LISA LUINENBURG When I became a mother three and a half years ago, I began to feel my oppression as a woman in capitalist society more acutely. All of the endless demands on my time began to add up—the sleepless nights, the feedings, child care, cooking, housework, errands and laundry around the clock. And … Continue reading Marxism & the social reproduction of labor: Exploring the roots of women’s oppression
Annette Gagne: Socialist & LGBT activist
By DAVID KIELY Our dear comrade Annette Gagne died in Providence, R.I., on March 14, the 135th anniversary of Karl Marx’s death in 1883. In her last moments, Annette was surrounded by friends and comrades. All were people who, as a close friend of Annette said, “meant the world to her.” Annette’s political legacy as … Continue reading Annette Gagne: Socialist & LGBT activist
The Militarization of American Science
By CLIFF CONNER Following World War II, a think tank named the RAND Corporation took the lead in formulating policies guiding military-industrial Big Science. Some of the titles of books and articles about RAND provide a hint of what it represented in the public imagination: “The Think Tank that Controls America,” “America’s University of Imperialism,” … Continue reading The Militarization of American Science
Essays on feminism and Marxist theory
By CHRISTINE MARIE “Social Reproduction Theory: Remapping Class, Recentering Oppression.” Edited by Tithi Bhattacharya; forward by Lise Vogel (London: Pluto Press 2017). Social reproduction feminism is not new. Marxist thinkers began to focus in earnest on the relationship between production and social reproduction in capitalist society nearly 40 years ago, in the context of what … Continue reading Essays on feminism and Marxist theory
Gun control & workers’ militias: How socialists view the issues
By GARY BILLS We are republishing an article that appeared in the print edition of Socialist Action newspaper in May 2007. The article is pertinent to the widespread discussion on gun control today, when some are calling for repeal of the Second Amendment. After a horrific gun crime like the one at Virginia Tech [32 … Continue reading Gun control & workers’ militias: How socialists view the issues
The rise and fall of the 1979 Iranian Revolution: Its lessons for today
By KAMRAN NAYERI and ALIREZA NASSAB The following paper was prepared for and presented at the III Conferencia Internacional de La Obra de Carlos Marx y Los Desafios del Siglo XXI (The Third Conference on the Work of Karl Marx and the Challenges of the 21st Century) in Havana, Cuba, in May 2006. The conference was organized … Continue reading The rise and fall of the 1979 Iranian Revolution: Its lessons for today
The relevance of the Russian Revolution, Part II
By JEFF MACKLER This is the second part of a series of articles. Part I appeared in the October 2017 issue of Socialist Action. The Russian Revolution of Oct. 25, 1917 (Nov. 7 in the new calendar) remains the seminal event in modern human history, if for no other reason that it marked the first … Continue reading The relevance of the Russian Revolution, Part II
Educational conferences reflect growing interest in socialist ideas
Connecticut: ‘Solution is Socialism’ By KEITH LESLIE — NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — On Nov. 4, Socialist Action Connecticut and the Central Connecticut State University Youth for Socialist Action held their second annual conference, entitled “The Solution is Socialism.” More than 100 workers, students, and activists from as far away as Alabama turned out for a … Continue reading Educational conferences reflect growing interest in socialist ideas
How capitalism uses gender oppression to rule
By CHRISTINE MARIE Following is the text of a talk delivered by the author on Nov. 4 at the “The Solution is Socialism” educational conference in Connecticut. The conference was hosted by the Youth for Socialist Action chapter at Central Connecticut State University, where the sessions were held. Usually, when I begin a talk about … Continue reading How capitalism uses gender oppression to rule
The relevance of the Russian Revolution today
By JEFF MACKLER Leon Trotsky, co-leader with Vladimir Lenin of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, famously argued that the “Russian Question” was key to the standing of every party on earth that claimed allegiance to the heritage of revolutionary socialist politics. To this day, 100 years after Lenin’s Bolshevik Party led the world’s first … Continue reading The relevance of the Russian Revolution today
Recalling the Greensboro Massacre
By JOHN LESLIE On Nov. 3, 1979, members of the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party (ANP) attacked an anti-Klan march in Greensboro, N.C., that was organized by the Communist Workers Party (CWP). Five members of the CWP were murdered and 10 others were wounded with the collusion of federal and local law … Continue reading Recalling the Greensboro Massacre
Women & gender politics in the Russian Revolution
By CHRISTINE MARIE and ANN MONTAGUE This is a particularly important moment to be considering the meaning of the Russian Revolution for women, LGBTQI activists, and gender politics. We have seen the protests against the Misogynist in Chief by more than 3 million U.S. women being channeled into clubs to rebuild the Democratic Party in … Continue reading Women & gender politics in the Russian Revolution
Books: Remembering James Connolly
By BARRY WEISLEDER “James Connolly and the Reconquest of Ireland,” by Priscilla Metscher. (Minneapolis: MEP Publications, 2002), 243 pages. The aftermath of the 101st anniversary of the Easter Rising is a good time to become (re)acquainted with the views of the great Irish republican socialist, James Connolly. Though many of today’s Irish nationalists and “socialists” pay homage … Continue reading Books: Remembering James Connolly
Books: Leon Trotsky’s 1917 stay in New York City
By DAVID JONES “Trotsky in New York 1917, A Radical on the Eve of Revolution,” by Kenneth D. Ackerman. (Berkeley, Calif., Counterpoint 2016), $30. One hundred years ago, on Jan. 13, 1917, the small Spanish passenger vessel SS (or Vapor Correo) Montserrat (Vapor is Spanish for steamship, Correo for mail) arrived in the harbor of … Continue reading Books: Leon Trotsky’s 1917 stay in New York City
Can capitalism liberate women?
By DAVID KIELY and CHRISTINE MARIE With the advent of the Trump administration and a conservative Congress, women and their allies marched in Washington and in hundreds of other cities on Jan. 21. The fact that the Washington march blossomed from a little seed into a huge national undertaking almost overnight is a sign that millions … Continue reading Can capitalism liberate women?
Books: ‘The Man Who Loved Dogs’
By LAZARO MONTEVERDE “The Man Who Loved Dogs,” by Leonardo Padura. (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux), 2014. Originally published in Spanish in 2009 as “El hombre que amaba a los perros.” Available in hardcover and paperback in both languages. With the publication of “The Man Who Loved Dogs,” Cuban writer Leonardo Padura joins the … Continue reading Books: ‘The Man Who Loved Dogs’
Chronicle of an ‘ordinary’ man in revolutionary times
By CLIFFORD D. CONNER “Unsinkable Patriot: The Life and Times of Thomas Cave in Revolutionary America,” by Michael Schreiber, 2016. Available from Amazon, 737 pages, $25.95. Thomas who? If Thomas Cave’s name does not ring any bells, it does not indicate a deficit in your education. He was not an outstanding historical figure in any … Continue reading Chronicle of an ‘ordinary’ man in revolutionary times
‘Solution is Socialism’ conference draws students
By CHRISTINE MARIE — NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — An ambitious Youth for Socialist Action educational conference drew close to 100 participants, including students from at least six different colleges, to Central Connecticut State University on Saturday, Oct. 22. The conference was opened by the past president of the CCSU YSA, David Kiely, who said that … Continue reading ‘Solution is Socialism’ conference draws students