1974 – an end and a beginning
Willie Black looks back at 1974. A pivotal year both in Britain and across the world – high points of workers’ struggles, but also the beginning of five decades of neo-liberalism
The Courtaulds strike of 1965 – Black workers fighting back
Sue Sparks of the IS History Project uncovers the history of one of the first Black workers’ strikes against racism in the 1960s.
The IS History Project
A new oral history project aims to record the memories of socialist activists from the 1960s and early 1970s. Project members Sue Sparks and Hazel Croft explain its aims and its relevance for activists today in an interview with rs21 members.
Unearthing hidden histories: an interview with Ian Birchall
An interview with socialist historian Ian Birchall. Ian’s work has has involved researching and reevaluating lesser-known revolutionaries and activists from the Global South.
Video: Insurgency around the world
At a recent rs21 meeting, speakers gave eye-witness accounts of insurgent movements in Bolivia, Hong Kong and Algeria, as well as highlighting the importance of international solidarity.
2019 – A year in protest pictures
We look back at the year 2019 with protest pictures by Steve Eason.
Lebanon’s ‘October Revolution’ must go on!
Lebanon has a golden opportunity for the formation of an alternative, we should not let the ruling class reproduce itself again. In this piece originally published on Open Democracy, Rima Majed reflects on the recent uprising.
The Importance of Colin Barker
Mike Haynes offers a tribute to revolutionary socialist thinker and organiser Colin Barker
Between Sartre and Cliff: Ian Birchall, a heterodox Marxist’s trajectory
Selim Nadi conducts a wide-ranging interview with long-standing revolutionary socialist Ian Birchall.
revolutionary reflections | Notes on Capital and the State: part 3
In the concluding part of our serialisation of his 1978 essay on the state in capitalist society, Colin Barker considers the theory of the Permanent Arms Economy.
Colin Barker (1939-2019)
We are extremely sad to announce the death of our comrade and friend, Colin Barker. Today we republish the first section of an interview with Colin, where he reflected on his experiences in the International Socialists (IS) in the 1960s.
Paul Foot: a rediscovered interview
Paul Foot was a prominent journalist, writer and revolutionary socialist. Here we present an interview with him conducted in 1996.
It Moves!
Barnaby Raine finds much to admire in Against Miserabilism, a new edition of writings by the late socialist author David Widgery
Peter Sedgwick and the British Left
Peter Sedgwick (1934-83) was a lifelong socialist activist and writer. Apart from his work to bring Victor Serge to the English speaking world, and his critical writings on psychiatry, Sedgwick produced a series of political pieces covering the 1950s to the 1980s (many of which are being rediscovered and published). In this piece Ian Birchall demonstrates Peter Sedgwick’s independent approach to handling changing political […]
Budapest 1956: The Central Workers’ Council
The Hungarian uprising against Stalinist domination began sixty years ago, on 23 October 1956. Here we reprint a description of those days written by Hungarian Marxist Balázs Nagy and translated by Olivia McMahon and Colin Barker for the eighth anniversary. Translators’ Introduction Eight years ago, on 23 October 1956, the Hungarian revolution, the most important event in international […]
‘I was a shop steward and I had a duplicator’ – IS in the 1970s
As the battles of the 1970s intensified Norman McLean became an electrician working in factories and on building sites. Norman spoke to us about his experiences of being a revolutionary activist in an exciting period of working class history. Part 1 can be found here Part 2 Getting Organised What did it mean to be […]
‘Becoming a shop steward transformed my political life.’ – IS in the 1970s
May ’68 and the struggles of the late sixties radicalised tens of thousands of students, some became revolutionaries and joined revolutionary groups. Norman MacLean became a member of the International Socialists (IS) and started working in factories, organising and agitating with his fellow workers during the heightened period of class struggle known as the ‘upturn’. […]
IS in the 60s: two thousand workers with bricks: the Roberts-Arundel strike
Colin Barker recalls a key event for Manchester IS, an engineering strike six miles away in Stockport.
IS in the 60s: Building a revolutionary group from the ground up
Colin Barker describes how IS grew from tiny beginnings at Oxford University, and what drew people to the group.
Socialism from below
Dan Swain discusses the contested ambitions and leaderships within our movements. This article was originally published in the Summer 2015 issue of the rs21 magazine. Throughout the history of socialist movements and ideas, the fundamental divide is between Socialism-from-Above and Socialism-from-Below So argues Hal Draper’s 1966 pamphlet The Two Souls of Socialism. In it, he […]
Is Leninism dead?
Phil Gasper member of the editorial board of the International Socialist Review and is editor of The Communist Manifesto: A Road Map to History’s Most Important Political Document continues a discussion on Leninism, responding to a recent article from Ian Birchall. What, if anything, do revolutionary socialists today have to learn from the experience and […]
What’s to be done now? A review of Paul Le Blanc’s Unfinished Leninism
Jonas Liston reviews an essential collection of essays on Lenin and Leninism today (photo of Paul Le Blanc by Alex Bainbridge) The difficult experiences of the revolutionary left recently have led many to question core aspects of Marxist politics – in particular the legacy of the Russian revolutionary Lenin and the organisation he played a key […]
Paul Le Blanc replies to Ian Birchall on Lenin and Leninism
Paul Le Blanc, author of Unfinished Leninism, has replied to Ian Birchall’s discussion article on Leninism over at SocialistWorker.org. In an article titled Leninism, No? Paul sets out “a sense of what I mean by Leninism, as utilised in my own writings”: In his commitment to a fusion of the struggles of the workers and […]
Lenin: Yes! Leninism: No?
A discussion article by Ian Birchall, historian and author of Tony Cliff: a Marxist for his time It is currently a commonplace on the left and not-so-left to announce that Leninism is dead. Indeed, one might wonder why it is necessary to keep repeating the point. Nobody is writing articles to explain that alchemy or social […]
World War One: The main enemy was at home
Karl Liebknecht’s burning words of opposition to the imperialist slaughter of World War One.
The evolution of the Scottish independence question
Historian and socialist activist Neil Davidson’s responds to questions about his article ‘Yes: a non-nationalist argument for Scottish independence’ about how his position on Scottish independence has developed.
Who was Blair Peach?
Today marks the 35th anniversary of the killing of Blair Peach by the police. David Renton looks back at Blair Peach’s life as a poet, trade unionist and committed antifascist. Blair Peach was a 33 year old teacher killed on a demonstration on 23 April 1979 at Southall against the National Front. He is one […]