The Spanish Civil War was one of the greatest revolutionary struggles of the 20th century—and one of its greatest betrayals.

At the RCP Summer Camp, Joe Russell explained how the working class of Spain rose against fascism and capitalism, only to be betrayed by the Stalinists, the reformists, and the centrist leadership of the POUM.

Joe outlines the main lesson of 1936–39: without a revolutionary party rooted in the working class and Marxist theory, even the most heroic struggles can be defeated.

From the Stalinist counterrevolution to the betrayal of the Popular Front, this talk highlights the burning need for a genuine communist leadership.

For revolutionaries today, the Spanish Civil War shows the dangers of reformism, centrism, and class collaboration, and the necessity of building a revolutionary organisation. This talk is essential for anyone interested in anti-fascism, communism, and the history of the class struggle.

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The struggle against South African apartheid is a source of inspiration across the world. However, the understanding of how it was overthrown is limited, especially in the West.

With the struggle to free Palestine, this topic holds a particular importance, as many on the left explain their support for the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement on the lessons of South Africa.

But what does this period really tell us about how our struggle today can be successful?

In this talk from Revolution Festival 2024, Fiona Lali explains the view of communists on this vital struggle.

The genocide of Palestinians over the last 2 years has become a lightening rod for all the accumulated anger in society. People have been exposed to the bombing of hospitals, videos of mothers pulling their babies from the rubble and the vile response from governments internationally - that Israel 'has the right to defend itself'.

Since October 7th 2023, millions across the world have come out to defend Palestine with demonstrations and encampments. It is clear that more is needed. The general strike in Italy has shown the way forward.

Speaking at a meeting of the RCP in Central London, Fiona Lali lays out how the Palestine movement can be successful and the job of communists in achieving this.

Is artificial intelligence truly conscious—or is it just hype? At Revolution Festival 2024, Daniel Morley applies the Marxist method to cut through the illusions surrounding AI. While tech billionaires claim AI is a revolution on par with human thought, Marxism shows that consciousness is not simply data processing but a product of labour, society, and material conditions. By examining the difference between artificial intelligence and human consciousness, the talk explores what makes humans unique and why bourgeois science misunderstands the nature of the mind.

This talk is essential listening for anyone following debates on AI, automation, and the future of work under capitalism. From the standpoint of Marxist philosophy, Daniel explains why only communism can unlock the real potential of technology—freeing it from profit and placing it at the service of humanity.

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Marxism is not just a political programme—it is a scientific world outlook. At the RCP Summer Camp, Khaled Malachi explains the role of Marxist philosophy and why dialectical materialism is the most advanced method for understanding reality. From physics to biology, science confirms the revolutionary insights of Marxist dialectics. While bourgeois philosophers remain trapped in idealism and formal logic, Marxists uncover the processes of contradiction, transformation, and revolutionary change at the heart of nature and society.

This talk draws on the classic works Anti Duhring and Reason in Revolt, showing how Engels and Ted Grant applied Marxist philosophy to the latest developments in science. For those seeking to understand the unity of Marxist theory, modern physics, and revolutionary politics, Khaled’s talk demonstrates why dialectics is indispensable for communists fighting to overthrow capitalism today. It is a powerful introduction to the Marxist method, science, and the fight for socialism in the modern world.

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The rise and fall of the Fourth International is one of the most important lessons for communists today. At the World Congress of the Revolutionary Communist International, Rob Sewell explains how the degeneration of the leadership of the Fourth International left the working class without a revolutionary party. Ted Grant’s sharp criticisms of the opportunism and sectarianism of the leadership are more relevant than ever for revolutionaries seeking to rebuild genuine Marxism.

By revisiting the successes, failures, and betrayals of the Fourth, we gain the necessary clarity to understand why a mass revolutionary communist international is essential in the fight against capitalism today. For listeners interested in the history of communism, Trotskyism, and revolutionary strategy, this talk offers key lessons on how Marxists must organise, study the ideas, and assess perspectives, and why the method of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, and Ted Grant remains the indispensable guide for overthrowing capitalism in the 21st century.

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Fiona Lali and Khaled Malachi discuss the deepening crisis in Britain — from the failure of Starmer's government to growing political disillusionment across the country. Why is public trust collapsing? Why does everyone seem to hate Starmer? And what does the future hold as the UK becomes increasingly polarised between left and right?Agree with the ideas in this show? Then join the fight for communism!✊ ⁠⁠⁠ Join the Revolutionary Communist Party⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://communist.red/join⁠📰 ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Communist and In Defence Of Marxism⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://communist.red/subscribe⁠💸 ⁠⁠⁠ Donate to the RCP⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://communist.red/donate⁠🔗⁠⁠ Head to The Communist website for daily news and analysis⁠⁠: ⁠https://communist.red⁠🌍 Read the latest international news and analysis from the RCI⁠: ⁠https://marxist.com

THERE WERE TECHNICAL ISSUES WITH THE RECORDING OF THIS PODCAST. WE APOLOGISE FOR THE MISSED CONTENT

The Haitian Revolution was the first successful slave revolt in history and remains one of the most inspiring chapters in the struggle against oppression. Speaking at Revolution Festival 2024, Keelan Kellegher explains how enslaved Africans in Haiti, under the leadership of Toussaint Louverture, rose up against French colonialism and struck a blow for freedom that shook the capitalist world. 

Using the Marxist method, this talk places the Haitian Revolution in its global context: a revolutionary struggle against slavery, racism, and exploitation that offers vital lessons for communists today.

While the bourgeois historians distort or ignore this heroic revolution, Marxists draw the real lessons: the importance of decisive leadership and class struggle. For those interested in anti-colonial struggles, Black liberation, and the fight against capitalism, Keelan’s talk shows why the Haitian Revolution is not just history, but a living guide for revolutionaries battling oppression in the modern world. 

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In the 1950s and 60s, while the so-called Marxists couldn't understand the post war boom, Ted Grant used the Marxist method to analyse what was happening. From this, he was able to understand that capitalism had not solved its contradictions but was destined for slump again.

At this year's RCP summer camp, Nelson Wan explains Ted Grant's article 'Will there be a slump?' and the method which allowed him to have this foresight.

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Most ‘mainstream’  historians tend to reject the Marxist view that the course of historical development has been fundamentally determined by laws that we can grasp scientifically.  Many also reject the idea of progress as a whole as merely a ‘point of view’. To them, history is little more than a series of accidents, or the choices of great individuals. But if this is the case, then why can we recognise so many common processes across human history, in which similar institutions, events, and even characters arise independently of one another, all over the world? And has there really been no progress at all between stone tools and spacecraft?

Josh Holroyd, leading member of the Revolutionary Communist International and editor of the In Defence of Marxism magazine, discusses the topic.

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