Marxist Voice

In this talk from the recent International Marxist University, Fred Weston - a leading activist of the International Marxist Tendency - introduces the history of the IMT. Visit podcast.marxist.com for the full recordings.

The International Marxist Tendency traces its roots all the way through the First, Second, Third and Fourth Internationals. In the postwar period, there was a general retreat by the forces of genuine Marxism, and the left was dominated by the distortions of Stalinism and reformism.

While other groups were preparing for a Third World War or denying the existence of the working class, our tendency put up a firm defence of the theories and traditions of Marxism; which at every turn, were proved to be correct. By building on the firm basis of theory, our organisation is today emerging as the strongest revolutionary force amongst workers and youth worldwide.

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In a special broadcast of Marxist Voice, Rob Sewell discusses the incendiary events surrounding the release of the EHRC report into Labour and anti-semitism.

The suspension of Jeremy Corbyn is a declaration of war against the left. This reveals how hollow Keir Starmer’s rhetoric of ‘unity’ really is - and always was.

Grassroots activists must not – and will not – stand for this! We must take the fight to the right.

Defend Corbyn! Fight for socialism!

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In this talk from the International Marxist University, Ylva Vinberg - a leading activist of Revolution, Swedish section of the IMT - provides a marxism explanation for oppression and explains the limits of identity politics. Visit podcast.marxist.com for the full recordings.

In the current period, identity politics are in vogue. Along with the related trend of intersectionality, these ideas stress the importance of self-identification, personal experience, and the various layers of oppression people experience on racial, sexual, gender and other lines.

What is the basis for identity politics? Why are they so popular with the youth in particular? And how do they square with the Marxist method of solidarity and class struggle?

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Wellred Books are proud to announce the publication of 'Chartist Revolution' by Rob Sewell - a Marxist analysis of the inspiring Chartist movement in 19th century Britain.

To mark the release of this exciting new book, author Rob Sewell and Socialist Appeal writer Josh Holroyd discuss the key questions raised in 'Chartist Revolution', and the important lessons from these historical events for the struggles of the working class today.

Get your copy of 'Chartist Revolution' today from Wellred Books: wellredbooks.net/chartist-revolution.html

And hear more from Rob Sewell talking about his book at the opening session of Revolution 2020, a three-day festival of Marxist ideas hosted online by Socialist Appeal: revolutionfestival.co.uk

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In this talk from the International Marxist University, Josh Holroyd - a leading activist with Socialist Appeal - demonstrates and defends the method of Marxist historical materialism. Visit podcast.marxist.com for the full recordings.

Bourgeois, liberal and postmodern historians alike tend to reject the Marxist view that history is driven by material laws and processes. Some also reject the idea of progress, saying this is merely a point of view. They say that history is basically random, punctuated by exceptional individuals on whom the fate of human society turns.

But why is it that similar conditions result in similar events, outcomes and characters reoccurring across history? And has there really been no progress between stone tools and spacecraft?

Only a Marxist perspective can provide a real explanation for the development of society and the events of human history - and offer a perspective for a socialist future.

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In this talk from last year's Revolution Festival, Josh Holroyd discusses the rise of the working class in Britain, and the lessons from the revolutionary movement of the Chartists.

Find out more on this fascinating topic by getting a copy of Rob Sewell's new book on 'Chartist Revolution', out now through Wellred Books.

wellredbooks.net/chartist-revolution.html

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The Peterloo massacre took place over 200 years ago in Manchester. This brutal event marked a turning point in the development of the working class and the labour movement in Britain. In the following decades, workers established a mass movement capable of striking fear into the hearts of the ruling class: Chartism.

The Chartists were the first mass working-class political movement in the world. In the 1830s and 40s they mobilised hundreds of thousands of workers around their Charter, the main demand of which was for universal male suffrage to end the political monopoly of the capitalist class. However, the rest of their programme went even further. As Engels stated, if the Chartists' programme had been put into practice, it would have amount to the overthrow of the entire British establishment.

In this discussion, Josh Holroyd discusses why it is vital that we understand the history of the workers’ movement. Marxism is only scientific if it generalises the lessons of these real movements, most of which are airbrushed out of history by the ruling class. It is only Marxism that can preserve and build upon these lessons.

In this talk from the International Marxist University, John Peterson of Socialist Revolution USA explores the differences between Marxism and anarchism.

Marxists and anarchists share many of the same objectives in common: fighting oppression; smashing the bourgeois state; creating a society without class exploitation and so on.

However, there are also important differences in our ideas and methods - particularly relating to the nature of power in general, and of state power in particular.

These questions have been pushed to the fore, once again, by inspiring movements such as Black Lives Matter. It is therefore vital that revolutionaries have a clear perspective on how to organise and overthrow capitalism.

In this talk from the recent International Marxist University, Rob Sewell - editor of Socialist Appeal - outlines the fundamentals of Marxist economics, and explains why only these revolutionary ideas can offer a way out of the impasse of capitalist crisis.

As Rob explains, many attempts have been made over the years to ‘update’ Marx’s economic theories. Inevitably, these ideas jettison the revolutionary core of Marxist economics.

Instead of applying a dialectical and materialist method to the economy, the revisionists slip into a mechanical and idealist mode of analysis. They do not see the economy as a living, breathing system, composed of human beings and conflicting classes, but as a set of abstract equations.

In this talk, Rob Sewell sets the record straight, showing how revisionist ideas fall short, and giving an overview of genuine Marxist economic theory.

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In this online talk organised by the Marxist Student Federation as part of Black History Month, Fiona Lali (national organiser of the MSF) explains why the fight against racism must be a fight against capitalism.

In the coming weeks, the MSF will be publishing a series of articles and videos on the origins of slavery; the roots of racism; the black power struggle; from Windrush to the refugee crisis; and how we must fight against capitalism, racism, and all forms of oppression.

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, the US has been set ablaze, with police precincts being burnt down in de facto acts of insurrection. The long and sordid history of repression and brutality has been brought into the limelight.

And Malcolm X’s famous saying - "you cannot have capitalism without racism" - has been emblazoned on placards at protests all over the world.

In order to gain real material change for the BAME community, we must first understand where this oppression and exploitation comes from, and how it must be overcome.

Enough of tokenistic gestures and empty promises. It is clear that the struggle for black liberation is a struggle for a socialist future.

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Alan Woods – editor of In Defence of Marxism – comments on the situation in the USA, where it was announced last week that President Donald Trump has contracted COVID-19, amidst a farcical presidential election and the greatest crisis in the history of US capitalism.

Trump’s reckless response to the pandemic has led to the USA having 7.5m COVID-19 cases and 200,000 deaths: the highest in the world. This catastrophe has caused Trump’s polling figures to plummet, leading him to furiously point the finger from China, to Black Lives Matter, to the WHO – anywhere but his own chaotic administration.

Now, despite constantly downplaying the dangers of the virus and demanding a return to economic normality, the President himself has become a statistic.

Meanwhile, US workers and youth are preparing to choose between two evils at the impending November elections, in the form of four more years of Trump, or the Democratic establishment candidate, Joe Biden. Adding fuel to the fire, Trump has even hinted that he might try to cling onto power should the vote not go his way.

Neither of the two main bourgeois parties have anything to offer workers and youth, who are faced with the horror of the coronavirus, alongside a tsunami of unemployment, poverty and homelessness.

This rotten charade is the sign of a system on life support. Workers in the USA need a mass party of labour and a struggle for socialism.