It is not surprising that Tony Phillips has made a vigorous defence of the “classic” Socialist Workers Party position on the 1918-1923 situation in Germany.1 The argument is central to the SWP’s historical analysis. In order to argue that Leninism… Continue Reading
Dear friends, I very much appreciate John Rose’s thoughtful review of my book Leon Trotsky (“Half socialist? Leon Trotsky and the Soviet Union”, in International Socialism 149) including his positive comments and the gratifying endorsement: “Buy this book!” Yet his… Continue Reading
I agree with Ellen Wood. It is important to start with what we have in common. That’s why, in my review, I described the ‘main thrust of The Retreat From Class’ as ‘one which this journal can only strongly endorse’.1… Continue Reading
This article by Ellen Meiksins Wood first appeared in International Socialism in 1987. It is a reply to a book review by Alex Callinicos of her book The Retreat from Class: A New ‘True’ Socialism. Callinicos’s rejoinder to Wood is… Continue Reading
The autumn 2015 issue of International Socialism contained two extremely important and erudite articles concerning the issue of the European Union and which way socialists should vote in any potential referendum. In order of appearance they are: “The EU Referendum:… Continue Reading
It came as no surprise that International Socialism could publish, in the last issue, such a dismissive review of Paul Mason’s fascinating and thought-provoking new book.1 Certainly Mason has moved a considerable distance from the Leninism of his youth and… Continue Reading
Mark O’Brien’s article in 2014, “The problem of the one-day strike”,1 was an attempt to understand “the dominance of very short (usually one-day) national, public sector strikes that have typified industrial action in the UK for at least a decade”.2… Continue Reading
Ghayath Naisse’s article “The ‘Islamic State’ and the Counter-revolution” is an extremely valuable contribution to the discussion about the nature of ISIS. In particular, Naisse’s emphasis on the devastating impact of war on Iraqi and Syrian societies—in the Iraqi case… Continue Reading
The debate around orientations for revolutionaries in the unions today is the result of an uncomfortable but inescapable fact: the level of trade union struggle has remained historically low for 20 years.1 This is true whether we are considering working… Continue Reading
Simon Joyce’s piece “Why are there so few strikes?” in International Socialism 145 is very welcome. It asks an essential question, and Joyce clearly achieves his aim of opening a discussion.1 For revolutionary Marxists this is not an academic issue.… Continue Reading