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Continuing our series on the historic crimes of Stalinism, and in defence of the genuine ideas of communism, Rob Sewell examines the Moscow Trials of the 1930s – a kangaroo court, through which the bureaucracy drowned Bolshevism in blood.

On Thursday, May 30, Donald Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 election. Outside the Manhattan courthouse, the Republican denounced the trial, saying, “This was a rigged trial, a disgrace.” Contrary to the jury’s verdict, Trump declared himself not only innocent, but “very innocent.” Despite these protestations, he has made history once again—this time by becoming the first American president to be a convicted felon.

The history of the ancient world provides a treasure trove of lessons for anyone who seeks to understand the class struggles and social transformations that have shaped the world we live in. We publish here the introduction to Alan Woods' book Class Struggle in the Roman Republic, in which he draws out some of the fundamental principles of the Marxist view of history and gives a concise explanation of the causes of the rise and eventual downfall of the Roman Republic, particularly the phenomenon of Caesarism.

We are proud to announce the launch of communism.ie – the official website of the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland! We stand for the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and fight for a Socialist United Ireland, as part of the struggle for the world proletariat revolution. If you agree with our programme, then join us in the fight for communism!

Many readers of this website may have seen my appearance on GBNews debating with a Romanian pianist about communism. The debate was unfortunately cut short and I did not manage to develop my point about why so many people in Romania today actually have a positive view of the old regime that collapsed back in 1989.

The founding Congress of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RKP/PCR) took place in Burgdorf, Switzerland on 10-12 May. After three days of intensive political discussions, the delegates unanimously voted to found the new party and adopt its manifesto. Neither champagne flutes nor bouquets of flowers marked this event. With shouts of “RKP/PCR”, the comrades proudly announced: we are building the foundation of the future mass communist party to overthrow capitalism!

The death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash was celebrated by hypocritical imperialist governments and newspapers in the West, who gloated at the end of the ‘Butcher of Tehran’ – while preserving harsh sanctions that subject millions of ordinary Iranians to hardship, and continuing to support Israel’s butchery in Gaza. The communists make no common cause with these characters, who are themselves murderers representing the same vile capitalist system as the Mullahs ruling Iran. From our own perspective, we say: Raisi’s bloodstained legacy is one of counterrevolutionary reaction. May the revolutionary Iranian masses soon bury the Islamic Republic alongside him.

Millions of people around the globe collectively reeled in horror on Sunday after an IDF airstrike laid waste to a tent camp for displaced civilians in Rafah, killing at least 45 people. Social media is filled with images of charred and dismembered men, women and children, murdered while they slept. Lenin once wrote that capitalism is horror without end: in Gaza, those words are being spelt out in the language of fire and blood for all the world to see.

On 17-19 May, 110 communists from all over Mexico (and abroad) met to found the Revolutionary Communist Organisation (RCO), which will be the Mexican section of the Revolutionary Communist International.

Honoré de Balzac is renowned as a prolific literary genius and was one of Marx and Engels’ favourite authors. He was a pioneer of the Realist style that would be taken up by such famous authors as Émile Zola and Charles Dickens. In this article, Ben Curry explores Balzac’s Realist method, the predominant themes of his vast body of work, known collectively as The Human Comedy, and the fascinating paradox that lies at its heart.

What began with teachers’ protests over pay rises has expanded into a week-long police riot and a grassroots rebellion of teachers, health, energy and other state workers in the province of Misiones, in the far northeast of the country, 1,000 km from the capital Buenos Aires.