The eternal lessons of the Russian Revolution: history of Bolshevism now available in Urdu! We are very excited to announce the release of Alan Woods’ Bolshevism: the Road to Revolution in Urdu, from Lal Salaam publications in Lahore, Pakistan. Anyone interested in getting a copy should contact Lal Salaam via their website, or on their Facebook page. We publish the full author’s introduction here.
Ireland: Republicanism and Revolution – BOOK LAUNCH TOMORROW (18:00 GMT) Join Wellred Books at our international launch event for our latest release, ‘Ireland: Republicanism and Revolution’ by Alan Woods. Register here for free to participate in the launch on 26 November at 18:00 GMT. Wherever you are in the world, you can join the launch event, which will be streamed online through zoom. Or, if you are in London, come and join the launch live at London Irish Centre, NW1 9XB.
History of the Bolshevik Party now available in Arabic, with new preface by Alan Woods The editorial board of the IMT’s Arabic website, marxy.com, is very proud to announce the publication of the Arabic translation of Bolshevism: The Road to Revolution, by Alan Woods, editor of marxist.com. The book is a masterful account of the history of the Bolshevik Party, rich with lessons about how, over years of patient work, it came to lead the Russian masses to power in 1917. Read on for information about an Arabic-language launch event this Sunday, and the author’s preface (in English), which discusses the legacy of the 2011 Arab Revolution.
‘Ireland: Republicanism and Revolution’ has arrived: get your copy today! We are delighted to announce the arrival of Ireland: Republicanism and Revolution by Alan Woods, newly republished and available to purchase today from Wellred Books! This is an essential read for all revolutionaries eager to learn about how British imperialism can be buried in Ireland, its oldest colony.
Review of ‘Chartist Revolution’ by Rob Sewell: pre-order now! We are excited to announce the publication of a new book on Chartism – a titanic struggle by British workers in the 1800s that involved arming, general strikes and insurrection, a fact buried by official “histories” – by Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal, British publication of the International Marxist Tendency. In this review, Socialist Appeal writer and activist Josh Holroyd explains the importance of this new book, which reclaims the revolutionary history of the British labour movement. Until the end of October, Chartist Revolution is available for pre-order...
Introduction to new Swedish edition of ‘What is Marxism?’ We are proud to announce the publication of the Swedish edition of What is Marxism?, a bestseller by Alan Woods and Rob Sewell, available here! The book, which is produced by the publishing house of the Swedish Marxists, Bokförlaget Stormklockan, is coming at a time where Swedish society is entering a period of turmoil.
Appendix Two: The Marxist theory of the state (Once more on the theory of 'state capitalism') The economics of the transitional periodThe most significant thing about all those who sought to revise Trotsky's position on the Russian question is that they always deal with the problem in the abstract and never concretely explain the laws of the transitional society between capitalism and socialism and how such a society would operate. This is not accidental. A concrete consideration would impel them to the conclusion that the fundamental economy in Russia was the same as it was under Lenin and that it could not be otherwise. The germ of the capitalist mode of production, which began under feudalism through the development of commodity production, lies in the function of...
Alan Woods’ “The Venezuelan Revolution” – now in eBook format! The last couple of months have seen a ramping-up of attempts by the US to launch a coup in Venezuela. Under orders from the White House, Juan Guaidó declared himself “president in charge” at a street tally. Immediately, the rogue’s gallery of Trump, Bolsonaro, Macri and others recognised Guaidó, then called on the Venezuelan army to declare itself loyal to this new ‘president’.
Reassessing Leon Trotsky’s biography of Stalin: a book review by John Riddell Today is the 140th birthday of Ioseb Jughashvili, also known as Koba, but best known as Joseph Stalin: figurehead of the Soviet bureaucracy that seized control of Russia following the degeneration of the Bolshevik regime. We publish here a review (first released on John Riddell's blog) of the new, updated edition of Trotsky's biography of Stalin, originally published in 2016. In his review, John explains how the expanded and revised edition of this biography (edited by Alan Woods) "provides a more satisfactory picture of Stalin’s character" than any previous version. Although we do not agree with all of the ideas presented in the...
New edition of Trotsky's autobiography, ‘My Life’ – intro by Alan Woods Wellred Books proudly presents the new edition of Leon Trotsky’s My Life.Since this book was first published, it has been regarded as a unique political and literary document. Written in the first year of Trotsky’s exile in Turkey, it contains the earliest authoritative account of the rise of Stalinism and the expulsion of the Left Opposition, who heroically fought for the ideas and traditions of Lenin.
Kronstadt and Petrograd in 1917: the memoirs of Fyodor Raskolnikov Fyodor Fyodorovich Raskolnikov was a key Bolshevik activist and a principal organiser amongst the Kronstadt Sailors, who would prove so pivotal in the Bolsheviks' seizure of power. In these remarkable memoirs, which cover the period between the February and October Revolutions in 1917, Raskolnikov gives a first-hand account of how the Bolsheviks built their forces in the navy, describes the setbacks of the July Days (during which he, alongside Trotsky, was imprisoned by Kerensky's Provisional Government), and paints a vivid picture of the October insurrection and its immediate aftermath.
Alan Woods' Art and Class Struggle published in Farsi We are proud to present Alan Woods' pamphlet, Art and Class Struggle, published for the first time in Farsi by the Exit Theatre Group. This company previously translated Alan's Ideas of Karl Marx. Both texts can be read here!
‘Lost Connections’ review: the material basis of depression What really causes depression and anxiety? And how can we genuinely solve these issues? Answering these questions is the task journalist Johann Hari sets himself in his newly released book, Lost Connections. Note: while Hari makes some valid points in his book, many of his claims are exaggerated, as we explain in this follow-up article.
'Capitalist Realism' and the errors of academic Marxism Since the death of Mark Fisher at the beginning of this year, there has been a small increase in appetite for his book Capitalist Realism: is there no alternative?This is unfortunate, as the book is a confused jumble of academic jargon which barely manages to describe a phenomenon first explained by Marx over 170 years ago, let alone offer any practical advice to socialists trying to change the world today.
Trotsky's “Stalin” launched in the Basque country On November 29, a meeting was held in Vitoria-Gasteiz to mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution and to launch the Spanish edition of Stalin, by Leon Trotsky, which has been published by Lucha de Clases. The meeting was addressed by Alan Woods from the International Marxist Tendency.