The RCI in 2025: the year where decades happened

Revolutions, general strikes, wars, assassinations, and government collapses. These have been some of the defining themes of 2025, which has been one of those years that contain decades.

Most dramatic of all was the ‘Gen Z’ revolutionary wave, in which mass movements led by the youth exploded onto the streets of countries such as Nepal, Indonesia, Morocco, and more. The Palestine movement also reached new heights, with two general strikes in Italy being called in protest of the genocide.

Whether it is sparked by corruption, government backing of genocide, or attacks on living conditions, all of these movements have highlighted the deep anger that is developing against the capitalist system across the world. It highlights the power of workers once they mobilise, the burning mood among the young generation, and more importantly, the need for a revolutionary leadership to ensure their success.

Across the world, comrades of the Revolutionary Communist International have stepped up to the plate, and set themselves to building such an organisation, built on the bedrock of Marxist theory, that can begin to intervene in events, with the aim of creating that missing factor, the party of world socialist revolution. Here we look over some of the highlights of the past year of the RCI’s work.

The first congress of the RCI

To make sense of the unprecedented crisis of capitalism that we are living through, in which the entire post-war order of US hegemony is starting to crumble, over 350 leading communists of the RCI assembled in Italy for the first World Congress of the RCI, held in early August.

Screened for the first time at the congress was The Communists Are Coming: a Visual Manifesto, a feature-length documentary produced by the RCI highlighting our first year in existence. This has been a resounding success, accruing over 40,000 views on YouTube, and premiering in over 20 packed-out locations across more than 15 countries.

Two days were dedicated to discussing world perspectives, in which comrades fleshed out our understanding of the fundamental questions of our day: the relative decline of US imperialism, the nature of the Trump regime, the changing relations between the imperialist powers across the globe, and the rise of new rivals to US imperialism, such as Russia and mainly China.

The numbers speak for themselves. The congress itself was watched by over 2,500 comrades online, and in over 60 watch parties held across the world. In the financial collection, over €500,000 was raised, alongside an additional $5,000 in books sold, a testament to the commitment and drive to raise their understanding of Marxist theory of our comrades.

A special discussion was held on the history of the Fourth International, and in particular the life, ideas, and legacy of Ted Grant, the founder of our organisation. After Trotsky was murdered in 1940, the leaders of the Fourth International proved incapable of applying the Marxist method to the changed world situation following the end of the Second World War. They subsequently became mired in theoretical mistakes and sectarianism.

Amidst adverse conditions of world capitalist upswing, Ted Grant alone kept the flame burning of Marxism, preserving the genuine traditions of bolshevism for future generations, and providing invaluable analysis of the postwar period. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and so it is vital that we understand this rich history.

As a part of this, we republished Ted Grant’s book The History of British Trotskyism, expanded and with a new introduction, which was the best selling book at the congress.

We are also publishing a new third volume of Ted Grant’s collected works, alongside new editions of the first two volumes. The new volume covers the years 1945-46, where Ted analysed the new world order, underpinned by the dominance of US imperialism, that was taking shape following the end of the war.

These writings take on a new significance today, where the relative decline of US imperialism is being paired with the unravelling of that same world order. These volumes present a treasure trove of the Marxist method, and all comrades should order the complete set in order to understand the processes that are playing out today. These can be preordered here.

Internationalism on display

Just before the World Congress, in May, comrades from across the International mobilised in an international solidarity campaign demanding the release of the leaders of the Awami Action Committee Gilgi-Baltistan (AAC-GB), who were arrested by the Pakistani state. Gilgit-Baltistan is treated as a colony by the Pakistani government, and the region is drained of its rich resources, as its people are denied basic democratic rights and live in desperate conditions.

The AAC-GB was playing a leading role in the mass movements against Pakistani state repression in the region, fighting for demands like lower food prices. Ehsan Ali, who is a leading comrade of the Inqalabi Communist Party, the Pakistani section of the RCI, was a victim of this state repression. Those arrested endured torture and threats against their families for several months. In the end, a total of 16 activists were arrested.

Across the world, comrades protested outside embassies, wrote to influential voices in the labour movement, and passed motions in workers organisations to put pressure on the Pakistani regime to release the prisoners.

In Britain, for example, comrades of the Revolutionary Communist Party passed a motion of solidarity with the AAC-GB at the national conference of Unite the Union, which represents over a million workers in the country.

The entire International mobilised for a day of action on 30 July, where comrades across the International protested outside of embassies and consulates together. Altogether, our comrades mobilised in 26 cities across 15 different countries, demanding freedom for the political prisoners of the AAC-GB.

The campaign was a success, and all the political prisoners were released on bail, although the fight goes on for acquittal. Despite our modest size, we were able to shout far louder than our own voice, demonstrating the power that even a small group can have if it is correctly organised on the right basis.

Strength to strength

Last year, many sections of the RCI re-launched themselves as Revolutionary Communist Parties, in order to tap into the growing radicalisation that exists amongst a certain layer of society. How do we measure the success of this turn? Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Since 2023, we have grown from 4,551 members to 7,127 internationally, organised in 24+ sections, and many more groups interested in becoming official sections of the RCI.

In the USA, from May 2023 to May 2025, the membership of the Revolutionary Communists of America (RCA) has more than doubled. At their congress this year, held from 31 May to 1 June, 460 communists gathered in Philadelphia to discuss the political situation in the US, and the tasks of the RCA. Wanting to build on the strongest foundations possible, over $28,000 worth of books and pamphlets were sold over the course of the weekend.

In the home of McCarthyism and the Red Scare, such a large and youthful organisation of communists couldn’t help but elicit a reaction from the billionaires, prompting scare-pieces in bourgeois news outlets like Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. With enemies like these, the comrades are clearly doing something right.

Just south of the border, our comrades in Mexico launched the Revolutionary Communist Party from 10-11 October. With over 200 communists in attendance, from 17 states of the country, this was the largest event ever put on by our Mexican comrades. Demonstrating the resolve of the comrades there, over $4,300 was raised before the event in order to fund the weekend, all through the individual and collective efforts of comrades.

An additional $9,220 was raised in the financial collection, and $1,460 raised in the sales of political material, ensuring that the RCP in Mexico is founded on a firm basis. Comrades celebrated the launch of the party with an impressive march through the streets of Mexico City. On such strong foundations, the Mexican section has grown rapidly, and they have now surpassed a membership of 500!

In Ireland, the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland held their second congress on 5-6 April, having only founded as an organisation last year. In the space of just a year, the comrades have now reached around 80 active members, launched their own website, hired their first and second full-time revolutionaries, and have begun renting an office in Dublin for the first time. Over €10,700 was raised for the party at their collection, and €850 in literature. Now the comrades are pushing forward to the first 100 members of the RCI by their next congress in April!

In the country in which the Palestine movement saw its sharpest expression this October, our Italian comrades held their first congress in April this year, after founding their own revolutionary communist party last year. 215 comrades gathered to take stock of the past year, in which they had recruited over 100 new members to the party, in schools, universities, and workplaces, primarily amongst the youth.

There were too many congresses to go through every single one, but a final congress worth noting is that in Brazil. From 20 to 23 November, comrades of the RCI in Brazil gathered for an emergency congress to found a new Brazilian section of the International, paired with a cadre school.

This was after the majority of the old leadership split from the RCI earlier in the year, refusing to debate their differences with the perspectives of the International. The mood of the comrades was one of enthusiasm and determination to build, they have already grown by 30 percent since the split, and raised $5,625 at the collection, which is more than they raised last year, when part of a larger organisation.

In order to found this new section on the genuine principles of Marxism, the comrades launched, for the first time, a Portuguese-language edition of History of Philosophy: a Marxist Perspective by Alan Woods (which features a brand new introduction) They also dedicated a full session to Ted Grant’s legacy and the collapse of the Fourth International.

Comrades should read the full report for themselves here, as it goes into great amounts of detail on the debates that occurred within the Brazilian section, and the traditions of Ted Grant on which they proudly build upon today.

The comrades of the RCI aren’t afraid to put their money where their mouth is; the zealousness with which we have built the International over the past year can be seen in the impressive financial collections held by different sections at their respective congresses.

At the British national congress, £140,000 was raised in donations, and an extra £4,000 a month in comrades increasing their membership subs. In Sweden, they raised €74,000. The Yugoslav comrades raised nearly €10,000. In Finland, at their founding congress, they raised €2,300. comrades raised over $20,000 in book sales alone, and smashed their target of raising $450,000 over the course of 2025. These figures show that our growth is not just numerical. It is reflected across the International in a willingness to sacrifice and to smash all obstacles.

What is also important about our recent growth, is that it has been primarily amongst the youth. As events like the Gen Z revolutions have shown, it is the youth that is leading the way, larger numbers of young people than ever before are drawing radical conclusions, and are open to revolutionary communist ideas.

It is imperative that we are able to win over the best of these layers, educate them in the ideas and traditions of Marxism, and turn them into communist cadres. Recruiting the youth is therefore the mainspring of any revolutionary party worthy of the name. We are turning this latent revolutionary potential into an organised, disciplined force.

Revolutionary theory

Recruitment is one thing, but it will amount to nothing if the organisation is not built on the bedrock of Marxist theory. This is why we are committed to the task of understanding and defending the genuine ideas of Marxism, and training a new generation of communists steeled in these ideas.

One of our most effective tools in achieving this task is the website of the RCI, marxist.com. We strive to produce the sharpest Marxist analysis possible, both on the main events occurring across the world, as well as on theory, history, culture, and much more. To that end, we have published over 1,000 articles, in over 35 languages.

Since September, marxist.com has seen a 30 percent increase in hits, and a 36 percent increase in new users of the website. This coincides with an accelerated pace of world events that has occurred since then; from the assassination of Charlie Kirk in early September, to US aggression against Venezuela; from the Gen Z revolutions, to the western humiliation in Ukraine. Marxist.com has produced high-quality articles on all of these major events – and more – offering a cutting-edge Marxist analysis of the main processes occurring in the world today.

Over the years, the fact is that we have suffered with a decline in the number of readers coming from organic search results, whilst those coming directly to the website has remained steady or increased. There’s little we can do to control the search engine or social media giants, whose algorithms naturally aren’t going to favour outlets like ours which are calling for a revolution against their system!

However, the dramatic increase in readership we’ve seen amidst the stormy world situation is proof of the political authority that our website has built up over the years, that we have a reputation among tens of thousands of workers and young people for razor-sharp analysis and theory.

We have also made great strides this year with our podcasts, Against the Stream and the Spectre of Communism, which cover current events and theory respectively. At the end of September, the two podcasts reached one million collective streams! Our ideas are reaching a wider audience than ever.

But when it comes to education, there is no substitute for entering into a deep study of Marxist theory yourself, through diving head-first into a book. Our international publishing house, Wellred Books, therefore, is a key pillar of our work.

This year, new versions of What is Marxism?, and the two volumes of the Classics of Marxism series, containing works by Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Trotsky, have been published, complete with updated content and new introductions (and dashing new front covers). These works are essential in explaining the relevance of the revolutionary ideas of Marxism to the world today, and whetting the appetite of new comrades to commit themselves to a study of these ideas.

The re-publishing of the first volume of the Classics was paired with a book launch in London, which was streamed online, watched by comrades across the globe.

In May, we published Democracy, Bonapartism & Fascism: Class Struggle in the 1930s, a collection of articles by Leon Trotsky and Ted Grant, giving a scientific analysis of the stormy years between the two world wars. The interwar period was a time of revolutions and counterrevolutions, where bourgeois democracy was in deep crisis. This ended with the rise of fascism in Germany.

The writings from this period of these two theoretical giants are invaluable for communists today to study, especially as many on the left – like the boy who cried wolf – see the rise of fascism around every corner. This book will arm comrades with the correct method to understand the world today.

Also published at the start of the year by our comrades in the USA was Colossus: The Rise and Decline of US Imperialism by John Peterson. This book goes over the rise and relative decline of US imperialism, applying the method of Marxism – particularly Lenin’s writings on imperialism – to this process. A Spanish translation was also produced by our Mexican comrades. The relative decline of US imperialism is one of the defining features of the current situation, this book is a must-read.

Another major work produced by the RCI last year, In Defence of Lenin by Rob Sewell and Alan Woods, was also translated this year into Spanish and Russian. These translations will be invaluable in bringing the genuine ideas of Marxism to communists around the world.

And last, but certainly not least, is the In Defence of Marxism magazine, the theoretical quarterly of the International. The magazine this year has focused on a wide array of different topics, illustrating the theoretical breadth of Marxism.

This includes historical topics, such as the German Peasants’ War and the end of World War Two; questions of philosophy, such as the crisis in science today and a critique of Mao’s On Contradiction; to culture, with reviews on topics ranging from Italian cinema in the 1940s, to Goethe’s Faust.

In contrast to the caricatures made of Marxists, we are not vulgar economists, interested only in ‘practical’ issues like strikes and agitating for wages. As our educational output has demonstrated, genuine Marxists take an active interest in all facets of human history, culture, philosophy, science, and much much more. Our task is not to tell workers what they already know, but to raise their sights to the many fields denied to them by the drudgery of capitalist society.

Schools of communism

Education is not just an individual act, but a collective one. Comrades across the International have held educational schools throughout the year, schools of communism designed as training camps for developing revolutionaries.

The largest school, and event, held was the Revolution Festival in Britain from 14 to 16 November in London. 1,200 communists squeezed into packed-out rooms for 33 different sessions, on topics ranging from the history of Palestinian resistance, to the Reformation. The enthusiasm and dedication of the comrades present can be shown by the fact that £134,000 was raised in the collection, to go towards building the Revolutionary Communist Party.

In the USA, the comrades of the RCA organised three autumn Marxist schools in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. In total, nearly 700 communists attended an RCA school this autumn.

Amidst difficult economic conditions, and heavy rain and flooding, over 300 communists gathered in Pakistan in mid-August for their ‘Communist School 2025’. Comrade Ehsan Ali, who had just endured months in prison and had become seriously ill as a result, was released the day before the school launched and came straight to the event, alongside other comrades from Gilgit-Baltistan!

In Canada, the Montreal Winter School gathered together over 600 communists amidst a snowstorm to study the pillars of communism. Over 1,000 books and pamphlets were sold over the course of the weekend, and $25,000 was raised on the Saturday night at the collection.

In Sweden, at the recent ‘Communism & Revolution 2025’ school, the comrades launched the new Swedish-language edition of the first volume of Leon Trotsky’s Stalin. Finally published in its most complete form by the RCI in English in 2016, Stalin provides comrades with a masterwork in analysing scientifically the degeneration of the Russian Revolution, and the role of the individual in history. In keeping with the enthusiasm in the room, the comrades raised just under £32,000.

In Switzerland, two schools were held this November. One for German speakers, and an International Marxist School for French-speakers. These collectively hosted over 350 comrades and supporters interested in joining us, raised over £13,500 from donations, and sold £4,320 in books and other literature.

Just across the border, in Germany, the ‘Karl Marx Seminar’ was a great success. With 240 attending, it was the largest of these events yet!

It is not an exaggeration to say that you will not find events like these – and the countless other schools that have not been mentioned – anywhere else in the world. In terms of their political clarity, the sharpness of their ideas, and the revolutionary optimism that comes with this, they are unmatched.

Painting the town red

Marxist theory is not a lifeless dogma, but a guide to action. Our comrades haven’t just been educating themselves in these ideas, but taking them into the living class struggle, in schools, workplaces, universities, and the streets.

Just like in 2024, Israel’s genocide in Gaza has acted as a lightning rod for much of the accumulated anger in society. 2025 saw a major escalation of this movement, which had its crescendo at the end of September and the beginning of October, with millions of workers and young people out on the streets in protest. Various sections of the RCI mobilised in force.

In Italy, Partito Comunista Rivoluzionario (PCR) was active in 40 demonstrations across the country. In Rome, where half a million people took part in the march, the PCR formed a bloc of over 200 party members and supporters. Over the space of two weeks at the end of September, the PCR got into contact with 350 potential members of the party, and sold over 8,000 copies of their paper, Rivoluzione, forcing them to print a second run.

In Spain, where from 2 to 5 October over two million people took to the streets (with 1.3 million on 4 October alone), over 60 comrades and supporters of Organización Comunista Revolucionaria took part in the movement in 11 different cities. Through coming into contact with our comrades, over 60 people gave us their details, wanting to learn more about joining the RCI.

In Britain, the Revolutionary Communist Party mobilised a bloc of over 400 communists for a national Palestine demonstration, in which half a million people took to the streets of London. Following the example set by the French and Italian workers, the comrades carried a handmade banner emblazoned with “Block everything for Palestine! Fight for revolution!”.

You can read a full report of comrades’ mobilisations for these protests here.

The international character of these movements, and how the workers in each country clearly learned from the experiences of others – borrowing slogans such as ‘block everything’, for example – highlights the importance of building one international revolutionary party.

Our International has proudly gotten stuck-in with the pro-Palestine movement since the beginning. And especially since 2023, our comrades have been vilified and attacked by various bourgeois states for our uncompromising stance.

In Germany, for example, two comrades were placed under investigation by the police at the end of 2023 for holding up placards that read ‘Freedom for Palestine! Intifada until victory!’. But this did not cow our comrades, who ran a campaign that lasted for around a year and a half for the charges to be dropped. In universities and amongst the movement itself, our comrades raised over €9,000 to cover legal fees.

This militant approach bore fruit, the comrades were acquitted in July this year. This shows that, despite our modest size, we are able to make an impact, based on an unbending attitude to theory and principles. This was a victory both for our comrades, and for the Palestine movement itself, and sets the tone on how to react to state repression.

1 May is marked by International Workers’ Day (May Day), which is traditionally used to demonstrate the strength of the labour movement worldwide. But whilst the world is currently defined by mass polarisation, much of the ‘left’ laments the turning of layers of the working class to right-wing populists like Trump as a major turn towards ‘fascism’.

What they fail to see is that this so-called ‘turn to the right’ is in fact a distorted expression of the accumulating anger in society, precipitated by the failure of these very same ‘lefts’ to offer it a genuine voice. And furthermore, this is but one side of a broader picture of polarisation. There is a general rejection of all parties of the ruling class, to be seen as tied to the ‘system’ in any way is electoral poison.

So whilst the official ‘left’ sat and licked their wounds, the RCI decisively intervened at May Day demonstrations in numerous countries. The clarity of our ideas, and our tone of revolutionary optimism, based on our scientific understanding of society, connected with many of the best layers at these marches, who are already connecting the dots on the need to break with capitalism.

In Denmark, our comrades set out to reclaim May Day’s radical traditions, as the reformist and trade union leaderships have gutted it of any political content whatsoever. Against the milquetoast politics of the rest of the ‘left’, the revolutionary ideas of our comrades stood out like a beacon to radical workers and young people at the rallies. In total, the comrades sold 230 books – showing the thirst for genuinely revolutionary ideas – and got the contact details of over 100 people interested in joining us!

In Germany, in the midst of their campaign to clear the name of their two persecuted comrades, our comrades raised over €2,500 in donations to fund the campaign just from the May Day rally. They also got the contact details of over 70 people interested in joining the party.

In Poland – a country with heavy legal restrictions on anything remotely associated with communism – our comrades met 20 people interested in joining their group, and tied it into an educational school.

In Sweden, comrades mobilised up and down the country, selling over 500 copies of their paper, Revolution, and getting the contact details of almost 80 potential communists.

In the USA, another 75 people signed up to learn more about getting involved with the RCI, and they raised $1,100 in a few hours through sales of their newspaper and revolutionary literature.

The Austrian comrades mobilised for 19 different rallies across the country, sold 929 copies of their paper, and raised €1,800 more for the party through donations than they did last year!

Just a week prior to May Day, our Italian comrades mobilised en masse on 25 April for the 80th anniversary of Italy’s liberation from fascism. Despite the government doing all that it could to waylay these demonstrations (such as prolonging the ‘period of mourning’ for Pope Francis to cover 25 April), hundreds of thousands took to the streets that day, and our comrades mobilised in 49 different locations.

Over 2,000 copies of Rivoluzione were sold across the country, and more than €5,000 raised for the party. Undoubtedly, comrades were spurred on by Issue 49 of the In Defence of Marxism magazine, which featured an excellent article on the revolutionary movement that overthrew fascism in Italy, and how it was betrayed by its leadership.

In Pakistan, where trade unions and workers’ rights are experiencing an onslaught by the government, and things like hospitals and schools are being privatised en masse, our comrades organised and mobilised for May Day events in 24 cities across the country.

Alongside this, our Pakistani comrades have been on the ground in occupied Kashmir fighting for the demands of the Awami Action Committees (AAC), which have been leading a mass movement demanding things like cheaper electricity and flour, as well as rallying against the privileges of the ruling elite. The AACs have proven pivotal in uniting disparate struggles across the region.

Our comrades have played a pivotal role in organising the AACs for over four years, and were the first to take the initiative to set them up. They have been fighting to strengthen them, and arm them with a revolutionary programme ever since.

Whether it’s been the Palestine movement, strikes, mass movements against corruption, or any of the other triggers of protest over the past year, our comrades have been there. The measure of success of our International in the coming period will be whether or not we can win the best layers of these largely youthful movements to our banner, and train them into bolsheviks. 2025 has demonstrated that we are already in the process of doing that.

The world turned upside down

Our world perspectives document this year was titled The world turned upside down – a system in crisis, a phrase popularised by a ballad from the heady days of the English Revolution which proffered “a brief description of the ridiculous fashions of these distracted times”.

This was a time where seemingly eternal institutions such as the church and the monarchy – the King was said to be acting with the authority of God himself – were crumbling and being swept aside. Princes and Lords were trounced on the battlefield by peasants and labourers, new religions prophesying the end of the world were flourishing, and Kings were quite literally losing their heads.

In such a situation, it truly must have felt like the world had been flipped on its head. But of course, this reflected not the end of the world, but the dying days of feudalism.

Today, we are faced with similar scenes: of palaces being set ablaze by workers and young people, beneath a flag from an anime; of political parties that have ruled for decades hemorrhaging support, giving way to right-wing populists like Trump and Farage; and pillars of the world order that have predominated for 80 years being unravelled before our very eyes. To many, the world today may seem like it has gone ‘mad’.

But once more, what we are witnessing is not the end of the world, but the deepening crisis of the capitalist system. Like feudalism before it, capitalism too has long outlived its historic role, and is now a barrier to further development.

The Revolutionary Communist International exists precisely to smash this outmoded system, to create one world party of socialist revolution, which can ensure the success of the great revolutionary events that are on the horizon, to which we are already witnessing the prelude.

Over the past year, we have made major steps forwards in this endeavour, which are laying the basis for even greater leaps forwards in the future. But we are still not strong enough. And as the recent revolutionary events have demonstrated: without a revolutionary leadership willing to go all the way, these movements, no matter how heroic, will fail.

The RCI is building that leadership. Join us today, and together we will turn the world upside down.