Yugoslavia: second congress of the Revolutionary Communist League

On 3 and 4 May, members of the Revolucionarni Komunistički Savez (Revolutionary Communist League, RCL) met in Zagreb for this year’s congress. Delegates from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia were present as members of the Yugoslav section of the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI). They were joined by guests from Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy, Britain, and Kosovo.

Held during a revolutionary crisis in Serbia, the congress aimed to draw the lessons from these events and prepare the communists in Yugoslavia for the even more turbulent times ahead.

Year zero

“Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,

But to be young was very heaven!”

These words by William Wordsworth about the French Revolution capture the energy unleashed when the masses enter the stage of history. For the past three decades, the Balkans have been dominated by a towering edifice of reaction, nationalism, and apathy. It loomed over every corner of the region, forcing anyone with dreams of a better future to think twice.

Now, a massive crack runs through its structure. Only a few more serious blows will collapse it into oblivion. Serbian students and workers are now raising their own beacon, illuminating the path forward for the region: the path of revolution.

Collapsing canopies and sports halls, nightclub and hospital fires, landslides, and ecological disasters: all stem from the same corruption and underdevelopment plaguing the entire region, the root of which is undeniably the restoration of capitalism. In search of the same remedy, the struggle is once again uniting the peoples of the former Yugoslavia and the Balkans.

The year 2025 marks the beginning of a new era in the Balkans. Where there was silence, the chants of revolt now echo. Millions are awakening to political struggle and demanding an alternative to capitalism.

The road ahead

The entire experience of the movement in Serbia so far has shown that the masses are ready to fight for a better society. But it has also revealed better than words ever could the need for clear ideas and a plan to achieve that change: that is, the need to build a party of the working class – the class that makes up the majority of society. For us, as well as for thousands across the Balkans, this is the key lesson of the events in Serbia.

One of the main topics of the congress was precisely how to build such a party. We need revolutionaries who understand how society functions, its interconnections, and how to transform it. That is why we discussed perspectives for our region and the world: the current state of society, the direction it is moving in, and why. All of this aimed to politically train the communists to be able to offer people explanations of the crisis they are facing and to present a solution. The value of these discussions is shown by the fact that, despite apparent social apathy, our analysis at the previous congress predicted that social explosions like these would inevitably occur in the near future.

The intertwined destinies of the working classes across the former Yugoslavia – rooted in our shared history of struggle against capitalism, as well as enduring cultural and economic ties – once again highlight the need for a party that can unite us all in struggle. The many solidarity protests with Serbian students have proven this. The problems across the Balkans are the same, and solving them in one of our countries requires solving them in all.

The road ahead is long. Students and workers have already sacrificed their academic years and wages. If we want to become a party that can politically express the aspirations of the masses, we must be prepared to sacrifice just as much in the process of building it. That is why we raised nearly €10,000 at this year’s collection – far exceeding our financial target for the congress of €5,000. This demonstrates the enormous dedication and spirit of sacrifice that exists in our organisation despite its small size.

This year’s RCL congress was just one step in preparing the foundation of a future mass workers’ party and the transformation of society. If you want to be part of building the party the working class needs, join us.