You are here
Home ›Editorial
Editorial from 1919 #3 (mcmxix.org), the journal of the North American affiliates of the ICT.
Since we started working on Issue 3, the friction inside the world imperialist system has begun to generate tremendous sparks. We found ourselves playing catch up in part because world events happen so quickly, and because of the difficulties faced by part-time contributors/full-time workers, who must continue to work to reproduce our daily existence. In addition, we have begun to focus on a more rigorous internal analysis of the crisis, and in practice we have launched the No War but the Class War (NWBCW) initiative. With this much of our organizational energy diverted away from the issue, some of the topics might seem slightly out of place given recent events. Without question, imperialism in connection to the deepening economic crisis will begin taking more focus in upcoming issues. For now, we comment on the crisis briefly in this editorial. Still, we believe it is important to cover the topics we have included in this issue. The topics discussed are deeply relevant even in this current moment, and will continue to be so long as class society continues.
Labor militancy rose to great heights by the 1940s. Since then, we have seen the gradual defeat of the working class, with the number of strikes declining year-over-year, until now. Over the past several years, strike activity has begun to increase. Many workers are not old enough to remember first-hand what their class was capable of. It is essential to know and understand, and to learn from the mistakes made by organizing workers of the past.
The United States has had some degree of abortion access in every state for the past 50 years. However, that is about to change rapidly, sharpening the crisis as many women will be forced to travel hundreds of miles for legal access. We discussed deepening restrictions on abortion in the previous issue in “Malignant ulcers of capitalism” but will now delve into the effects of imperialist war and the climate crisis on working-class women. In light of the Texas law, the impending Supreme Court decision, and the war and destruction in Ukraine, this discussion is truly necessary.
We also cover the dual threats to working class power, Stalinism and social democracy. We discuss a top-down and poorly executed liberal movement to oppose the regime in Cuba. We cover reformism in the United States, and how it serves capital at the expense of the working class, despite all of its “good intentions”. And finally, we explore some of the ways the left finds itself supporting the ruling class in times of war, in our first examination of the war in Ukraine. Below we will discuss the war a bit more in-depth, since it was not the focus of this issue. However, we plan to focus solely on the Russian-Ukrainian war for our next issue, covering topics such as imperialism, anti-imperialism, and what the world could look like if the war moved beyond Ukraine to include NATO forces.
To better understand this conflict, it is important to set the stage. We are in a period of international crisis. Since 2021, high inflation has emerged as a new feature of the contemporary economy. Capitalist economists struggle to explain the causes beyond “supply chain issues” and have yet to offer solutions that work. The inflation rate has doubled since Spring of 2021 and is expected to continue steadily at historic rates. Compounding the issue is the continued rinsing of the working class at the expense of the capitalists. Oxfam estimates that a new billionaire is minted every 30 hours. Simultaneously, they estimate that one million people will fall into extreme poverty every 33 hours.(1) Extraction from workers is accelerating, and now the threat of world war looms. These phenomena are connected. Competition between world powers raises the threat of imperialist war, and economic sanctions perpetuate and worsen economic crisis.
The conflict in Ukraine has brought with it great destruction, as cities have been levelled and refugees pour into neighboring countries. The initial invasion shocked only those who have failed to pay attention to the conflict that has existed in Eastern Ukraine since 2014. The conflict continues, and although unimaginable quantities of weapons have been supplied by NATO, it continues technically as a “local conflict”. The bourgeois media of the opposing imperial powers accuse one another of instigating the war. Russia blames NATO expansion and arms buildup adjacent to Russian territory. The United States and NATO feign ignorance as they have worked to expand the alliance to former Soviet Bloc states while isolating Russia. Russian state media acts as a singular messenger to portray Ukrainians as Nazis, while the liberal end of the US media spectrum has primed Americans for war with Russia with nonstop anti-Putin rhetoric going back to at least 2015. Many on the left have embraced Ukraine, seeing in them an underdog hoping for nothing more than to remain sovereign. Some anarchists have even joined in the mobilization effort, farcically echoing Makhno while fighting side-by-side with battle-hardened Ukrainian Nazis. And, of course, many on the left (and far-right) have all but declared allegiance to the Russian Federation, apparently unable to lift themselves from an “anti-imperialist” fever dream that started in 1991. There is no end to the irony of every faction of capital dashing whimsically from one side to the other, assuring themselves that this is the right sight in this conflict. In some ways, the dysfunctional economy and the heavy-hanging threat of a world war conjures images of the 1930s, but even more so the confused jockeying of a million left and right factions is history repeating itself uncannily.
Communist militants arriving at this juncture know that both sides of an inter-imperialist conflict are enemies of the working class. Workers share a common bond in that they are all oppressed by capitalist regimes with different flags that will attempt to convince them to slaughter one another. This message is as true now as it was in 1914, as we live in a teetering and decadent phase of capitalism that is incapable of innovating its way out of its decline. However, it is important not to simply pat oneself on the back for accurate analysis of the current geopolitical climate. Many on the left will grow disillusioned with support for this or that bourgeoisie. And more importantly, many less political workers will see this coordinated assault for what it is and will soon find themselves looking for answers as to why they must sacrifice so that workers in another country can be robbed of life. Therefore, it is vital that communists engage with their class on this subject, and do so in a coordinated manner. We must speak out against our own governments and demand an end to the conflict. We must instead re-direct eyes to the conflict that workers participate in every day. This conflict has raged on for centuries and continues unabated. This war has been one-sided for far too long. So while we call for “no war”, we must condition this, because we realize that the often-defeated working class can and must stand up and fight against its class oppressors. And so, we say, “No war but the class war!”
Notes:
1919
1919 is the journal of the two North American affiliates of the ICT, Klasbatalo and Internationalist Workers' Group.
Start here...
- Navigating the Basics
- Platform
- For Communism
- Introduction to Our History
- CWO Social Media
- IWG Social Media
- Klasbatalo Social Media
- Italian Communist Left
- Russian Communist Left
The Internationalist Communist Tendency consists of (unsurprisingly!) not-for-profit organisations. We have no so-called “professional revolutionaries”, nor paid officials. Our sole funding comes from the subscriptions and donations of members and supporters. Anyone wishing to donate can now do so safely using the Paypal buttons below.
ICT publications are not copyrighted and we only ask that those who reproduce them acknowledge the original source (author and website leftcom.org). Purchasing any of the publications listed (see catalogue) can be done in two ways:
- By emailing us at uk@leftcom.org, us@leftcom.org or ca@leftcom.org and asking for our banking details
- By donating the cost of the publications required via Paypal using the “Donate” buttons
The CWO also offers subscriptions to Revolutionary Perspectives (3 issues) and Aurora (at least 4 issues):
- UK £15 (€18)
- Europe £20 (€24)
- World £25 (€30, $30)
Take out a supporter’s sub by adding £10 (€12) to each sum. This will give you priority mailings of Aurora and other free pamphlets as they are produced.
ICT sections
Basics
- Bourgeois revolution
- Competition and monopoly
- Core and peripheral countries
- Crisis
- Decadence
- Democracy and dictatorship
- Exploitation and accumulation
- Factory and territory groups
- Financialization
- Globalization
- Historical materialism
- Imperialism
- Our Intervention
- Party and class
- Proletarian revolution
- Seigniorage
- Social classes
- Socialism and communism
- State
- State capitalism
- War economics
Facts
- Activities
- Arms
- Automotive industry
- Books, art and culture
- Commerce
- Communications
- Conflicts
- Contracts and wages
- Corporate trends
- Criminal activities
- Disasters
- Discriminations
- Discussions
- Drugs and dependencies
- Economic policies
- Education and youth
- Elections and polls
- Energy, oil and fuels
- Environment and resources
- Financial market
- Food
- Health and social assistance
- Housing
- Information and media
- International relations
- Law
- Migrations
- Pensions and benefits
- Philosophy and religion
- Repression and control
- Science and technics
- Social unrest
- Terrorist outrages
- Transports
- Unemployment and precarity
- Workers' conditions and struggles
History
- 01. Prehistory
- 02. Ancient History
- 03. Middle Ages
- 04. Modern History
- 1800: Industrial Revolution
- 1900s
- 1910s
- 1911-12: Turko-Italian War for Libya
- 1912: Intransigent Revolutionary Fraction of the PSI
- 1912: Republic of China
- 1913: Fordism (assembly line)
- 1914-18: World War I
- 1917: Russian Revolution
- 1918: Abstentionist Communist Fraction of the PSI
- 1918: German Revolution
- 1919-20: Biennio Rosso in Italy
- 1919-43: Third International
- 1919: Hungarian Revolution
- 1930s
- 1931: Japan occupies Manchuria
- 1933-43: New Deal
- 1933-45: Nazism
- 1934: Long March of Chinese communists
- 1934: Miners' uprising in Asturias
- 1934: Workers' uprising in "Red Vienna"
- 1935-36: Italian Army Invades Ethiopia
- 1936-38: Great Purge
- 1936-39: Spanish Civil War
- 1937: International Bureau of Fractions of the Communist Left
- 1938: Fourth International
- 1940s
- 1960s
- 1980s
- 1979-89: Soviet war in Afghanistan
- 1980-88: Iran-Iraq War
- 1982: First Lebanon War
- 1982: Sabra and Chatila
- 1986: Chernobyl disaster
- 1987-93: First Intifada
- 1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall
- 1979-90: Thatcher Government
- 1980: Strikes in Poland
- 1982: Falklands War
- 1983: Foundation of IBRP
- 1984-85: UK Miners' Strike
- 1987: Perestroika
- 1989: Tiananmen Square Protests
- 1990s
- 1991: Breakup of Yugoslavia
- 1991: Dissolution of Soviet Union
- 1991: First Gulf War
- 1992-95: UN intervention in Somalia
- 1994-96: First Chechen War
- 1994: Genocide in Rwanda
- 1999-2000: Second Chechen War
- 1999: Introduction of euro
- 1999: Kosovo War
- 1999: WTO conference in Seattle
- 1995: NATO Bombing in Bosnia
- 2000s
- 2000: Second intifada
- 2001: September 11 attacks
- 2001: Piqueteros Movement in Argentina
- 2001: War in Afghanistan
- 2001: G8 Summit in Genoa
- 2003: Second Gulf War
- 2004: Asian Tsunami
- 2004: Madrid train bombings
- 2005: Banlieue riots in France
- 2005: Hurricane Katrina
- 2005: London bombings
- 2006: Anti-CPE movement in France
- 2006: Comuna de Oaxaca
- 2006: Second Lebanon War
- 2007: Subprime Crisis
- 2008: Onda movement in Italy
- 2008: War in Georgia
- 2008: Riots in Greece
- 2008: Pomigliano Struggle
- 2008: Global Crisis
- 2008: Automotive Crisis
- 2009: Post-election crisis in Iran
- 2009: Israel-Gaza conflict
- 2020s
- 1920s
- 1921-28: New Economic Policy
- 1921: Communist Party of Italy
- 1921: Kronstadt Rebellion
- 1922-45: Fascism
- 1922-52: Stalin is General Secretary of PCUS
- 1925-27: Canton and Shanghai revolt
- 1925: Comitato d'Intesa
- 1926: General strike in Britain
- 1926: Lyons Congress of PCd’I
- 1927: Vienna revolt
- 1928: First five-year plan
- 1928: Left Fraction of the PCd'I
- 1929: Great Depression
- 1950s
- 1970s
- 1969-80: Anni di piombo in Italy
- 1971: End of the Bretton Woods System
- 1971: Microprocessor
- 1973: Pinochet's military junta in Chile
- 1975: Toyotism (just-in-time)
- 1977-81: International Conferences Convoked by PCInt
- 1977: '77 movement
- 1978: Economic Reforms in China
- 1978: Islamic Revolution in Iran
- 1978: South Lebanon conflict
- 2010s
- 2010: Greek debt crisis
- 2011: War in Libya
- 2011: Indignados and Occupy movements
- 2011: Sovereign debt crisis
- 2011: Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster in Japan
- 2011: Uprising in Maghreb
- 2014: Euromaidan
- 2016: Brexit Referendum
- 2017: Catalan Referendum
- 2019: Maquiladoras Struggle
- 2010: Student Protests in UK and Italy
- 2011: War in Syria
- 2013: Black Lives Matter Movement
- 2014: Military Intervention Against ISIS
- 2015: Refugee Crisis
- 2018: Haft Tappeh Struggle
- 2018: Climate Movement
People
- Amadeo Bordiga
- Anton Pannekoek
- Antonio Gramsci
- Arrigo Cervetto
- Bruno Fortichiari
- Bruno Maffi
- Celso Beltrami
- Davide Casartelli
- Errico Malatesta
- Fabio Damen
- Fausto Atti
- Franco Migliaccio
- Franz Mehring
- Friedrich Engels
- Giorgio Paolucci
- Guido Torricelli
- Heinz Langerhans
- Helmut Wagner
- Henryk Grossmann
- Karl Korsch
- Karl Liebknecht
- Karl Marx
- Leon Trotsky
- Lorenzo Procopio
- Mario Acquaviva
- Mauro jr. Stefanini
- Michail Bakunin
- Onorato Damen
- Ottorino Perrone (Vercesi)
- Paul Mattick
- Rosa Luxemburg
- Vladimir Lenin
Politics
- Anarchism
- Anti-Americanism
- Anti-Globalization Movement
- Antifascism and United Front
- Antiracism
- Armed Struggle
- Autonomism and Workerism
- Base Unionism
- Bordigism
- Communist Left Inspired
- Cooperativism and autogestion
- DeLeonism
- Environmentalism
- Fascism
- Feminism
- German-Dutch Communist Left
- Gramscism
- ICC and French Communist Left
- Islamism
- Italian Communist Left
- Leninism
- Liberism
- Luxemburgism
- Maoism
- Marxism
- National Liberation Movements
- Nationalism
- No War But The Class War
- PCInt-ICT
- Pacifism
- Parliamentary Center-Right
- Parliamentary Left and Reformism
- Peasant movement
- Revolutionary Unionism
- Russian Communist Left
- Situationism
- Stalinism
- Statism and Keynesism
- Student Movement
- Titoism
- Trotskyism
- Unionism
Regions
User login
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.