Marxist Voice

A revolutionary wave swept through Europe towards the end of the Second World War. In France, communists formed the backbone of the armed resistance to fascism. In Italy, workers occupied the factories, peasants took over the land, and communists led a mass armed partisan force. In Greece, the communist party led the resistance movement, and was in a strong position to take power. But in all these countries, capitalism survived. In this session, leading member of the RCI James Kilby, will explain the revolutionary process that developed towards the end of the war. He will explore how and why the Stalinists in one country after another betrayed these incredible movements, thus setting back the world revolution by decades.

Hear the author of A Communist History of the British General Strike talk on the contents of his new book. And order your copy of the book. In May 1926 the working class of Britain moved in its millions. Whispers of a new world — one run by the workers, without the need for bosses, bankers or politicians — were in the air. Britain, an island supposedly lacking in revolutionary traditions, was on the brink of an almighty upheaval.For nine days, British workers defied the state and their employers to bring the country to a standstill. The General Strike had the potential to change the country forever, but it was betrayed by the very people who were supposed to lead it.Today, a century later, there are striking similarities with Britain of the 1920s. The economy is weak. Living standards are falling. Public services are collapsing. People are angry, and class battles are close at hand.In his book, Ben Gliniecki, General Secretary of the Revolutionary Communist Party, presents a sketch of the events of the strike and what led to it. Through it, we can study the hard-learned lessons of 1926 — about betrayal, state repression and failure of leadership. And we can be inspired by the power, initiative and unity of the working class in struggle. With this, we can turn the whispers of a new world into reality.

The Russian Revolution was the greatest event in human history, where the workers took power into their hands and grasped the state. But revolution is never a one act drama, it is a transition from one mode of production into another. This means that the revolution does not create socialism or communism overnight. The was abundantly clear in Russia, with its underdeveloped economy. This was the topic of a discussion at the latest Central Committee meeting of the Revolutionary Communist Party. Listen to the talk, by executive committee member Daniel Morley, here. If you want to know more about this period of history we would recommend ⁠this article⁠ from the RCI on the same topic. For a longer read covering the topic, ⁠In Defence of Lenin⁠, ⁠Russia, from Revolution to Counter Revolution⁠, ⁠Trotsky's My Life⁠ and ⁠Victor Serge's Year One of the Russian Revolution⁠.

The middle east has been the playground of western imperialism for decades. With tensions raising in Iran, and western imperialism attempting to use this for its own gains, it is the job of communists to understand the role of imperialism in this region. For this reason, we publish here Lubna Badi's talk from Revolution Festival 2025. Lubna is a Central Committee member of the RCP who regularly writes and speaks on the middle east. If you would like to learn more on this topic we reccomend reading Thawra hatta'l nasr! - Revolution until Victory! as well as Israel-Palestine A Revolutionary Way Forward.

2026 has started with an almighty imperialist bang. Given the current actions of US imperialism, kidnapping the president of Venezuela and threatening the rest of Latin America and Greenland, it is clear that imperialism is something communists must understand. Liberal media will tell you that this is the madness of Trump, but we know it is deeper than that. Imperialism does not start or end with the personality traits of its representatives. Rather, it is sewed into the fabric of capitalism. In order to help comrades understand this topic, we are publishing Adam Booth, from the RCP Executive Committee, talking on monopolies and imperialism at our 2025 Revolution Festival. If you want to know more about this topic, we would reccomend reading Lenin's Imperialism: The highest stage of capitalism, as well as Colossus: The rise and decline of US imperialism. If you would like to hear more from Adam, we suggest his other talk from this event on the inner workings of capitalism, as well as his readers' guide to Marx's Capital.

Every day the news in the Western world is full of stories about migration. Major political parties are forming their messaging around anti-migrant rhetoric. At the same time, the left is organising protests and holding signs which say 'refugees are welcome here'. But migration didn't come out nowhere, it is a product of capitalisms need for cheap labour and foreign wars. So what is the communist position on this question? At Revolution Festival last year, Fiona Lali from the RCP Executive Committee talked on this topic.

From this year's Revolution Festival, Peter Kwasiborski, introduces Shostakovich. Stalin's bureaucracy waged a campaign of hate against artists who defied their narrow doctrine of 'Socialist Realism'. Dmitri Shostakovich's 'Anti-formalist Rayok' lambasts these cultural crimes, and defends the spirit of cultural freedom unleashed by the October Revolution.🔗 ⁠Head to our website for more analysis on the topic⁠✊ ⁠Join the Revolutionary Communist Party⁠📰 ⁠Subscribe to The Communist and the In Defence of Marxism magazine⁠💸 ⁠Donate to the RCP⁠🌐 ⁠Read the latest news and analysis from the RCI