The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas, i.e. the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time its ruling intellectual force.” Karl Marx and Frederick Engels wrote those words in their 1846 book, “The German...
The State
he U.S. war machine and capitalist ‘democracy’
The threat posed to a formal, functioning democracy by militarism, or what has been called the “military-industrial complex,” is recognized not just by socialists, but by liberals and even some militarists as well. In order to establish some credibility in anti-war...
Democracy on the job? Not under capitalism
Imagine you were in a place where you had no rights at all. If you did anything wrong, you would face harsh punishment, including denying you the ability to feed your family. Most of us do not have to imagine. It is the reality of our workplaces. If you arrive at work...
Workers’ democracy in Cuba
In the United States, politicians of all stripes, along with the big-business media, routinely portray Cuba as an oppressive dictatorship. Cuban leader Fidel Castro is said to decide everything in society, supported by a police state where free political expression...
The first modern socialists: their means were utopian, but not their goal
Since the advent of class antagonisms in human society, oppressed people and others angered by injustice have dreamed of a better world. In the face of poverty, disease, humiliation and exploitation, people have counterposed their hopes and aspirations for a life free...
How can the working class defend its revolution? Understanding the dictatorship of the proletariat
The ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ Workers around the world have instinctively understood the need for a union. In the fight against the bosses—whether it is for pay and benefits, better working conditions or to defend the gains they have already won—individual...
Anarchism’s track record: What is militancy without a winning program?
In the struggle for a better world, the working-class movement often faces the question: Which way forward? It may be in a strike, where the bosses are threatening to bring in scabs. It may be in a demonstration, when the cops are preparing to disperse the crowd. Or...
Dismantle the racist prison system!
Rehabilitation will only be a priority under socialism The United States has the largest prison population in the world. According to a Bureau of Statistics report, over 2.2 million people are in U.S. prisons. With another 5 million people in “the system,” over 7...
The evolution of the modern capitalist state
At a meeting in early February, an activist from South Korea told me: “We only wish Bush could run for office a third time. No other political force could have helped the progressive and pro-reunification movement in Korea make so much progress. Bush’s hard-line...