Mike Parker spent his entire adult life engaged in movements and organizations that he believed would advance the struggle for the creation of a democratic socialist society.
Category: Socialism
Was there a Revolutionary Social Democracy?
Samuel Farber reviews Eric Blanc’s Revolutionary Social Democracy. Working Class Politics Across the Russian Empire (1882-1917), a book that is likely to become the focus of important debate on the left.
“That’s So F**king Imperialistic”: Responding to a Supporter of Cuba’s Government
Whatever a genuinely anti-imperialist approach toward Cuba might look like, it cannot be to rally behind a regime that denies Cubans some of their most basic rights.
Beyond Tragedy: Postscript on Kronstadt at 100
To avoid repeating the Kronstadt tragedy, and to build toward principled world revolution, we can commit to organizing transnational solidarity and speaking out against all forms of authoritarian repression.
The Kronstadt Revolt of 1921 as a part of the Great Russian Revolution
The March revolution of 1921, initiated by “Red Kronstadt”, had to complete the cause of the February and October revolutions of 1917. In this context, the Kronstadt revolt of 1921 appears as an integral part of the revolutionary process that took several years.
Kronstadt at 100
On the 100th anniversary of the Kronstadt events, New Politics is hosting a symposium on the historic tragedy, its meaning and significance, and its implications for today’s socialists.
The Political Creativity of Sylvia Pankhurst
Socialists and feminists (and socialist feminists) can profoundly benefit from the legacy of Sylvia Pankhurst who is equally deserving of the contemporary attention given to Rosa Luxemburg and Alexandra Kollontai.
Are Tankie Politics Racist?
Ani White and Gayaal Iddamalgoda argue that so-called “tankie” politics, meaning support for “actually-existing socialist” and “anti-imperialist” states, erase struggles in the Global South.
Socialists and Free Speech Revisited
How should socialists who support democratic rights approach current controversies regarding the practical application of the right to free speech? This review essay explores this question discussing David Renton’s recent book.
The Inaugural Historical Materialism East Asia Conference – Information Here
We think readers of New Politics may want to know about (and participate in) the inaugural Historical Materialism East Asia conference (online).
Marx’s Commune
An Appreciation and a Critique
For the 150th anniversary of the Paris Commune, an analysis of Marx’s views on the Commune and its historical possibilities.
Understanding the Paris Commune On its 150th Anniversary
What is the significance of the Paris Commune for us today? A model for socialists? A heroic failure? Negation of the state? Or the first workers’ government?
Capturing “the Spirit of Struggle”
Rosa Luxemburg on Literature
Luxemburg’s recognition of the paradoxical push and pull of creative literature speaks to contemporary debates in the context of both a resurgent far right and mass movements against systemic racism.
Social Explosion in Cuba: The Ignored Signals
In my opinion, there are two determining factors that have led to this moment of malaise. On the one hand, the inability of our rulers to channel a successful reform path…On the other hand, there is the ability of citizens to submit this incapacity to public judgment, which is something new.
Cuban Protests and the American Reaction
The moment that thousands took to the streets in unprecedented national demonstrations in Cuba on July 11 demanding “freedom,” everyone in Cuba and in the United States recognized that we are at a critical moment.
From Cuba: A Description of the Protests
On Sunday 11 July, Cuba experienced a series of social outbreaks that encompassed at least six of the 14 provinces that make up the country. In the 62 years since the triumph of the revolution, Cuba had not faced a situation like this.
Perspectives on the DSA Convention
The backdrop for the last two DSA conventions was resistance to Donald Trump and the anticipation of a second Sanders campaign. In 2021, that is gone: Trump is no longer president. Sanders lost. In the Biden era, what is DSA?
Democratic Socialists of America Faces Challenges at Convention
Without fear of Donald Trump and hope in Bernie Sanders, DSA seems to have lost some of its energy. There has been less membership participation in preparation for this convention.
Learning from Industrialization’s Mixed Legacy
Notes on Class Struggle Unionism under Biden
In my remarks I look back at the tradition of the Third Camp, articulated in publications of and about the Workers Party and Independent Socialist League, as well as my involvement in Berkeley with the Independent Socialist Club and the International Socialists.
Black Candidates Lead in New York City, Black Socialist Wins Mayor in Buffalo
The big surprise of the New York State election, was the victory of India B. Walton, a Black woman and a self-described socialist in the Democratic mayoral primary in Buffalo, New York, a poor city of 250,000 people, 37% Black.
Top