Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana together at a meeting

Socialism or Barbarism – New left parties & the struggle for revolutionary rupture

There is no reformist road to breaking with capitalism. When it has been tried, the results have been a disaster. Capitalism has at times been prepared to tolerate reforms, such as the creation of the welfare state and NHS post-World War 2. It did so because the alternative was a revolution. Faced with a powerful, organised workers movement, the ruling class risked losing their wealth and privileged place in society.

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Mass demonstration by SEAT workers in Barcelona against Franco dictatorship in 1971

50 years ago Francesco Franco, Spain’s fascist dictator died

According to the Socialists and Stalinists, i.e., the Mensheviks of the first and second instances, the Spanish revolution was called upon to solve only its “democratic” tasks, for which a united front with the “democratic” bourgeoisie was indispensable. From this point of view, any and all attempts of the proletariat to go beyond the limits of bourgeois democracy are not only premature but also fatal.

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Workers outside the occupied Renault plant in France 1968

Adapting to a new era: the post-WWII Fourth international

For Marxists, any outlook is conditional. Many economic, political and social factors arise and interact with each other. At any given time, it is crucial to evaluate and adapt the perspectives that have been mapped out, because it is these that provide the guide for revolutionary action. A fundamentally different development from the one anticipated can occur, and clinging to dated perspectives is a mistake for which there is always a heavy price to pay. Unfortunately, this is what happened with the Fourth International.

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