"So what should we do? Abstention from elections is obviously not enough. We have to respond with class struggle. In their elections, the bosses can only offer us wage-work and war. Bourgeois democracy is nothing more than a performance to trick the working class into fighting in the bosses’ ranks. Workers’ democracy is the alternative. Strike committees; mass assemblies; workers’ councils and congresses of them; these are the forms the working class has discovered through history to exercise their class power, from the factories of 1917 Russia to the sugar plants of 2010s Iran."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-04-12/elections-and-the-working-class-alternative
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-04-12/elections-and-the-working-class-alternative
Leftcom
Elections and the Working Class Alternative
(On Saturday 8 March, the CWO held an invite-only online meeting on the topic of elections. We publish here the presentation – although the situation has moved on since then, the central message remains just as relevant.
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"As the capitalist system increasingly engulfs the world in imperialist wars and climate catastrophes, more and more young people are looking for an alternative. The revolutionary ideas defended by the Communist Left over the last century are once again gaining wider exposure and as a consequence we see new groups appear around the world. Communism or Barbarism, based in South Korea and with contacts across East Asia, is trying to build a nucleus of the Internationalist Communist Tendency (ICT) in the region."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-04-23/welcome-to-communism-or-barbarism
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-04-23/welcome-to-communism-or-barbarism
Leftcom
Welcome to Communism or Barbarism
As the capitalist system increasingly engulfs the world in imperialist wars and climate catastrophes, more and more young people are looking for an alternative. The revolutionary ideas defended by the Communist Left over the last century are once again gaining…
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"The international working class must resist the call for the slaughter of its class, and turn its ire on the capitalists who give them their marching orders. This May Day we should look to those workers who chose to fight the class war and who collectively brought down empires before they could fire another shot at their comrades, as in WWI. Whilst today we can take heart from current examples of resistance, such as the Palestinians protesting against Hamas, the Israeli soldiers refusing to fight, and the Russians and Ukrainians deserting from the war fronts. Despite their limitations, they are an important signal for the future."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-04-29/may-day-2025-against-capitalist-crisis-against-imperialist-war-no-war-but-the
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-04-29/may-day-2025-against-capitalist-crisis-against-imperialist-war-no-war-but-the
Leftcom
May Day 2025: Against Capitalist Crisis, Against Imperialist War! No War but the Class War!
(2025 May Day Statement of the Internationalist Communist Tendency) May Day 2025 finds capitalism, no matter who’s in charge, drenching the world with the working class’s blood. It’s now 50 years since the end of capitalism’s post-war boom. After decades…
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To celebrate May Day, we've made our book on the Russian Revolution available to download for free. Learn more about this key chapter in the struggle for working class emancipation: https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2021-09-09/russia-revolution-and-counter-revolution-1905-1924-a-view-from-the-communist
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"It is 20 years since the death of our much loved comrade Mauro Stefanini (2 May 2005), a loss as premature as it was dramatic for the Internationalist Communist Party (PCInt) that held him among its best prepared and esteemed members, as it was for all the comrades of the Internationalist Communist Tendency (ICT) who knew him. Our memory of him has not diminished in all that time."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-05-02/remembering-mauro
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-05-02/remembering-mauro
Leftcom
Remembering Mauro
It is 20 years since the death of our much loved comrade Mauro Stefanini (2 May 2005), a loss as premature as it was dramatic for the Internationalist Communist Party (PCInt) that held him among its best prepared and esteemed members, as it was for all the…
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"As capitalism’s economic crisis gets more severe our rulers are unleashing a war of impoverishment on the working class at home while gearing up for a hot war on their rivals abroad. The chancellor has proposed to introduce £5bn of cuts to benefits, which is the biggest cut on record. Keir Starmer, justifying the cuts, described the welfare system as “unsustainable,” which indicates that there is worse to come."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-05-06/the-capitalist-response-guns-not-butter
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-05-06/the-capitalist-response-guns-not-butter
Leftcom
The Capitalist Response: "Guns not Butter!"
As capitalism’s economic crisis gets more severe our rulers are unleashing a war of impoverishment on the working class at home while gearing up for a hot war on their rivals abroad. The chancellor has proposed to introduce £5bn of cuts to benefits, which…
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"In 1946 the soon-to-be abolished Italian monarchy designated 25 April as “Liberation Day” referring to the final defeat of fascism in 1945. It has remained a national “anti-fascist” holiday under the Italian Republic ever since, accompanied by patriotic ceremonies and demonstrations. The following leaflet was distributed by our comrades in Battaglia Comunista at this year’s anniversary which had more resonance given that Meloni’s Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party, the heirs of fascist movements of the past, and the Italian version of the new populist nationalism, is in government..."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-06-10/the-real-anti-fascism-is-anti-capitalism
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-06-10/the-real-anti-fascism-is-anti-capitalism
Leftcom
The Real Anti-Fascism is Anti-Capitalism
(In 1946 the soon-to-be abolished Italian monarchy designated 25 April as “Liberation Day” referring to the final defeat of fascism in 1945. It has remained a national “anti-fascist” holiday under the Italian Republic ever since, accompanied by patriotic…
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"When Russia invaded Ukraine, the world situation changed dramatically. It became clear that the economic crisis was now so deep that the imperialist powers were forced to confront each other on a historic scale and that the world was once again threatened by a general imperialist war. In this new historical situation, the Swedish bourgeoisie was forced to reconsider its imperialist alliances."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-06-14/sweden-and-the-nato-accession-fight-against-rearmament-fight-against-capitalism
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-06-14/sweden-and-the-nato-accession-fight-against-rearmament-fight-against-capitalism
Leftcom
Sweden and the NATO Accession: Fight Against Rearmament, Fight Against Capitalism!
When Russia invaded Ukraine, the world situation changed dramatically. It became clear that the economic crisis was now so deep that the imperialist powers were forced to confront each other on a historic scale and that the world was once again threatened…
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"As planned, the Israeli-American imperialist duo has tightened the noose in redefining the balance of power in the Middle East, even if the war question is not yet over. Israel’s strike at the heart of its deadly enemy, given that Trump let it happen with the goal of weakening Iran, its nuclear programme and, by association, its Russian and Chinese allies, tells us a lot."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-06-18/israel-s-attack-on-iran-some-initial-thoughts
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-06-18/israel-s-attack-on-iran-some-initial-thoughts
Leftcom
Israel's Attack on Iran: Some Initial Thoughts
(A brief comment from our comrades in Battaglia Comunista written in the immediate aftermath of Israel's attack on Iran.) On the night of 13 June, Israel attacked Iran. Tehran, and seven other cities, experienced heavy bombing whilst six nuclear sites, the…
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"Following a vote in the House of Commons, the group Palestine Action has been officially designated a "proscribed terrorist organisation" in the UK. As of 5 July 2025, both membership of the group as well as support for the group constitutes a criminal offence. The decision has been a major source of controversy and deserves a critical comment."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-07-08/on-the-state-repression-of-the-palestine-solidarity-movement
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-07-08/on-the-state-repression-of-the-palestine-solidarity-movement
Leftcom
On the State Repression of Palestine Action
Following a vote in the House of Commons, the group Palestine Action has been officially designated a "proscribed terrorist organisation" in the UK. As of 5 July 2025, both membership of the group as well as support for the group constitutes a criminal offence.…
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"Given the way the capitalist world system has been configured in recent decades, it's doubtful, to say the least, that tariffs, in and of themselves, can revive the industrial America of the 1950s and 1960s. They certainly put a heavy burden on competing capital, which, in turn, exacerbates imperialist conflicts and a clear tendency towards global war. Meanwhile, the billionaire president, the one who passes himself off as a friend of America's blue-collar workers, has resumed the work begun in his first term — and left essentially untouched by Biden — confirming tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, claiming to believe that the wealth thus saved by millionaires and billionaires will trickle down; something that, of course, has never happened."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-07-21/the-working-class-will-pay-the-costs-of-the-tariff-war-unless
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-07-21/the-working-class-will-pay-the-costs-of-the-tariff-war-unless
Leftcom
The Working Class will Pay the Costs of the Tariff War, Unless...
"Dear friend, I'm writing to you..." This is, more or less, how Trump's letter to von der Leyen starts. In it, the US president announces the imposition of a 30% tariff on European goods imported into the US, in addition to equally heavy tariffs on automobiles…
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"In summary, these struggles can be said to be directed against corruption and an increasingly authoritarian development, and against a state that is no longer delivering its basic services in the face of deepening capitalist crisis. These are not purely proletarian struggles, but it is clear that there are extensive elements of the working class involved. They are expressions of a general dissatisfaction and frustration that is steaming under the surface, and sometimes must explode."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-07-22/in-the-wake-of-the-capitalist-crisis-protests-and-riots-and-the-need-for-an
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-07-22/in-the-wake-of-the-capitalist-crisis-protests-and-riots-and-the-need-for-an
Leftcom
In the Wake of the Capitalist Crisis: Protests and Riots - And the Need for an Independent Class Expression
The terrible wars in Gaza and Ukraine are both a product of the imperialist death dance of a capitalism in crisis and a trigger for further rearmament and international tensions. Ultimately, a future conflict between the USA and China (and a third world war)…
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"What is happening in India is not unique. Around the world, states facing economic crisis are turning to repression not as an emergency response, but as a strategic solution. In the face of capitalism's crisis of profitability, it no longer promises growth or employment. Instead, it demands control."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-07-31/from-gurgaon-to-the-globe-why-the-working-class-is-being-attacked
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-07-31/from-gurgaon-to-the-globe-why-the-working-class-is-being-attacked
Leftcom
From Gurgaon to the Globe: Why the Working Class Is Being Attacked
(We have received this short report on working conditions in the city of Gurgaon from a sympathiser in India. It demonstrates how all across the world attacks on "foreign" workers are becoming a weapon of choice for the ruling class as it tries to shift the…
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"What we need to do is change the system before it brings us all to destruction. Unless the various struggles against war become more general struggles against the system that causes it, nothing will change."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-12/resisting-capitalism-s-road-to-the-next-world-war
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-12/resisting-capitalism-s-road-to-the-next-world-war
Leftcom
Resisting Capitalism's Road to the Next World War
The global economic and political crisis is gaining momentum. We are often told that this crisis started with the financial crash of 2007/2008 or even with Covid. But these were just the latest episodes. The entire capitalist world economy has been limping…
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"Two years ago, the Resolution Foundation published a report which found that 900,000 British workers had no paid holidays (once a statutory right) whilst 1.8m didn’t get a payslip, and almost one third of workers on minimum wage had been underpaid. Evidence suggests the situation has only worsened. Little wonder, then, that workers in some sectors are refusing to accept the bosses’ latest attempts to worsen their already brutal conditions. CWO militants have joined these workers at picket lines, and here are some of our observations."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-15/against-worsening-conditions-and-redundancies-workers-are-starting-to-fight-back
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-15/against-worsening-conditions-and-redundancies-workers-are-starting-to-fight-back
Leftcom
Against Worsening Conditions and Redundancies, Workers are Starting to Fight Back
As the bosses’ crisis of profitability deepens, so too does the exploitation of those creating profits for them – the world working class. In every country and every sector, the same arsenal of attacks is being used against us. In the UK wages share of GDP…
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"The problems started with the first industrial revolution, over two hundred years ago. They began burning coal, then moved on to oil and gas, but continued to use coal, as they still do today on a massive scale. The ongoing revolution in the means of production, the increasingly ruthless competition, first predominantly between capitalists in a single country, then between capitalist countries, sparked a global war to increase competitiveness. Thus the civilisation of capitalist society has been established, with the bourgeoisie conducting the orchestra. This frenzy of constant GDP growth, in obeisance to the enrichment of the ruling class, spells the beginning of the end toward which we are all hurtling unless the global proletariat intervenes to stop the parasitic bourgeois class."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-18/the-working-class-biggest-victims-of-capitalism-s-environmental-devastation
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-18/the-working-class-biggest-victims-of-capitalism-s-environmental-devastation
Leftcom
The Working Class: Biggest Victims of Capitalism's Environmental Devastation
== Some General Reflections At last, in 2025 Italy is due to reach its defence spending target of 2% of GDP. Thus prime minister Meloni gleefully announced on 7 May. “Because without defence there is no security and without security there is no freedom."…
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"The sight of a defenceless population being gradually slaughtered, without ramification, by a regime armed to the teeth has rightly caused moral indignation across the world. But the only way to truly end genocide is to put an end to a system and the social relations which naturally breed it. As workers we remain powerless in the face of this descent into capitalist barbarism until there is a real class movement able to impose its interests on the warmongers, exploiters and oppressors of the world."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-19/imperialism-and-genocide-the-failure-of-international-law-to-prevent-mass
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-19/imperialism-and-genocide-the-failure-of-international-law-to-prevent-mass
Leftcom
Imperialism and Genocide: The Failure of International Law to Prevent Mass Killings
With airstrikes, controlled explosions and bulldozers Gaza is being razed to the ground. What still remains of it in the ever-shrinking "humanitarian zone" is now a shooting gallery, where starvation and disease rule the day. The Israeli military does not…
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"In September this year it will be fifty years since the foundation of the Communist Workers’ Organisation (CWO), so it is therefore an appropriate moment to review the strengths and weaknesses of our perspective over that time before posing our analysis of where we are today. Obviously much has changed in half a century but the central bedrock of our Marxist analysis has not."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-20/fifty-years-of-the-cwo-perspectives-for-2025-and-beyond
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-20/fifty-years-of-the-cwo-perspectives-for-2025-and-beyond
Leftcom
Fifty Years of the CWO: Perspectives for 2025 and Beyond
(This document was originally drafted in May for the Annual General Meeting of the CWO. Since then a number of events have taken place, key among them Israel’s attack on Iran and Trump’s threats to impose more tariffs on Europe.
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"For all Sarkar has described herself at various times throughout the book (and her career) as a “communist”, she scarcely offers any specific idea of what this means or could be done about the real problems she has identified. And while in Minority Rule Sarkar does seem to attempt to pose the problem as one of the capitalist system as such, the actual political content of her arguments lead inevitably back down the blind alley of reform."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-26/adventures-in-the-culture-wars-a-review-article
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2025-08-26/adventures-in-the-culture-wars-a-review-article
Leftcom
Adventures in the Culture Wars: A Review Article
Ash Sarkar, a contributing editor at Novara Media, has this year published her first book, _Minority Rule_, with the provocative subheading “Adventures in the Culture Wars”. Novara Media was founded in 2011 and rose to prominence in the wake of the student…