More than a year already of appalling carnage; hundreds of thousands of soldiers massacred on both sides; more than a year of indiscriminate bombings and executions, murdering tens of thousands of civilians; more than a year of systematic destruction turning the country into a gigantic field of ruins, while the displaced populations number in the millions; more than a year of huge budgets sunk into this butchery on both sides (Russia is now committing about 50% of its state budget to the war, while the hypothetical reconstruction of the ruined Ukraine would require more than 400 billion dollars). And this tragedy is far from over
Balance sheet of one year of war
The war in Ukraine is fuelling barbarism and chaos around the world
Leaflet on the class struggle in France
Strikes, demonstrations, 49.3: what next?
The ICC’s section in France has published this leaflet in response to the latest developments in the fight against the government’s pension “reforms”.
Rail disaster in Greece
In Greece as well, workers’ combativity and solidarity
Workers in Greece take their place in the international revival of class struggle, expressing their anger at the recent rail disaster which left 57 dead.
ICC Public Meeting in London, 1 April
We are not the only ones fighting…there are workers' struggles all over the world!
From Britain to France, Spain, Portugal and Holland and many other countries, workers’ struggles are multiplying, responding to the effects of inflation, the intensification of the war economy and frontal attacks by the bourgeoisie on living and working conditions.
What is the significance of these struggles? What is their potential? How is the ruling class dealing with them? How can the working class take the struggle forward?
Come and discuss all these questions at a public meeting organised by the ICC:
Saturday 1 April, 3-6pm
International Leaflet
UK, France, Spain, Germany, Mexico, China... Everywhere the same question: How to develop the struggle? How to make governments back down?
A new leaflet which we are distributing in a number of countries, aimed at answering the key questions facing the current wave of workers' struggles
No War But the Class War, Paris
On the recent meeting of NWBTCW in Paris
We publish below a position paper by one of our sympathisers on the No War But The Class War committee meeting in Paris on 2 December. We welcome this contribution and generally support the political content of this text
Anarchists and the Ukraine war
War fever, internationalism, and the limitations of anarchism
A response to a thread on the anarchist forum libcom, which highlights the deep divisions within the anarchist milieu over the war in Ukraine.
ICC Online Dossier
Solidarity with healthworkers striking in defence of their wages and conditions, not with their employer, the NHS
A series of articles explaining that the campaign to defend the NHS is a campaign to defend the capitalist state, not the working class.
Workers' struggles in Britain and France
The Spectator and the “disgruntled French”
It's not just French workers who are "disgruntled" with the state of this system.
The 20s of the 21st century
The acceleration of capitalist decomposition poses the clear possibility of the destruction of humanity
A statement from the ICC about the perspectives of capitalist society in the 2020s.
February 1st strikes and demonstrations
Union control reinforces divisions
On February 1st around half a million workers from different sectors in Britain were on strike – rail and some bus networks, civil servants, and in particular workers in education, both schools and universities. This was the biggest number of workers out on one day since the strike wave in Britain began last summer.
Third Manifesto of the ICC
Capitalism leads to the destruction of humanity... Only the world revolution of the proletariat can put an end to it
130 years ago, when tensions between capitalist powers were growing in Europe, Frederick Engels posed the dilemma for humanity: Communism or Barbarism. This alternative was concretised in the First World War which broke out in 1914 and caused 20 million deaths, another 20 million invalids, and in the chaos of war there was the Spanish flu pandemic with more than 50 million deaths. The revolution in Russia in 1917 and the revolutionary attempts in other countries put an end to the carnage and showed the other side of the historical dilemma posed by Engels: the overthrow of capitalism on a world scale by the revolutionary class, the proletariat, opening up the possibility of a communist society.
France: the movement against pension “reform”
It’s not enough to come out in large numbers, we have to take control of our struggles!
Leaflet given out by the ICC at the recent massive demonstrations in France
Mobilisation against pension "reform" in France
How to resist the attacks and develop the fight?
An article showing that the current revival of workers’ militancy has spread to other European countries.
Workers' strikes and popular demonstrations in China
Citizens' mobilisations for "democracy" are a deadly trap for the working class
Blank sheets of paper symbolise the demand for "free speech" and other democratic illusions
An article looking at a very real danger facing the workers of China.
No War But The Class War, Paris
A committee that leads its participants into a dead end
On Friday 2 December, the first meeting in France of the 'No War But The Class War' committee took place in Paris. In this article, we explain our criticisms of this project.
Political parasitism
Attacking the ICC: the raison d'être of the IGCL
For once, we thank the “International Group of the Communist Left” (IGCL) for giving us the opportunity to remind ourselves of what it really is. To this end, we reproduce below (in full, including footnotes) their little article that is supposed to point out our impasse and contradictions on the issue of parasitism, if the title is to be believed. And for the benefit of our readers, we respond to it right after.
Critique of the so-called “Communisers”
Part One: Introduction to the series on “Communisers”
A new series which develops our critique of the so-called “communisation” tendency and its claims to have gone beyond marxism and the communist left.
Critique of the so-called “communisers” (Part 2)
From leftism to modernism: the misadventures of the ‘Bérard tendency’
An article recounting the first major confrontation between the precursors of the ICC and an early expression of the “communisation” tendency.
Critique of the so-called "communisers", annex to part 2
Why the proletariat is the revolutionary class: Critical notes on the article 'Leçons de la lutte des ouvriers anglais' in Révolution Internationale no 9
Alongside the article on the history of the “Bérard tendency” in International Review 169, we are republishing a developed response by the organisation, first published in Révolution Internationale no 9 (first series), May-June 1974. Its principal arguments against the embryonic “communisation” tendency – their rejection of the economic struggles of the working class, and of the political dimension of the proletarian revolution, etc – remain entirely valid today.
Don't Pay UK campaign
A citizens’ protest is not the class struggle
High energy bills are weighing on everyone's mind. How could it be otherwise when almost a quarter of your income has to be spent on energy? This is one of the major components of the “cost of living” crisis which has provoked a wave of strikes in the UK, and which is echoing in other European countries. But there are other forms of protest taking place, directly targeting energy bills but based on the idea of “popular protest”. This article looks at some of the dangers contained in these kinds of campaigns, focusing on “Don’t Pay UK”.
UCU Rally in London
The unions don’t unite our struggle – they organise its division!
Despite their radical rhetoric, the trade unions are an obstacle to real workers' unity
International Leaflet
A summer of anger in Britain: The ruling class demands further sacrifices, the response of the working class is to fight!
All the reporters and commentators are referring to the current strikes as the biggest working class action in Britain for decades; only the huge strikes of 1979 produced a bigger and more widespread movement. Action on this scale in a country as large as Britain is not only significant locally, it is an event of international importance, a message to the exploited of every country. This international leaflet in pdf form is available here. We encourage our readers to print out copies and distribute them wherever possible.
World Cup 2022 in Qatar
An illustration of the irrationality and corruption of capitalism
The 2022 football World Cup has expressed the irrationality and rottenness of the capitalist world to the highest degree.
Refugee crisis
The shipwreck of government policy
The "refugee problem" is a product of the global disintegration of capitalism, and the ruling class has no solution to it.
Strike wave in Britain
Workers fight for their own side in the class war
The strikes in Britain signify a real break from the years of retreat which began in the 1980s
Reader’s contribution
Truss resignation shows the real nature of Britain’s “special relationship” with the US
The reader’s contribution published here is about the global tendencies and tensions underlying a recent, unprecedented event in the history of British politics: the resignation of Truss after only 44 days and after several tumultuous weeks, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in the history of the United Kingdom.
Internationalist Voice on the protests in Iran
The emancipation of women is only possible in a communist society
We publish here an article by the Internationalist Voice group, which argues forcefully against the attempts of the international bourgeoisie to steer the mounting anger of the population in Iran towards the illusion of an “emancipation of women” inside the confines of capitalist society.
Significance of the “summer of anger" in Britain
The return of the combativity of the world proletariat
Because of the number of sectors affected, the combativity of the workers involved in the struggle and the widespread support for action among the working population, the wave of strikes which has spread throughout Britain this summer is an event of undeniable importance on the domestic level. But we also need to understand that the historical significance of these struggles goes far beyond their local dimension or even their one-off occurrence.
Ecological crisis
Capitalist destruction of nature heats up the need for communism
Storm damage from 150mph winds in Florida
In the first half of 2022, as in so many of the previous years, the planet was plagued by numerous wildfires, catastrophic flooding, tropical storms and unprecedented heat waves. The increase of temperature has considerably exacerbated the risk of extreme weather disasters. The scale of destruction it implies is terrifying: it reveals the acceleration of the decomposition of capitalism.
Divisions in the ruling class
Peru: The dead-end of the protests and the role of state repression
An analysis of the ongoing protests in Peru and the competing factions behind them.
Balance sheet of discussions at the ICC’s public meetings
The response of the working class to the acceleration of barbarism
War, pandemic, ecological disaster, economic chaos, famine: in the opening years of the 2020s, all these products of a decaying system have been intensifying and acting on each other, leaving little doubt that capitalism is spiralling towards destruction. But in opposition to the sense of doom and hopelessness pervading society, starting in June 2022 in GB, workers around the world have ignited the fire of international class struggle...
Earthquake hits Turkey and Syria
The name of the disaster is capitalism - only proletarian class solidarity can save us!
We publish here a statement by some comrades in Turkey on the earthquake which has hit Turkey and Syria. We salute the comrades’ rapid response to these awful events, in which the official death toll has already passed 21,000 and is likely to climb much higher, including those who survived the initial quake but now face hunger, cold and disease. As the statement shows, this “natural” disaster has been made far more deadly by the callous demands of capitalist profit and competition, which has obliged people to live in totally inadequate, flimsy housing. The particularly catastrophic effects of the recent earthquake illustrates the accentuation of the bourgeoise’s contempt for the lives and suffering of the working class and the oppressed today in the period where the capitalist mode of production is decomposing in every respect.
Economic crisis in Britain
The bourgeoisie has no alternative to austerity and more brutal attacks
The problems facing the UK economy in part express weaknesses that go back over a century. Add to that the impact of the world economic crisis and it becomes clear that the ruling class has no bright future to offer us.
Health crisis, economic stagnation, imperialist pressure...
The Chinese bourgeoisie in turmoil
Far from being the “big winner” in the Covid crisis, the weaknesses of the Chinese model of state capitalism are being laid bare.
Reader’s letter
How should revolutionaries orient their interventions?
We publish below an extract from a letter sent by one of our readers, Robert, after an online meeting he attended, followed by our reply.
War in Ukraine
Capitalism accumulates ruins and corpses
The war in Ukraine, which has been going on for almost a year, demonstrates the total irrationality of world capitalism.
Editorial, International Review 169
Faced with war and the acceleration of the crisis of capitalism, revolutionaries have a historic responsibility
International Review 169 will be out soon. This is the editorial article.
History of the revolutionary movement
100 years after the foundation of the Communist International: What lessons can we draw for future combats? (Part V)
Concluding article in the series.
Iran
The necessity for workers' autonomy
June 2021: striking oil workers at a refinery
The wave of protests in Iran expresses a widespread discontent against the Islamic regime, but the working class in Iran faces the danger of being "drowned" in a popular movement dominated by bourgeois slogans
Correspondence
The Covid 19 pandemic and the dynamic of the class struggle
An exchange relating to the significance of the current wave of workers’ struggles in Britain and their connection to the period of the Covid pandemic
All trade unions are against the struggle of the working class
A reader who recently took part in an online public meeting of the ICC has raised questions about our position on the trade unions, the Russian revolution and other vital questions. Here we publish part of the correspondence dealing with the question of the trade unions.
Imperialist conflict in Ukraine
Joint statement of groups of the international communist left about the war in Ukraine
The organisations of the communist left must mount a united defence of their common heritage of adherence to the principles of proletarian internationalism, especially at a time of great danger for the world's working class. The return of imperialist carnage to Europe in the war in Ukraine is such a time. That's why we publish below, with other signatories from the communist left tradition (and a group with a different trajectory fully supporting the statement), a common statement on the fundamental perspectives for the working class in the face of imperialist war.
Internal debate on the world situation
Reply to Ferdinand
We publish a reply to Divergences with the Resolution on the International Situation of the 24th ICC congress (explanation of a minority position, by Ferdinand), expressing the position of the ICC
Reply to comrade Steinklopfer, August 2022
A response to the contribution Explanation of the amendments by comrade Steinklopfer rejected by the Congress.
Explanation of the amendments by comrade Steinklopfer rejected by the Congress
Here we publish the second of two texts expressing divergences on the resolution on the international situation from the 24th ICC Congress.
Divergences with the Resolution on the International Situation of the 24th ICC congress (explanation of a minority position, by Ferdinand)
ICC presentation
In continuity with the discussion documents published after the ICC’s 23rd Congress, we are publishing a further contribution by a comrade expressing divergences with the Resolution on the International Situation from the ICC’s 24th Congress.
Sweden and Finland join NATO
The myth of neutrality and non-alignment exposed
The myth of the “peaceful” Nordic countries is being exposed, and NATO will profit from this, through a strengthening of its northern flank, which extends the encirclement of Russia.
Economic crisis
The world economy hit by the acceleration of decomposition
Capitalism is more and more being strangled by a whole series of contradictions inherent in its way of existing, which are now inter-acting and mutually reinforcing each other, threatening society at unheard of levels of scale and frequency.
Imperialist rivalries
American imperialism, a major factor in capitalist chaos
The claims of the USA to be the standard bearer of peace and a rule-based world order are nothing but lies to hide its real imperialist designs.
Angry Workers of the World and the war in Ukraine
AWW and Ukraine war: There is no middle ground between internationalism and “national defence”
The war in Ukraine has produced major divisions in a group which, in the past, has defended internationalist positions.
From Internationalist Voice
The murder of Mahsa Amini is a manifestation of the brutality of the Islamic bourgeoisie!
Statement by the Internationalist Voice group about the widespread protests over the police murder of a young woman in Iran for breaking the regime's "hijab rules".
Update of the 1990 orientation text
Militarism and Decomposition (May 2022)
In the wake of the Ukraine war, a new text updating our analysis of the growth of militarism in the final phase of capitalist decadence.
Dossier: Marxism in the UK 1848-1914
The Struggle for the Class Party in Britain 1848-1914
A series of of articles examining the historic problems faced by the effort to construct a marxist political organisation in Britain.
Internationalists faced with the war in Ukraine
Correspondence on the Joint Statement of groups of the Communist Left on the war in Ukraine
An exchange of correspondence between the groups of the communist left regarding the need for a joint statement against the imperialist war in Ukraine.