What would socialism look like?

What would socialism look like?

Most people today are well aware of what they are against, poverty, austerity, racism, imperialism and much more. However, very few people have an idea of what they are fighting for. Politics promises things it can never achieve, demoralising people in the process. This is where Marxism is different. Instead of starting with what we want, we begin with what is possible and what is getting in our way. In this talk, Sarah Vedrovitch explains the world which communists are fighting for and how to get to it from what exists today.

Revolutions in Materialist Philosophy

From the Renaissance to Marx, this talk from the London Marxist School traces the revolutionary developments of materialist philosophy. Beginning with the scientific breakthroughs of figures like Francis Bacon and Isaac Newton, it explores how humanity fought to understand the world through reason, science, and experience. The talk examines the limits of English empiricism, explaining the triumph of Marx and Engels in using dialectics to elevate materialism onto a higher plane. In doing so, they uncovered the laws of historical development and the contradictions of capitalism itself. As Khaled Malachi explains, Marxist philosophy is a guide to revolutionary action: a method for understanding society, exposing the roots of class exploitation, and fighting consciously for a socialist future.

Defying US imperialism: Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution

The Cuban Revolution stands as one of the most revered revolutions in the history of capitalism. Fidel Castro and Che Guevara began as anti-imperialists and did not initially consider the revolution to be socialist. However, in the course of the struggle, they realised that the fight against imperialism, if it was to succeed, also had to be a fight against capitalism. With this understanding, they heroically ended capitalism on the island, leading to a long list of gains for Cuban workers. With the struggle against imperialism taking on renewed importance today, the lessons of the Cuban Revolution should be studied by all those who want to end the barbarism created by imperialism. In this talk, RCP Central Committee member Keelan Kellegher will draw out the lessons of the Cuban Revolution, explaining the most important conclusions we can take from this inspiring event.

Feuerbach, philosophy, and the birth of Marxism

Dialectical materialism, the philosophy of Marxism, did not fall from the sky. Nor was it just a ‘good idea’ that Marx came up with one afternoon. As Marxists we owe an immense debt to the philosophers of the past, in particular the German idealist Hegel. Before Marx was a ‘Marxist’, he was a student of Hegel, and was amongst those who saw in Hegelian philosophy a revolutionary method of understanding the world: the Young Hegelians. This talk will explain the contributions of Hegel and the Young Hegelians in developing philosophy. In particular, the work of Ludwig Feuerbach, whose attempt to critique Hegel showed the way forward, even if it ultimately failed to go all the way. Of the Young Hegelians, it was Marx and Engels alone who fully grasped the revolutionary spirit of Hegel’s philosophy. This talk, given by leading RCP comrade Nye Shaw, will explain what set these two giants apart from the rest, and how, on this basis, the revolutionary philosophy of Marxism was born.

100 years of Malcolm X: From Nation to Revolution

The name Malcolm X is synonymous with the black liberation movement internationally. His life was dedicated to this struggle, ultimately leading to his murder in 1965. His view that liberation should be fought for 'by any means necessary' was a battle cry to the oppressed masses globally, who could see the limits of peaceful protest and abiding by a law set up to oppress you. Beginning as black nationalist and member of the Muslim Brotherhood, in his life he experienced the development of the civil rights movement in the US and saw a series of revolutions against colonialism in Africa. These experiences moved him towards socialist and international and anti-capitalist ideas. Later in his life he proclaimed 'you cannot have capitalism without racism'. In this talk Fiona Lali, RCP Executive Committee member, will discuss the life and ideas of Malcolm X and how we can honour his legacy by overthrowing the oppression and exploitation which still plagues the world today.