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Theory and Struggle is the annual journal of the Marx Memorial Library & Workers' School (MML).
This edition includes:
- Marx Memorial Library and Workers' School at 90 Symposium: Popular Fronts and Resistane to Fascism: Learning the lessons of 1933 and the founding of the Marx Memorial Library in context by Mary Davis, Sitaram Yerchury, Renate Koppe and Patrick Theuret
- Class mobilisation and class consciouness in the British strike wave of 2022-23 by Jonathan White
- The polycrisis of capitalism by Michael Roberts
- BRICS+ in the context of a struggle for a new global order by Jeremy Cronin
- Lenin's lessons by Vijay Prishad
- Imperialism and the labour aristocracy in Britain by Mary Davis
- Breaking up the state and lopping off the parasites: Lenin's "dictatorship of the proletariat" as the state that is ceasing to be a state by Jonathan White
There are also sections on trade union and community struggles, including the 50th anniversary of the Portuguese revolution; the 90th anniversary of MML; and book reviews.
Members of MML get free ONLINE access to this and all previous editions of the Library's journals, dating back to the 1930s.
REDUCED PRICE TO CLEAR
This book offers a unique insight into the processes that brought about perestroika and the demise of Eastern Europe's experiment with socialism. It is a fascinating and essential read for all those wishing to understand the processes from the viewpoint of an intelligent insider and perceptive observer.
Mikhail Gorbachev and his policy of perestroika not only brought about the transformation of the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc, but the constellation of world relationships. At the centre of those profound changes that shook Europe was a divided Germany.
After the Wall was opened in 1989, the author, Hans Modrow, became the GDR's last prime minister, before elections were held and the country chose to unite with the Federal Republic by a process of annexation.
First published in Britain in 2014 by Marx Memorial Library in collaboration with Artery Publications.
An MML publication on historical materialism. As global capitalism lurches from one crisis to the next we are seeing a resurgence of interest in Marxist ideas and politics. Marxist thought provides a way of understanding the economic crises rippling across the globe, the environmental destruction and climate change that threaten to change our lives and the desperate inequality and poverty that blights human society.
Paperback
A pamphlet about the build-up to the Russian Revolution, the execution of the revolution itself and the impact it had on the course and outcome of WW1, including in the European and British labour movements.
The October Revolution of 1917 was a seismic event which uprooted the established order of capitalism in Europe, changing the course of international history. The revolution profoundly altered the Russian state and impacted the outcome of WW1 spurring Western governments to intervene to prevent the Communist ideology spreading westward. Despite attempts to stifle it, the revolution influenced popular left-wing movements across Europe, sparking other revolutions and uprisings. It is remarkable to note that the revolution occurred despite its contradictory nature, taking place in the least educated and most economically backward country in Europe. This pamphlet traces the revolution from its origins through to its implementation, and thereafter the explosion of actions, reactions and movements it affected. Written and published in the centenary year of the revolution, this pamphlet accompanied an exhibition exploring the same themes, which was displayed at academic institutions across the country. It was published as part of a larger celebration of the Russian Revolution, which included the launch of a website for researchers, as well as many lectures and discussions, culminating in an international conference held at the TUC hall on November 4, 2017. This project was made possible by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and made generous use of the resources of the Marx Memorial Library, the Society for Co-Operation in Russian and Soviet Studies, Sputnik, RIA Novosti and the Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick.
By Bob Cooney, with Introduction by Meirian Jump (Manifesto Press, London: 2015)
Bob Cooney (1907-1984) was a prominent anti-fascist and communist in Aberdeen who joined the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. Published here for the first time, Proud Journey is his memoir of those turbulent times. It takes us from street clashes with Blackshirts to the battlefields of Spain and the heroism and sacrifice of Cooney and his comrades facing the forces of Franco, Hitler and Mussolini. Written in 1944 and with the Second World War as a backdrop, this is a rousing personal account of one man’s part in the long and bloody fight against fascism that helped define this key period of twentieth century history. Cooney paints an action-packed and politically-charged picture of struggle, solidarity, comradeship – and hope.
Bob Cooney writes honestly and in great detail about his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, successfully placing the war in the context of the rise of fascism in Europe during the 1930s and the inaction of Western powers, through the policy of non-intervention, to prevent its spread. He writes of conversations and anecdotes with his comrades, but also analyses the complex politics of the conflict. His lifelong communist and anti-fascist beliefs are reflected through his passionate and gripping words. Cooney's Proud Journey is one of many International Brigade memoirs housed in the Spanish Collection archives at the Marx Memorial Library & Workers' School. The collection was originally donated by the International Brigade Association, and contains a variety of original material such as photographs, posters, banners and letters of correspondence.
123 pages
This book, published by Praxis Press, examines the significance of Marxism for today’s world. Leading scholars and activists from different countries – including Cuba, India and the UK – show that Marx’s ideas continue to provide us with the analysis we need to understand our world today in order to change it.
The relevance of Marx’s contribution to political economy is discussed, as is Marxism and the ongoing battle of ideas. John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor, writes about Marxism as a force for change in the 21st century. The leader of the Indian Communist Party, Sitaram Yechury, focuses on Marx’s legacy 200 years on.
Other wide-ranging topics demonstrating the relevance of Marxist ideas and approaches in the current climate include: ‘neoliberalism, austerity and Marx’, ’capitalism and new technology’, 'Marxism and Women', ’Marxism and the environment’, ’Marxism and culture’ as well as ‘the role of the state’, ‘Marxism and the present as history’ and ‘Populist nationalism’.
The book is based on a major international conference organised by the Marx Memorial Library to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx on 5 May 2018.