Happy Birthday, Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was born 200 years ago today. We should thank him for helping out his friend Karl Marx — but also for the critique of capitalism he produced in his own right.
19550 Articles by: Enver Motala
Enver Motala is an associate of the Centre for Education Rights and Transformation (CERT) at the University of Johannesburg and of the Centre for Integrated Post-School Education and Training at the Nelson Mandela University.
John Carpenter, Apocalyptic Filmmaker
John Carpenter’s movies provide visions of societies falling apart. No wonder his work is resonating now more than ever.
Stories for the End of the World
From the mutant animals of Chernobyl and Marie Antoinette’s perverted orgies, to QAnon and Russiagate, conspiracy theories flourish in times of crisis and collapse of political legitimacy.
There’s No Such Thing as “the Latino Vote”
Latino voters, just like any other group, are divided along class and ideological lines. The key to winning working-class Latinos to a left politics is to offer a positive vision that materially improves their lives.
Native Americans Have Been Taking on Billionaires in the Hamptons
Southampton, New York, is the famed summer retreat of billionaires and celebrities. Now it’s the scene of an indigenous struggle for justice and survival.
The Return of Thailand’s Democracy Movement
Thailand’s conservative military regime holds power through repression and a rigged political system. This year, however, the government has faced an unprecedented challenge from a pro-democracy movement spearheaded by young activists.
Victoria’s First Aboriginal Senator, Lidia Thorpe, Speaks to Jacobin
On October 6, Lidia Thorpe was sworn in as the first Aboriginal woman to represent Victoria in Australia’s parliament. This month, Thorpe spoke to Jacobin about a centuries-long struggle for justice.
Comcast Got $1 Billion in Public Subsidies. Now It’s Charging the Public New Data Fees.
Comcast received $1 billion in government subsidies. But it’s still imposing new data fees on customers reliant on the internet due to COVID. Thanks to a massive lobbying effort and ties to Joe Biden, the telecom giant might very well get away with it.
Corporations Aren’t Sharing the Sacrifices With Workers During the Pandemic
America’s biggest corporations have made record profits during the COVID-19 pandemic — while denying or clawing back their workers’ hazard pay.
“Our Task Is to Defeat Bolsonarism and Put an End to His Authoritarian Project”
Housing organizer and socialist Guilherme Boulos recently shocked Brazil by forcing a runoff for mayor in the largest city in the Western Hemisphere, São Paolo. In an interview, he lays out his vision for the position, how to embed the Brazilian left in the country’s working class, and how to “place the periphery in the center.”
Congress Now Has a Labor Caucus
We don’t have a labor party in the US, but as of earlier this month, we do have a Labor Caucus in Congress. We talked to Wisconsin representative Mark Pocan about the caucus’s plans.
The Political Afterlives of Yukio Mishima, Japan’s Most Controversial Intellectual And Global Icon Of The Far Right
The writer Yukio Mishima, who took his own life fifty years ago today, remains one of modern Japan’s most important cultural figures. Mishima’s eccentric and contradictory political stances have also gained him a devoted following on the international far right.
What David Dinkins Taught Us
Whatever his failings, the late New York mayor David Dinkins’s historic stature and contributions to the common good gave him a unique place in the democratic socialist movement.
Emmanuel Macron Is Creating a Liberalism Without Civil Liberties
On Tuesday, France’s National Assembly passed a bill effectively banning citizens from posting videos of police officers. Emmanuel Macron is trampling on historic press freedoms in order to prove himself as a “law-and-order” president — an authoritarian turn which makes a mockery of his claimed defense of liberal values.
New Poll: Majority of Americans Want the Senate to Reject Biden’s Corporate Nominees
An astounding 68 percent of Americans say they want lawmakers to reject corporate executives and lobbyists if they are nominated for Joe Biden’s cabinet posts, according to a new survey.
Mayor David Dinkins Was Better Than Those Who Came After Him
New York’s first and only black mayor, and one time Democratic Socialists of America member, David Dinkins came to power at a time when anyone left of center was forced into a defensive posture.
Canceling Medical Debt Is a Moral Imperative
The US’s monstrous for-profit health system saddles millions of workers with debt for the crime of seeking medical treatment. We desperately need to cancel all medical debt, even as we continue to fight for Medicare for All.
Joe Biden Is Filling His Cabinet With Pro-War Hawks
If you were hoping for a change of heart from Joe Biden after a decades-long career as a hawk, we’ve got bad news: his incoming team helped shape some of the most militaristic policies of the Obama administration.
Kshama Sawant: Democrats and the Right Are Attacking Me — And Left Movements Everywhere
For Seattle’s ruling class, having even one socialist, Kshama Sawant, on city council is far too many. Which is why, Sawant writes in Jacobin, since she first won office in 2013, the attacks from Democrats, the Right, and corporate juggernauts like Amazon haven’t stopped attacking her.
US Billionaires Have Increased Their Riches By $1 Trillion During the Pandemic
A trillion dollars could maintain wages at pre-crisis levels for all workers in America, enabling people to stay home and stop the spread of the virus, for four months. Instead, it’s gone into the personal piggy banks of a handful of billionaire owners and investors.