Karl Marx Knew That the Struggle for Reforms Was Part of the Struggle for Socialism
The tendency of some modern-day Marxists to pit reform against revolution is diametrically opposed to the vision of Karl Marx himself.
19381 Articles by: Wouter van de Klippe
Wouter van de Klippe is a freelance journalist and writer based in Europe. He is particularly interested in organized labor, social and environmental justice, and social welfare states.
Seattle Has Banned Caste Discrimination, a First Outside South Asia
In Seattle, a bill advanced by socialist city council member Kshama Sawant has outlawed caste discrimination. She and Cornel West argue in Jacobin that the law is a victory against oppression.
Abortion Rights Are Workers’ Rights
Amid escalating attacks on abortion rights, health care workers at Planned Parenthood are forming unions — and their employers are retaliating. In a post-Roe world, the fight for reproductive justice and the struggle for labor rights are intimately linked.
No, Socialism Isn’t About Envying the Rich
Socialists aren’t driven by envy of the “more successful.” We are socialists because we want workers to have what’s rightfully theirs — and we know a world with less greed and envy, and where everyone has what they need, is possible.
Police Exist to Manage and Contain the Surplus Population
The 2020 George Floyd protests made millions of Americans aware of the horrors of police violence. But to build a mass movement to end that violence, we must recognize that police control people of all races who are unable to legally make ends meet.
Elon Musk Is Waging War on Freedom of Speech on Twitter
It was supposed to be a new day for free speech on Elon Musk’s Twitter. Instead, the petulant billionaire has actually clamped down on speech.
Ben Affleck’s Air Is a Deranged Corporate Folktale About a Sneaker
Air’s origin story about the Michael Jordan–endorsed sneaker is far too high on its own supply.
Rutgers Is Shortchanging Faculty While Pumping Millions Into Hedge Funds
Faculty at Rutgers University are on strike for the first time ever because the school refuses to pay instructors living wages. Meanwhile, the university keeps plowing more of its endowment into poorly performing hedge fund investments.
Rashida Tlaib and the Squad Are Demanding Julian Assange’s Freedom
Lawmakers around the world are again calling on the US to halt its unprecedented prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. For the first time, they are being joined by US congressmembers, led by Rashida Tlaib.
Britain’s Junior Doctors’ Strike Is About Putting an End to Austerity
More than a decade of cuts under the Conservatives has left Britain’s National Health Service dangerously understaffed and underfunded. After years of pay cuts, junior doctors are fighting back to protect patients and the NHS.
The 1873 Colfax Massacre Was a Racist Attack on Black People’s Democratic Rights
The worst episode of Reconstruction Era violence occurred 150 years ago today in northern Louisiana. The 1873 Colfax Massacre saw white supremacists slaughter 150 African Americans, brutally thwarting their hopes for autonomy and self-governance.
Graduate Workers at Stanford University Are Organizing a Union
The higher ed unionization wave may soon reach Stanford University, where graduate student workers are trying to form a union. Jacobin spoke with two worker-organizers about their organizing effort.
Kamala Harris Poured Some Old Wine Into New Bottles on Her Tour of Africa
Media reports presented Kamala Harris’s recent trip to Africa as a historic departure for US policy toward the continent. Beneath the hype, however, the Biden administration is carrying on with the same militarized, self-serving approach as its predecessors.
Jenny Odell’s New Book, Saving Time, Is a Self-Help Manual for the Anxious Middle Class
Dressed in radical language, Jenny Odell’s new book, Saving Time, offers up positive thinking as a solution to exploitation. But the real reason people don’t have enough spare time is that low wages and high rents force them to work constantly.
Brandon Johnson Won in Chicago. Now His Movement Will Have to Beat Capital Strikes.
Brandon Johnson’s mayoral victory is a first step toward transforming the deeply unequal city. If he’s going to undertake radical reform efforts in Chicago, Johnson needs protests and strikes to fend off the inevitable capitalist attacks.
How Saudi Arabia’s Rulers Became Best Friends With Israel
Both junior US allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia have nurtured ever warmer relations in recent years. But Saudi Arabia’s closeness to Israel is also a source of criticism at home, setting it at odds with broad public support for Palestine.
Clarence Thomas Has Long Fought to Kill Laws Requiring Transparency in Political Spending
While receiving lavish gifts from billionaire Harlan Crow and then failing to disclose them, Clarence Thomas pushed to invalidate all disclosure laws, insisting that donors have a right to anonymously influence politics with unlimited amounts of cash.
Class Struggle Against Capitalism Began With Rebellion in the English Countryside
The origins of capitalism lie in the transformation of English agriculture from the 16th century on. The early stages of this process provoked a huge wave of social unrest, starting a tradition of resistance to class domination that still continues today.
Andreu Nin’s Marxism Tackled the Big Questions of Spanish and Catalan Politics
Andreu Nin, leader of the POUM, was murdered by agents of Stalin during the Spanish Civil War. Nin’s legacy speaks to issues still relevant today, from Catalonia’s right to self-determination to the danger of the far right.
Ramadan Mubarak, Comrades
For over a millennium, Muslims have used hunger as a biological reminder of the need for human solidarity during the holiday of Ramadan. That solidarity is key to building the kind of movement that can win a better world for Muslims and everyone else.