Bureaucracy and Solidarity: An Interview with Staughton Lynd
What strategies can reverse the labor movement’s decline?
Search Result(s) for: “working class”
Gorbachev Couldn’t Reform the Soviet System — but a Better Socialism Is Possible
Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev, who died last week, was a tragic figure. He tried to build a humane socialism on the rotten foundations of authoritarianism. Today, without the albatross of Stalinism, we can fight for an entirely different kind of socialism.
In Defense of the High-Rise
Elite arguments against tower blocks aren't about safety — they're about contempt for public housing.
No, Our Homes Aren’t a Plaything for Speculators
The New York City Housing Authority has been starved of investment for decades — and it’s being used to justify privatization by stealth. But tenants are fighting back, asserting the right to good-quality public housing for all.
At the “Progressive” Company GoBolt, Greenwashing Meets Union-Busting
The green logistics firm GoBolt says that “protecting the planet is built into our DNA,” but that progressive sentiment doesn’t extend to its workers. After a group of delivery drivers in Ontario successfully unionized, the company abruptly fired them all.
A Police Murder in Western Massachusetts Shows How Economic Inequality Kills
In the deindustrialized town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, police recently killed a man having a mental health episode. Now residents are organizing to attack the deep social and economic ills that led to his death.
Scott Morrison’s “Gas-Fired Recovery” Is Doubling Down on Fossil Fuels in Australia
The Liberal Party’s plan for a “gas-fired recovery” is not just the product of climate change denialism. It’s a class-conscious scheme to guarantee the profitability and continued hegemony of mining and fossil fuel capital long into Australia’s future.
On Student Debt Forgiveness, Joe Biden Is Pushing Stringent Means-Testing Yet Again
Joe Biden is considering a highly limited, means-tested student debt forgiveness program. But means-testing is a terrible idea that centrist Democrats are still obsessed with — and will pay a heavy political price for.
Germany’s Counterrevolution Paved the Way for the Rise of Nazism
A revolutionary upsurge after 1918 could have democratized German politics. Instead, the brutal repression used to contain that upsurge strengthened the authoritarian right, divided the German workers’ movement, and facilitated the rise of Hitler.
Building Outside the Democratic Party
The Green Party campaign against Andrew Cuomo must become the launching pad for an independent political movement.
De Blasio’s Doomed Housing Plan
By embracing inclusionary zoning, Mayor de Blasio gets to put forth a big, bold plan for reducing inequalities without challenging capitalists.
US Workers Are Still Quitting Their Jobs in Record Numbers
A record number of American workers quit their jobs in November, another sign that worker leverage in the labor market is stronger than it has been in years. But without organizing, today’s gains for workers will vanish as soon as the labor market slackens.
South Africa’s Energy Transition Is Mired in Disaster Capitalism
Years of sabotage by South Africa’s corrupt energy interests have led to unprecedented electricity blackouts and a stunted renewables sector. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s solution: privatization.
Unite and Fight
Pride isn’t just excellent labor history. It’s a reminder of what real solidarity looks like.
We Need a Left Politics That Promises to Protect Average People
Economic crises, climate change, and a pandemic have given people much to fear. While the Right promises security for a few at the expense of the many, socialists need a compelling vision of how protection from the market's depravities can be extended to all.
Socialism Isn’t Just About State Ownership — It’s About Redistributing Power
Throughout decades of neoliberal counterreforms, the most resilient parts of the Nordic welfare state have been the ones under direct popular control. Their experience shows that the best way to push back against capital is to democratize power in society.
The Czech Left Is Being Punished for Its Disastrous Record in Government
Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš is a scandal-plagued, right-wing billionaire. In this weekend’s elections, the Czech Republic’s social democratic and communist parties are set to be punished for keeping his government in power.
Salvador Allende Was Overthrown Because His Government Showed Chile Could Be Transformed
This weekend marks the 48th anniversary of the US-backed coup against Chilean socialist president Salvador Allende. That coup’s history is important, but we can’t forget that Allende’s government also achieved incredible things while in power.
Raymond Williams Was a Socialist Visionary
Raymond Williams would not have claimed to have found all the answers. But we should remember him as one of the most thoughtful socialist writers of the 20th century.