Published: The Dutch edition was published as "De
arbeidersraaden" by the Communistenbond Spartacus in Amsterdam in 1946 under the
pseudonym P. Aartsz. The first English edition was published by J. A. Dawson in 1950. Transcriber: John Gray HTML: Jonas Holmgren Proofed: and corrected by Paul Germanotta for the MIA, April 2011.
Contents:
Preface to 1950 edition
Preface
THE TASK
1. Labor
2. Law and Property
3. Shop Organization
4. Social Organization
5. Objections
6. Difficulties
7. Council Organization
8. Growth
THE FIGHT
1. Trade Unionism
2. Direct Action
3. Shop Occupation
4. Political Strikes
5. The Russian Revolution
6. The Workers (From: Marxists.org.)
First Published: in the American journal Living Marxism, Winter 1941; Source: John Gray's Archive; Transcribed: by Andy Blunden, for marxists.org 2003; Proofread: by Chris Clayton 2006.
“Democracy” – a self-styled name for
the traditional set-up of present day capitalist society – is
fighting a losing battle against the attacking forces of fascism (nazism,
falangism, iron guardism, and so forth). The workers stand by. They seem
to say again what their predecessors, the revolutionary workers of Paris
in 1849, said in regard to the final struggle between the leaders of a
self-defeated liberal democracy and the quasi-fascist chief of a new
Napoleonic imperialism, Louis Bonaparte.
They say (as... (From: Marxists.org.)
1. Initiative... & The Roots of Apathy
Is it to be bureaucracy or self-activity of the masses? This is the second point of the controversy between the leaders of our Party and the Workers’ Opposition. The question of bureaucracy was raised and only superficially discussed at the eighth Soviet Congress. Herein, just as in the question on the part to be played by the trade unions and their problems, the discussion was shifted to a wrong channel. The controversy on this question is more fundamental than it might seem.
The essence is this: what system of administration in a workers’ republic during the period of creation of the economic basis for Communism secures more freedom for the class creative powers? Is it a bureaucra... (From: Marxists.org.)
Part I
As bourgeois society becomes more and more chaotic, as States fall apart, and as one can sense a coming revolution in Europe, we perceive in the hearts of the workers of all countries an ever increasing desire to unite, to stand shoulder to shoulder, to organize. In France particularly, where all workers’ organizations were crushed, dismantled and thrown to the four winds after the fall of the Commune, this desire is ever more visible. In almost every industrial town there is a movement to reach agreements and to unite; and even in the villages, according to reports from the most trusted observers, the workers are demanding nothing less than the development of institutions whose sole purpose is the defense of workers&rsq... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)
The anti-military spirit which is developing among the masses of Europe will tell the governments of the Earth that the workers have no trouble that needs to be settled by cruel war; and if the rulers have trouble, they can settle them by fighting it out among themselves. The working class wants to enjoy the fruits of their toil, the short time they journey this Earth. But we are told that kind of talk is unpatriotic, that every man ought to be willing to fight for his country. What country belongs to the wage class? (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)
Published: First published in English in the International Council Correspondence, Vol.II, No.5, April 1936.[1] Source: Endpage.com. Transcription/Markup: Einde O’Callaghan for the Marxists’ Internet Archive. Proofreading/Reformatting: Andy Carloff, 2010 (proofreading); Micah Muer, 2019 (reformatting).
In its revolutionary struggles, the working class needs
organization. When great masses have to act as a unit, a mechanism is needed for
understanding and discussion, for the making and issuing of decisions, and for
the proclaiming of actions and aims.
This does not mean, of course, that all great actions and universal strikes
are carried out with soldierlike discipline, after the decisions of a central
board. Such ca... (From: Marxists.org.)
I was attracted to radical politics in the late 1960s/early ‘70s when I was in my twenties. Most of the people who were drawn to serious revolutionary politics back then ended up in Leninist organizations of some sort, if only for a time. Third World revolutions were one influence. Various Marxist-Leninist parties had come to power based on guerrilla struggles, in places like China and Cuba, and this augmented the claim of Leninism that it was “successful” in charting a way to a post-capitalist future.
But it seemed obvious to me that workers did not have power in production in the various Communist countries. They’re subordinated to a managerial hierarchy. Thus, I reasoned, workers must be a subjugated and ex... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)
Preface by Black Rose Anarchist Federation
In a political moment where the tide of fascism appears to be on the march, looking at past examples can provide inspiration, hope and lessons. In this valuable and lucid long-form essay, veteran writer and activist Tom Wetzel details what George Orwell described when first arriving in anarchist dominated Barcelona as his first time actually seeing “the working class was in the saddle.”
Most critically the essay focuses on the question of working class power and revolutionary vision within the events and specifically from within the anarchist movement in Spain. Often overlooked in many accounts is that the military coup of July 1936 was anticipated by the organized left in... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)
Workers of Marina tea-garden in Kulaura upazila owned by Transcom Group protested demanding the implementation of a new agreement with Bangladesh Tea Workers Union. Workers abstained from the tea garden manager's office on Saturday, 8 April, from 9am to 12pm.
Later, in a protest meeting, the chairperson of the panchayat president Khoka Naik presided over the function and in-charge of In-Charge of Longla Valley, Nandlal Das, he spoke as the chief guest, RM Bhajan Kairy, general secretary of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union. Speaking of the special guest, the District of Mongla (Region) said. Shahidul Islam, general secretary Sanju Goswami, local UP member said. Manu Mia, Adviser of Longla Valley B Durga Nuru, former ganger panchayat secre... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)
"The committee rooms buzzed and hummed all day and night"
(John Reed, 'Ten Days That Shook the World')
How many times on your job as the clock crawls towards closing time have you thought that you could do the bosses' job and, indeed, do it far better than them. Well not only have workers often thought this, they have occasionally even kicked the bosses out and given it a go. And guess what - it has worked and worked well.
Every good student knows that the Russian revolution took place on October 15th 1917. But this isn't exactly true. Like most revolutions the Russian one is best envisioned as a rolling process with workers gradually taking up more and more control at the expense of their bosses. According to Maurice Brinton in "The... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)
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