Islam, imperialism and the fight for change
Islamic politics inspire some of the most powerful movements against imperialism in the Middle East. Luke Ottavi looks at how the left should respond
Why revolution is the only route to real change
Radical parties that have tried to introduce sweeping change through parliament have continually failed, argues James Supple, because the system is set up to stop them
Workers and the alternative to capitalism
The history of workers’ struggles shows the possibility of a socialism based on mass democratic control of society, writes Judy Cox.
How colonial war led to revolution in Portugal
The revolution in Portugal beginning 50 years ago in 1974 with a revolt in the army, saw workers take control of hundreds of factories, writes Luke Ottavi
How resistance can turn into revolution
Ending the domination of Israel in the Middle East and the Western imperialism behind it will require revolution, writes James Supple.
Workers’ control and the Opera House 50 years on
The construction of the Sydney Opera House, opened 50 years ago this month, saw unionists launch an experiment with workers’ control of production, writes Erima Dall.
Chile’s bloody coup 50 years on
In 1973 workers in Chile were on the march and could have taken power, but the left’s failures allowed the ruling class to unleash bloody repression, argues Raili Maria Haagensen.
How Israel trades on war and occupation
Antony Loewenstein’s new book, The Palestine Laboratory, looks at Israel’s military cyber industrial complex and its role as one of the world's biggest arms dealers and seller of some of the most invasive software. He talked to Solidarity.
Why Australian troops went to the Solomons—an inside view on Australian imperialism
With the 20th anniversary of Australian intervention in the Solomons this month, Michael Wesley’s new book is a useful addition to our knowledge of how Australian imperialism works in the region.
Crisis, capitalism and catastrophe
Maeve Larkins reviews a new book by Marxist writer Alex Callinicos that analyses the succession of crises facing the world—and the prospects for catastrophe and revolt
The Nakba 75 years on
Israel was founded 75 years ago through the massacre and expulsion of Palestinians, argues Raul Haagensen, and the brutality and dispossession continues today.
The Warsaw Ghetto uprising 80 years on
Angus Dermody looks back at how the Jewish population of the Warsaw Ghetto staged a heroic uprising against the Nazi Holocaust—and the leading role of Jewish socialists in it.
How do we move from revolt to revolution?
Poverty, war and climate change drive millions to fight back. But we need to turn resistance into a challenge to the whole system, writes James Supple.
How Hitler could have been stopped
Hitler came to power 90 years ago this week. Tom Orsag argues that his rise was not inevitable and that working class unity in action could have stopped the Nazis.
Gough Whitlam’s legacy 50 years on: What’s happened to Labor?
Gough Whitlam is remembered as a radical reformer, but his demise laid the ground for Labor’s move to the right, writes Mark Gillespie.
Iran’s revolt and the lessons of the 1979 revolution
Today, as workers join the struggles on the streets in Iran, there is inspiration to be gained and lessons learned from the events of 1979.
Mussolini and the rise of fascism in Italy
Italy was the first country where fascism came to power. Cooper Forsyth looks at what fascist rule meant and the lessons for stopping the far right today
How Gorbachev failed to save Russian state capitalism
Mikhail Gorbachev was no hero. He tried to save Russian state capitalism at the expense of workers ... and failed.
State capture? Why governments serve big business
The idea that governments and the state have been captured by vested interests misunderstands why they serve the interests of the wealthy, writes Ruby Wawn
An imperialist alliance: NATO’s bloody history
NATO is an instrument of US imperialist policy, not a defensive alliance, argues Adam Adelpour.
Lessons from the last Labor government
The last Labor government was ultimately destroyed by its determination to defend the interests of big business and manage capitalism, writes Mark Gillespie
Has Labor in power ever made a difference?
Jean Parker looks at why workers have different expectations of Labor governments, and why so many of them have ended up betraying their supporters.
How war can lead to revolution
The horrors of war have produced numerous revolts at home—that have ended wars, toppled dictatorships and put a fight for radical change on the agenda, argues Tom Orsag.
The turn to America in 1941: Using US power to push Australian imperialism
Just over 80 years ago Prime Minister John Curtin made a dramatic declaration shifting Australia’s allegiance from Britain to the US. Miro Sandev examines the motives
Why you should be a socialist
Maeve Larkins explains why socialism is the solution to the interlocking crises that dominate our world
Wool wars—when shearers’ unions took on state brutality
The 1891 Great Shearers’ Strike in Queensland was one of the defining industrial battles in Australian history. Adam Adelpour draws the lessons
Why parliament and the state block real change
Jordi Pardoel looks at Lenin’s State and Revolution and why the capitalist state cannot be reformed or taken over through parliament by workers and the oppressed
AUKUS and ‘national sovereignty’: Why Australia’s rulers back the US
Ruby Wawn argues that the Australian government is not surrendering sovereignty to the US through the nuclear subs pact but pursuing its own imperialist interests.
Why the right hates Critical Race Theory
Tom Fiebig looks at the culture wars around Critical Race Theory and argues that understanding the systemic basis of racism is vital if we are to fight it.
Why ending war means ending capitalism
Adam Adelpour continues our series on Marxist classics, looking at how Bukharin's Imperialism and World Economy explains a system of global rivalry and war
ANZUS and the US alliance—A plan for war and regional domination
The ANZUS treaty has been key to Australia’s efforts to secure US backing for its own imperialist interests in the local region, writes Miro Sandev
Marx’s Capital—inside a system based on exploitation
James Supple continues our series on Marxist classics by introducing Capital, Karl Marx’s masterwork examining the workings of the capitalist system
Marx, alienation and the working class
Lachlan Marshall examines Karl Marx’s 1844 Manuscripts, where he analysed the alienation of working class life in the developing factory system
Cancel culture: How the right defends the indefensible
The powerful who say they stand for ‘free speech’ are trying to snuff out resistance to oppression, writes David Glanz.
The Paris Commune 150 years on—when workers stormed heaven
Peter Robinson explains the achievements of the Paris Commune of 1871 and its vital lessons about what a workers’ government would look like
The Egyptian Revolution—18 days that shook the world
A revolution in Egypt in 2011 overthrew a brutal dictator and gave a glimpse of how society could be run differently. Egyptian revolutionary Hossam el-Hamalawy tells the story
One hundred years on—The Communist Party of Australia’s radical beginnings
One hundred years since its founding, there are key lessons from the role the Communist Party played in the militant union movement, writes Judy McVey, despite their flawed politics
Malcolm X—fighting racism by any means necessary
Cooper Forsyth looks at the ideas of one of the US’s most uncompromising fighters against racism, and what they have to teach the Black Lives Matter movement todayThe racism...
Rabaul 1929—Papuans’ first strike against Australian colonialism
In 1929, around 3000 Papua New Guineans in the town of Rabaul staged their first ever industrial strike
How Russia’s revolution reshaped the Australian left
Adam Adelpour looks at the impact of 1917 on the left and the workers’ movement in Australia
Days of hope: The 1918 German revolution
A revolution in Germany 100 years ago this month rocked Europe’s rulers. Tomáš Tengely-Evans looks at how the revolt put workers power on the agenda across Europe.
Alexandra Kollontai: revolution and women’s liberation
Solidarity continues a series on the lives and struggle of revolutionary women
The 1917 Russian Revolution saw women win greater political, civil and legal equality with men than in any other...
