Today marks the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution of 1917, which ranks among the greatest and most progressive events in world history. World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board Chairman David North writes in the perspective published today:
"The global impact of the October Revolution was incalculable. It was an event that ignited a worldwide movement of the working class and the oppressed masses against capitalist exploitation and imperialist oppression. It is all but impossible to think of a significant political or social conquest of the working class in the twentieth century, anywhere in the world, which did not owe some substantial portion of its realization to the October Revolution."
We encourage all our readers to study this perspective and share it widely on social media.
On November 11, at 1 pm EST, North will deliver a live online lecture, “The place of the October Revolution in World History and Contemporary Politics.” It will be streamed on Facebook and on the WSWS. You can find out more and register for the lecture series here.
On this centenary day, we are also asking all our readers to make a donation to support the fight for socialism today. For this week, the WSWS will offer a signed copy of Why Study the Russian Revolution: Volume 1 to readers donating $100 or more on the 100th anniversary.
Now is the time to become involved, to join the Socialist Equality Party. There is a profound intersection and interaction between contemporary politics and historical experience. The great issues that motivated the revolutionary struggles of 1917—imperialist war, social inequality, political repression—remain the central and burning issues facing the international working class today.
The ruling elite is terrified of the example of October. Hence, on the one hand, the claims that the revolution is insignificant, and, on the other hand, the worries that it can inspire upheavals all over the world. Editorials and columns denounce the “bacillus” of Bolshevism, insist that more aggressive measures should have been taken then… and should be taken now to stop the threat.
There is a coordinated and aggressive campaign to crack-down on free speech on the Internet, spearheaded by Google’s search censorship targeting the WSWS. The ruling class is haunted by the specter of socialism, now more than ever. A recent report confirmed that more young people in the US support socialism than capitalism.
On this centenary year, there is an enormous objective foundation for a new socialist movement of the international working class, which will put an end to war, inequality and dictatorship. Help organize this movement. Support the work of the World Socialist Web Site, the voice of international socialism and the working class. Donate today! Become involved! Join the Socialist Equality Party!
Fraternally,
Joseph Kishore
Socialist Equality Party National Secretary |
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By David North
The October Revolution ranks among the greatest and most progressive events in world history. It is part of the chain of world-historical events—such as the Reformation, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution—that rank as great milestones in the development of human civilization.
The global impact of the October Revolution was incalculable. It was an event that ignited a worldwide movement of the working class and the oppressed masses against capitalist exploitation and imperialist oppression. It is all but impossible to think of a significant political or social conquest of the working class in the twentieth century, anywhere in the world, which did not owe some substantial portion of its realization to the October Revolution. The establishment of the Soviet state was the first great achievement of the October Revolution. The victory of the Bolshevik Revolution demonstrated in practice the possibility of the working class conquering state power, ending the rule of the capitalist class, and organizing society on a non-capitalist and socialist basis.
However, while the establishment of the Soviet Union was the immediate product of the Bolshevik-led insurrection, the creation of this state does not encompass the full historical significance of the October Revolution. The establishment of the Soviet state in October 1917 was only the first episode in the new epoch of World Socialist Revolution. Read more » |
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 The final online lecture in the ICFI's series on the centenary of the Russian Revolution, "The Place of the October Revolution in World History and Contemporary Politics" will be held on November 11 at 1:00 pm EST. For full information and to register, visit wsws.org/1917. |
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 Public Lecture Series: Why Study the Russian Revolution?
Across the world, millions of people are asking themselves, “What is socialism?” as they search for solutions to rising poverty, social inequality, and the expansion of the US’s never-ending wars worldwide. Some, including Senator Bernie Sanders, claim socialism is compatible with support for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party. But to learn what socialism really is, one must examine the greatest event of the 20th century: the Russian Revolution of 1917.
What was the Russian Revolution? How did it become the dominant event of the 20th century, forever altering history by giving rise to the most powerful and progressive social movements of the last century?
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Ann Arbor, MI
Wednesday, November 8, 7pm
University of Michigan
Michigan League, Hussey Room
(2nd Floor)
Speaker: David North, SEP National Chairman
Flint, MI
Monday, November 13, 7pm
University of Michigan-Flint
William S White Building, Room 3159
Detroit, MI
Thursday, December 7, 7pm
Wayne State University
Undergraduate Library (UGL),
Bernath Auditorium
Speaker: Joseph Kishore |
Chicago, IL
Sunday, November 12, 1pm
University of Illinois-Chicago
Lecture Center C, Room 1
Speaker: David North
Kalamazoo, MI
Wednesday, December 6, 7pm
Western Michigan University
Bernhard Center, Room 209
Speaker: Joseph Kishore, SEP National Secretary
Milwaukee, WI
Thursday, December 12, 6pm
University of Wisconson-Milwaukee
Student Union, Union Ballroom East
Speaker: Joseph Kishore
Full list of meetings |
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 Trump in Asia: On the eve of war
By James Cogan
The conduct of Donald Trump in Japan, the first country visited in his tour of Asia, strongly suggests that he is preparing to launch a war against North Korea.
The US president flew into the Yokata Air Base near Tokyo. Instead of beginning his stay in Japan by meeting with the country’s political leaders, he elected first to speak to an assembly of American military personnel, part of the force being readied to make good his threat to “totally destroy” North Korea with “fire and fury.”
Amid chants of “USA, USA,” he shed his suit jacket and put on an Air Force bomber jacket. He proceeded to deliver a nationalist rant. The United States, he blustered, deploys “the most fearsome fighting force in the history of the world.”
With his statements and demeanour, Trump personifies the decay of American imperialism and the criminal calculation of its strategists that the destruction of yet another impoverished country will provide some respite from its mounting external and internal crises. In American strategic circles, war with North Korea is considered a way of pushing back against the growing influence of China in Asia and signalling that US capitalism will not give up its position as the dominant power in the region and internationally. Read more » |
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Democratic Party crisis explodes in wake of Brazile revelations
By Patrick Martin
The political crisis in the Democratic Party, brought to the surface with the publication Thursday of excerpts of a campaign memoir by the former interim chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Donna Brazile, erupted into mutual denunciations over the weekend.
Brazile made public an unprecedented agreement between the DNC (under previous chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz) and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign that involved Clinton paying off the DNC’s debts and providing it a monthly subsidy in return for gaining control over the appointment of DNC officials and the right of approval over key operational decisions.
The deal was concluded in August 2015, six months before the first votes were to be cast in caucuses or primaries, when the DNC was required by its own rules to remain neutral in the contest between Clinton, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and several other candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination.
A further revelation from Brazile’s book was made public Saturday: she acknowledged discussions among leading Democrats in September 2016, after Hillary Clinton had collapsed at a ceremony in New York City marking the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, over whether Clinton should be replaced as the presidential candidate because of health concerns. Brazile writes that she herself considered Vice President Joe Biden as the logical replacement, but did not make the proposal. Read more » |
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