Socialist strategy for 2019

Yesterday, the World Socialist Web Site published a major statement summing up the political situation internationally and the tasks of the working class in 2019. At the start of last year, the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) stated: “This new year of 2018—the bicentenary of Marx’s birth—will be characterized, above all, by an immense intensification of social tensions and an escalation of class conflict around the world.” Events have substantiated this prediction. Repressed and dismissed for so long, the working class is beginning to assert its own independent interests. The outbreak of mass social struggles in France, in the US and internationally signals the beginning of a new revolutionary period. The disorientation and confusion that followed the defeats of the major struggles of the 1980s and the dissolution of the Soviet Union have finally given way to a mood of renewed militancy and willingness to fight back. The statement reviews the global breakdown of capitalist rule, the significance of the rise of far-right forces internationally, the historical lessons in the fight against fascism, the reactionary character of calls for a new "left populism," and the politics and perspective of the International Committee of the Fourth International. "It is impossible to predict the exact tempo of events," it states, "which are influenced by a vast and interacting complex of national and, above all, global factors. However, what can be predicted with certainty is that the upswing in militant struggles of the working class will continue in 2019. "But the transformation of this intensifying social militancy into a conscious movement of the international working class for socialism depends upon the building of Marxist-Trotskyist parties in the working class—that is, national sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International." This is the fundamental task facing the working class and youth in the United States and throughout the world in 2019. We urge you to read the statement carefully and make the decision to become involved in the fight for socialism today! Sincerely, The Socialist Equality Party Join the SEP   A FIGHTER FOR TROTSKYISM  In Memory of Halil Celik (1961-2018) Halil Celik, the founder and leader of the Sosyalist Eşitlik group, which supports the International Committee of the Fourth International in Turkey, died on December 31, 2018 after a serious illness at the age of 57. The ICFI sent a message to Halil's funeral, which took place in Istanbul on Tuesday. Halil was an unrelenting revolutionary and fighter for Trotskyism.   THE ATTACK ON REFUGEES  One sixth of world's people want to flee their home countries Some 750 million people, not including children, want to escape war, poverty, conflict and disease caused by capitalism. Read more.  SOCIAL CRISIS   Opioid overdose deaths triple among teens and young children The depth of the opioid crisis facing young people points to the woefully inadequate response of the government to this social catastrophe as it spirals out of control. Read more.   WORKERS STRUGGLES   Strike looms in Los Angeles as struggles of educators set to continue in 2019 The new year is set to begin with teachers around the world determined to reverse decades of attacks on jobs, working conditions and the right to high quality public education. Fearing the continued escalation of the teacher rebellion of 2018, the US News and World Report and other corporate media outlets are already warning that “2019 could bring more of the same.”  Read more. “The issues facing LA teachers are part of a national calamity that has been taking place over the last 30 to 40 years” Brett, a teacher in Los Angeles, California. Facebook: The global censor The transformation of Facebook into an instrument for political censorship was driven home in an end-of-year statement by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Read more. Join the Socialist Equality Party Wondering why you should join the Socialist Equality Party? Already interested in joining? Contact us today.  I want to join

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