The founding conference of the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) last week was more than just that.
It was a World School of Communism, a unique event where comrades from all across the globe came to educate themselves on the basics of Marxist theory and its application to the burning questions of the day.
If you missed out on the talks, don’t worry! All 19 of them are available to rewatch here. This is the perfect way to educate yourself this summer.
You can also read a full report of the School and the launch of the Revolutionary Communist International here.
The need for a revolutionary philosophy
The RCI has one goal: the overthrow of capitalism all across the globe. But this is no easy task. To change the world, we need a deep understanding of it. This starts with mastering the best tool at our disposal: dialectical materialism, the philosophy of Marxism.
This is why we had 2 sessions specifically on this topic at the School last week: Dialectics: The Algebra of Revolution by Alan Woods and The necessity of a revolutionary philosophy by Hamid Alizadeh.
We urge our members and supporters to watch these talks and use them as a starting point to delve into Marxist philosophy.
In his talk, Alan Woods recounts the anecdote of a conversation between Marx and Weitling, a socialist who argued that workers didn’t care for philosophy. In response, Marx bangs the table and exclaims “ignorance never helped anybody!” While we may not need philosophy for things like tying our shoes or even leading a workplace strike, changing society is quite another thing. Alan covers the various laws of dialectical thinking using examples and anecdotes that clearly illustrate the patterns that govern society and nature. In his presentation, Hamid contrasts the philosophy of Marxism to the reactionary trend of postmodernism, explaining the need to wage war against ideas which confuse and detract the youth and workers from the revolutionary road.
Watch them here:
Building the party for the world socialist revolution
In addition to philosophy, this school covered a wide range of topics: economics, historical materialism, the fight against oppression, right-wing populism, the Bolsheviks and the Communist International, and much more. All these talks will help raise your understanding. You can catch up on all of them here.
Last but not least, the opening and closing sessions deal with the perspectives for world revolution and the launch of the RCI. The crisis of capitalism has never been so deep and movements like the student encampment movement for Palestine will be more and more common. We must prepare for this.
Communists around the world are building the forces of Marxism everywhere. Listen to the inspiring reports from Austria, the USA, Pakistan and more here.