imperialism
Articles about empire, imperialism and anti-imperialism.
Every nation-state is imperialist by nature - Tom Wetzel
Many leftists see so-called "national liberation" movements as the strategy for opposing American imperialism. Tom Wetzel asks if this is the case.
The idea is that creating independent state-run economies can cut down the power of the dominant centers of capital and chart an independent course that gives expression to "national self-determination." National liberation only enhances the power of the local boss class.
Third World Nationalism
Ireland, nationalism and imperialism, the myths exploded, 1972-1992 - Subversion
Written before the Good Friday Agreement at a time when the 'armed struggle' was still part of daily life in Northern Ireland this article, though inevitably somewhat dated, this remains a cogent analysis of the recent history of Ireland.
TWENTY YEARS ON A KNIFE EDGE
'... the fate of the province [Northern Ireland] is still, as it has been for so long, poised on a knife- edge between a slow climb back to some form of ordered existence, or a swift plunge into unimaginable anarchy and civil war.'
Race, class and organisation - Workers Solidarity Federation
An interesting analysis of race, anarchism and class from South African organisation the Workers Solidarity Federation from 1998.
INTRODUCTION BY BLACK FLAG:
We recently observed a very fruitful discussion on race and class on the internet, particularly around "black" anarchism, special oppressions and the desirability of separate organisation.
Hegel on acid - A response to 'Marxists and the so-called problem of imperialism'
A reply to a Wildcat (UK) discussion document of the late 1980s. This article makes some interesting observations on the subject, and avoids both a simple leftist anti-imperialist view or an ultra-leftist dismissal of the significance of imperialism.
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HEGEL ON ACID
A RESPONSE TO 'MARXISTS AND THE SO-CALLED PROBLEM OF IMPERIALISM'
METHOD
-800BC-today: A very brief history of racism
A quick look at the origins of racism in modern society from its roots in the justification of slavery.
Any discussion of racism needs to examine the roots of racism in order to understand it and to struggle against it effectively. There are basically three explanations for the existence of racism.
1904-2003: History of Iraq
A short history of Iraq, focusing on foreign intervention, imperialism and attempts by Western powers to control oil and other resources in the country and the rest of the Middle East.
See also our 1900-2000: Iraq timeline
1945-1957: Vietnam
Howard Zinn's short history of Vietnam from the defeat of Japan in 1945 through the installation of the US puppet government in Saigon to the beginning of the Vietnam War.
1900-2000: Iraq timeline
A timeline of key events in Iraqi history and class struggle in the 20th century.
Since the state of Iraq was created early this century, the working class in the area have suffered brutal exploitation and repression at the hands of the rival ruling class groups competing for power.
1990-1994: The genocide and war in Rwanda
Between half a million and a million people out of Rwanda's total population of 8 million, died in a few weeks between April and June 1994. This article gives a brief account of how, and why and what role Western governments played.
For a background history of Rwanda and neighbouring Buruni, we recommend reading our article Rwanda and Burundi – A History, 1894-1990.
1894-1990: A history of Rwanda and Burundi
A history of Rwanda and Burundi, two African nations run by Western Imperial powers until independence in 1961. Burundi became an independent state in 1962.
The genocide which occurred in Rwanda in 1994, in which majority-Hutu militias wiped out from 500,000 to a million of the minority-Tutsi population is well-known. The complicity and even help given the Hutu government by the UN and the French government is less well-known, however.
