revolutions

The German Revolution - Paul Mattick

Berlin, 1919

The German Revolution, chapter 7 from Mattick's work Reform or Revolution, looks at the events upsurge of working class militancy in Germany during November 1918.

Contrary to Bolshevik expectations, the Russian Revolution remained a national revolution. Its international repercussions involved no more than a growing demand for the ending of the war. The Bolsheviks’ call for an immediate peace without annexations and reparations found a positive response among the soldiers and workers in the Western nations.

The Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919: The Forgotten Revolution - Alan Woods

Hungarian Soviet Republic

Trotskyist Alan Woods on the Hungarian uprising of 1919. Wood's account suffers from the usual analytical errors by Trotskyists but is included for reference to these little-known events.

November 12, 1979

Hungary '56 - Nick Heath

Occupied radio station

A history of the Hungarian uprising of 1956, published as a special supplement of Anarchist Worker on the 20th anniversary in 1976

IT IS NOT out of love for nostalgia that we are commemorating the 1956 Hungarian uprising. Hungary '56 was a prime example of the working class itself reaching for power: doubly significant, it took place in one of the mythical 'workers' states'.

1917: The Proletariat's Democratic Revolution in Finland

Red Guard

The following is an excerpt from 'The Truce and the Great Retrenchment' - Chapter 6 of Year One of the Russian Revolution by Victor Serge.

Sacrificed by the Bolsheviks at the negotiating table as they agreed the Brest-Litovsk treaty with international capital ("The revolution will not be lost simply because we will be giving the Germans Finland, Latvia and Estonia" - Lenin, Collected Works, Vol. 26, pp.

The Hungarian Revolution: 1956

This is an anonymous account of the events of the near revolution of 1956, containing interesting information from interviews with participants.

Details are included from Columbia University Research Project interviews with participants which are a nice complement to the information in our other Hungary '56 articles.

[11,000 words]

For a short history, we recommend our article The Hungarian Uprising, 1956 on libcom.org/history.

Gasping from out the Shallows: Reflections on revolution in the early twenty-first century

A text by Wayne Spencer giving an overview of struggles in the UK, Poland, South Africa and Italy alongside his reflections on the possibilities for revolution and revolutionary theory in the 21st century.

Gasping from out the Shallows
Reflections on revolution in the early twenty-first century

By Wayne Spencer

1890-1924: Anarchism in Hungary

Hungary 1914

A history of the anarchist movement, and key anarchists in Hungary up until the aftermath of the 1918 Revolution.

In reaction to the pedestrian Hungarian Social-Democratic Party, founded in 1890, which constantly appealed to the bourgeoisie, often forming alliances with its progressive elements, emerged a far more radical anarchist current. Count Ervin Batthany became friends with Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin whilst in London.

1867-2000: A people’s history of Mexico

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A working class history of Mexico from the Diaz administration of 1876, through the Revolution of 1910 to the beginning of the 21st century.


The Revolution was the period which saw the Mexican state begin its transformation from an oligarchical-landowners' government to the one-party corporatist model which survived for so long

1944-1989: The coup and US intervention in Guatemala

Noam Chomsky on the US intervention and coup following the 1944 revolution which overthrew Guatemala's brutal dictator.

Making Guatemala a killing field

1978-1979: The Iranian Revolution

The Iranian revolution

A history and analysis of the revolution in which socialists aligned themselves with Islamists to overthrow the West-backed Shah.

Following the success of the revolution, the Islamists instituted a theocratic dictatorship and wiped out the workers' movement and the left.

1974-1975: The Portuguese Revolution

1974: The Portuguese Revolution

A short history of the Revolution in Portugal in which an army rebellion overthrew the fascist dictatorship.

The real revolution was in the urban workers took control of their workplaces and farm workers took control of their farms and organised production themselves while the parties of the left merely jockeyed for positions of power, eventually killing the revolution.

1956: The Hungarian Revolution

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The history of the Hungarian workers' revolution against the Communist dictatorship. A general strike was declared, and workers' councils sprung up across the country.

In cities the workers armed themselves and fraternised with the troops, but were eventually crushed by Soviet tanks.

It is not out of love for nostalgia that we are commemorating the 1956 Hungarian uprising: Hungary '56 was a prime example of the working class itself reaching for power. Doubly significant, it took place in one of the mythical 'workers' states'.

1936-1939: The Spanish Civil War and revolution

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A short history of the Spanish Civil War and Revolution which broke out in response to the right-wing and fascist coup attempt of General Franco.

The war lasted for three years and ended with Franco's victory, aided by fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The revolution saw huge swathes of Spanish industry and agriculture socialised and run collectively by the workers and peasants.

1918: The Hungarian Revolution

Mihaly Karolyi

The history of the revolution which brought down the monarch and saw workers' and peasants' councils spring up across the country, only to be betrayed by its social democratic and Communist "leadership".

On May 1st, 1917 a massive strike wave and demonstration led to the fall of the reactionary government of Count Tisza, on the 23rd of May.

1905: The Russian Revolution

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A short history of the first unsuccessful Russian Revolution of 1905. Following the 'Bloody Sunday' massacre, a general strike paralysed the country and workers' and peasants' councils were set up.

The revolt started on January 22 when a peaceful, mildly reformist, protest march in St. Petersburg was shoot at by troops with more than 1,000 killed or injured. This day became known as "Bloody Sunday." Rather than squelch the protests, the repression fanned the flames of rebellion.

Russia 1917 ('N', Wildcat [UK],1985)

The Petrograd Soviet in session

Russia 1917('N', 1985) originally a contribution to the conference held by UK Wildcat on the Russian revolution and its implications today [i.e. 1985].

(1) IN DEFENCE OF COUNCIL COMMUNISM.

There are so many ideological views conflicting about Russia 1917-1985 that revolutionaries should almost be able to see the nature of modern ideology and non-dialectical critique without even considering what actually happened.

The Paris Commune, 1871 - A short account by the WSM

A short history of the Paris Commune, weak on details of the revolution and working class organisation but with good information about the makeup of the elected Communards and details of the fighting and repression at the end of the Commune

Collectives in the Spanish Revolution - Gaston Leval

Detailed account of worker-controlled agriculture in revolutionary Spain

COLLECTIVES IN THE SPANISH REVOLUTION
by Gaston Leval
Published by Freedom Press, London, 1975

Text from anarchosyndicalism.net

"The Barricades Must Be Torn Down": Moscow-Fascism in Spain - Paul Mattick

On May 7, 1937, the CNT-FAl of Barcelona broadcast the following order: "The barricades must be torn down! The hours of crisis have passed. Calm must be established.

The Paris Commune of 1871 - Undercurrent

The Paris Commune of 1871
undercurrent #6

Recently, the Sussex University library dedicated part of its space for a small exhibition on the Paris Commune. At first this came with some surprise: how was it that, in the midst of the boredom of academic life and the total lack of interest in any issues of importance, the library was willing to commemorate one of the most crucial proletarian revolutions of the nineteenth century? Yet, our surprise quickly vanished when we gave this exhibition a closer look. Not only is the exhibition of a purely academic nature (looking at historical events as spectacles and thus a-historically), but it is also taking the Commune out of context, describing it by using some of the most common illusions found in the bourgeois world. This article comes as a response to the exhibition.

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