Marxist Voice

The Easter Rising of 1916 is one of the most inspiring events in Irish revolutionary history. The rising saw Europe’s first Red Army, the Irish Citizen’s Army, fight the forces of British Imperialism on the streets of Dublin and sacrifice their lives for the cause of a free Ireland for the Irish workers and poor. When Lenin got news of the Rising, he criticised those who wrote it off as a ‘putsch’ saying ‘Whoever expects a ‘pure’ social revolution will never live to see it. Such a person pays lip-service to revolution without understanding what revolution is.’ These comments still ring true today with the history of the rising falling victim to all kinds of distortions. In this talk from Revolution Festival 2025, Orla Thomas from the RCP Central Committee will set the record straight on the history of the Rising, discuss its lessons , and explain the importance of the Irish national question for communists in Britain today.

“The long fight of the bourgeoisie against feudalism culminated in three great, decisive battles. The first was what is called the Protestant Reformation…”  EngelsWhen Martin Luther pinned his ninety-five thesis to the door of a church he set in motion a struggle on a scale that he did not foresee nor desire. Starting as a theological debate on doctrine, it became an ideological struggle against the Roman Catholic Church, and from there a series of revolutions, wars and civil wars. This explosive chapter of events shook Europe to the core, and changed history forever. It was a necessary first step in the struggle of the masses against feudalism by breaking the ideological dictatorship of the Catholic Church. This struggle opened the floodgates for new radical thought, such as the enlightenment, the development of science, and further revolutions. In this talk from Revolution Festival 2025, Joe Russell, RCP Executive Committee member will use this period of revolution as an important case study for historical materialism. How do changes in the economic base of society affect the realm of ideas, including religion? And how in turn, do such ideas become the most powerful weapon in the struggle to change the world?

Surrealism was a revolutionary artistic movement founded in 1922 and led by writer and poet André Breton. The movement produced and influenced a galaxy of the 20th centuries finest artists. Surrealist artwork deals in the bizarre and the strange. On the surface, it can seem as if this is all it is - though, it stands for something much deeper. In this talk, Will Collins from the RCP Central Committee explains how surrealism grew out of the general feeling of malaise and anger that existed across Europe following the barbarism of the First World War and at the same time the inspiration from the revolutionary events that swept Europe.This revolutionary spirit reflected itself in the art produced by the surrealists. Surrealist art seeks to express a contradictory view of reality. It reveals the violence and savagery that lurks underneath the thin veneer of bourgeois civilization. The polite manners and “good taste” of bourgeois society is really just a façade that conceals the most terrible suffering, exploitation and repression.But really the essence of the surrealist movement, was to liberate the artist from the shackles of ‘official’ culture, the state, church and even of the mind itself. In its form, the surrealists developed techniques that aimed to tap into the creative well-spring of the subconscious mind - they experimented with automatic writing and painting, dream recitals and research into mental illness and recent studies in psychoanalysis.The surrealists were not at all armchair intellectuals, but committed revolutionaries. After being ex-communicated by the Stalinist Communist Party, Breton was drawn into the orbit of Leon Trotsky who in 1937 together published a manifesto called a ‘Manifesto for an Independent Revolutionary Art.’Here, they argue that art must remain true to itself and not degenerate into mere propaganda dictated to it by a revolutionary party yet should place itself at the service of the revolution. But to truly liberate the mind, a life and death struggle would have to be waged against the system that enslaves it, and commit to the building of a socialist society. The manifesto finishes with the slogan:"Our aims: The independence of art — for the revolution. The revolution — for the complete liberation of art!”

Sunday March 8th marked International Working Women's Day. This day was created by Socialists and Communists to highlight the role of working women under capitalism and in overthrowing it. Communists have always been at the forefront of the struggle against women's oppression. But what is it that we actually say on this topic? How can women's oppression be overthrown? In this talk from Revolution Festival 2025, Manon Powrie, leading RCP member, spoke on this topic.

From the comfort of their cosy armchairs and university lecterns, the well-learned professors of bourgeois academia throw all manner of wild accusations at the Marxist view of history.Fatalistic, teleological, economically deterministic, class reductionist, Messianic... there’s no end to the high-sounding mutilations that Marx’s ideas receive at the hands of their adversaries.But these are all misunderstandings, distortions, and lies. The Marxist method of historical materialism is, in reality, the only way to understand the logic of history – which is driven by social relations, revolutionary upheavals, and class struggle.In this talk, communist.red editor Jack Tye Wilson uncovers the profound insights that Marx and Engels offer into the historical process, and combat the false and one-sided interpretations their ideas have suffered over the years.He coves questions like: Is there such a thing as progress? Does Marxism reduce everything to economics? What about the role of ideas and individuals? And is the victory of communism inevitable?

Hear the author of A Communist History of the British General Strike talk on the contents of his new book. And order your copy of the book. In May 1926 the working class of Britain moved in its millions. Whispers of a new world — one run by the workers, without the need for bosses, bankers or politicians — were in the air. Britain, an island supposedly lacking in revolutionary traditions, was on the brink of an almighty upheaval.For nine days, British workers defied the state and their employers to bring the country to a standstill. The General Strike had the potential to change the country forever, but it was betrayed by the very people who were supposed to lead it.Today, a century later, there are striking similarities with Britain of the 1920s. The economy is weak. Living standards are falling. Public services are collapsing. People are angry, and class battles are close at hand.In his book, Ben Gliniecki, General Secretary of the Revolutionary Communist Party, presents a sketch of the events of the strike and what led to it. Through it, we can study the hard-learned lessons of 1926 — about betrayal, state repression and failure of leadership. And we can be inspired by the power, initiative and unity of the working class in struggle. With this, we can turn the whispers of a new world into reality.

Questions of free speech and state repression have reared over the recent period. The right wing cynically uses the idea of free speech to pretend figures like Farage are being silenced. In reality, however, those defending the needs of capitalism and the status quo are given all the free speech they need. In the mean time, elderly protestors have been arrested for standing against genocide. Last week the High Court ruled that Palestine Action could no longer be brandished as terrorism, coming after the inability to find a jury which would sentence the activists. Both the harsh repression from the British state and the inability to put this repression into practise in a systematic way shows the mess the British ruling class is in. Here we share Nelson Wan, RCP executive committee member speaking on this topic at our 2025 Revolution Festival.

The Russian Revolution was the greatest event in human history, where the workers took power into their hands and grasped the state. But revolution is never a one act drama, it is a transition from one mode of production into another. This means that the revolution does not create socialism or communism overnight. The was abundantly clear in Russia, with its underdeveloped economy. This was the topic of a discussion at the latest Central Committee meeting of the Revolutionary Communist Party. Listen to the talk, by executive committee member Daniel Morley, here. If you want to know more about this period of history we would recommend ⁠this article⁠ from the RCI on the same topic. For a longer read covering the topic, ⁠In Defence of Lenin⁠, ⁠Russia, from Revolution to Counter Revolution⁠, ⁠Trotsky's My Life⁠ and ⁠Victor Serge's Year One of the Russian Revolution⁠.

Friedrich Engels once said 'bourgeois society stands at the crossroads, either transition to socialism or regression into barbarism.' In many countries, this barbarism is already upon us. This is the topic of the latest In Defence of Marxism magazine. Here we share the author of the lead article, Thomas Soud, discussing his lead article on the Sudanese revolution and counter revolution of 2019. If you would like to get your own copy of this magazine, click here.

The middle east has been the playground of western imperialism for decades. With tensions raising in Iran, and western imperialism attempting to use this for its own gains, it is the job of communists to understand the role of imperialism in this region. For this reason, we publish here Lubna Badi's talk from Revolution Festival 2025. Lubna is a Central Committee member of the RCP who regularly writes and speaks on the middle east. If you would like to learn more on this topic we reccomend reading Thawra hatta'l nasr! - Revolution until Victory! as well as Israel-Palestine A Revolutionary Way Forward.

In September and October 2025, 2 million workers came to the streets of Italy to fight against the genocide in Palestine. This is representative of the crisis in Europe which has plagued the European working class in 2025.It is clear that actions such as these in Italy are the way forward. We have uploaded this talk by Jorge Martin, RCI International Secretariat member, from our Revolution Festival last year, which covers the current crisis in Europe and how to fight it.Here we also link an article on the events being discussed in this episode.

2026 has started with an almighty imperialist bang. Given the current actions of US imperialism, kidnapping the president of Venezuela and threatening the rest of Latin America and Greenland, it is clear that imperialism is something communists must understand. Liberal media will tell you that this is the madness of Trump, but we know it is deeper than that. Imperialism does not start or end with the personality traits of its representatives. Rather, it is sewed into the fabric of capitalism. In order to help comrades understand this topic, we are publishing Adam Booth, from the RCP Executive Committee, talking on monopolies and imperialism at our 2025 Revolution Festival. If you want to know more about this topic, we would reccomend reading Lenin's Imperialism: The highest stage of capitalism, as well as Colossus: The rise and decline of US imperialism. If you would like to hear more from Adam, we suggest his other talk from this event on the inner workings of capitalism, as well as his readers' guide to Marx's Capital.

On Saturday January 3rd 2026, Nicolas Maduro was kidnapped from his home by the United States. This is a clear act of Western Imperialist aggression which all communists should be opposed to. But why is it happening? What does this mean for US imperialism, world capitalism and countries like Venezuela? Speaking at an open meeting of the RCP in London, Jorge Martin, Secretary of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign and leading member of the RCI, explains the method in this madness. If you would like to learn more about the history of Venezuela we would recommend pre-ording Alan Wood's new book on the topic. We would also recommend reading Colossus: The rise and decline of US imperialism to understand what is happening today.

Every day the news in the Western world is full of stories about migration. Major political parties are forming their messaging around anti-migrant rhetoric. At the same time, the left is organising protests and holding signs which say 'refugees are welcome here'. But migration didn't come out nowhere, it is a product of capitalisms need for cheap labour and foreign wars. So what is the communist position on this question? At Revolution Festival last year, Fiona Lali from the RCP Executive Committee talked on this topic.

Merry Christmas! But what is Christmas? What is Christianity, and where did it come from? From a small, radical sect, to the world's most popular religion, spanning from West to East. Here, we republish a talk from 2 years ago given by Alan Woods, theoretical leader of the RCI, on the origins of Christianity. Here, he tracks from the early and radical start of Christianity, through to the bureaucratisation of Christianity and its use to colonise the world. Just a reminder, WellRed Britain is having a 20% off Christmas sale! Get your titles before they go!

From this year's Revolution Festival, Peter Kwasiborski, introduces Shostakovich. Stalin's bureaucracy waged a campaign of hate against artists who defied their narrow doctrine of 'Socialist Realism'. Dmitri Shostakovich's 'Anti-formalist Rayok' lambasts these cultural crimes, and defends the spirit of cultural freedom unleashed by the October Revolution.🔗 ⁠Head to our website for more analysis on the topic⁠✊ ⁠Join the Revolutionary Communist Party⁠📰 ⁠Subscribe to The Communist and the In Defence of Marxism magazine⁠💸 ⁠Donate to the RCP⁠🌐 ⁠Read the latest news and analysis from the RCI

Lenin and Trotsky stand as two of the most slandered men in history. Whether from the bourgeois, or from the Stalinists, their ideas are constantly misappriopriated. Stalinists have spent a century trying to divide Lenin and Trotsky. But was there really any difference between their ideas? In this talk, Olivia Ruadh, RCP Central Committee member, explains the real legacy of Lenin and Trotsky

Whatever you think of the Russian Revolution, it transformed the 20th century. For us, this event is the greatest in human history. Where the masses not only entered the scene of history but took their lives' into their own hands. This incredible event is rich in lessons for how to overthrow capitalism today. In this talk, Georgina Ryan, RCP Central Committee comrade, gives life to this important year in history. If you want to learn more about 1917, we would recommend these books from WellRed Britain. In Defence of October - Leon TrotskyHistory of the Russian Revolution - Leon TrotskyIn Defence of Lenin - Rob Sewell and Alan Woods

Marx's masterpiece, Das Kapital, is dripping with the most important lessons for humanity to understand. How does capitalism, the system we live under, actually work? What are the contradicitions inherent in how our economy runs, and how does this impact our lives as workers? At Revolution Festival this year, Adam Booth, who has just rewritten his guide to capital, explains Marx's writing for the modern reader. You can purchase Adam's guide here.

Recently there has been a renewed effort by the US to clamp down on Venezuela. Given this, we are publishing a talk by Jorge Martin from this year's Revolution Festival on the history of the Bolivarian Revolution and Hugo Chavez. This incredible event is rich in lessons for those wanting to fight imperialism and capitalism today.