Engels Against Reformism in Germany and France

Friedrich Engels was born 200 years ago today. Modern reformists like to cite Engels as an authority. But until his very last day, Engels fought against reformist ideas and for revolutionary principles.

Book Review: How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century

When it comes to fighting for socialism, strategy is everything. Here we present a review of Erik Olin Wright's immensely popular "How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century," and discuss the pitfalls of trying to "erode" capitalism.

Four Strategies for Socialism

How can we beat capitalism? A comparison of reformism, autonomism, Maoism, and revolutionary socialism.

What the Current Moment Tells Us About the Importance of Revolutionary Politics

The past three months of social unrest have highlighted the need for broad social change. But we cannot achieve a better society through a reformist approach. A revolutionary alternative is needed. 

Vivek Chibber’s ABCs of Reformism: Reality Has Overtaken Social Democratic Illusions

A year and a half ago, Jacobin magazine put out a series of pamphlets on the ABCs of Capitalism. Reformist theorist Vivek Chibber argues that the bourgeois democratic state has so much legitimacy as to make revolutionary politics impossible. Today, when 54% of the U.S. population thinks it is justified to burn down a police station, such reformist ideas appear like satire.

The Progressive International: The Center Left Attempts to Rescue Capitalism

Public figures including Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky, Elizabeth Goméz Alcorta, Yanis Varoufakis, and Álvaro García Linera have called for the formation of a Progressive International — a front to rescue the institutions of capitalist democracy.

What Kind of Party Do We Need? Five International Examples

Many people are calling for a new party in the United States. But what kind of party do we need? We rate five international examples: a green party, a democratic socialist party, a neoreformist party, a new anticapitalist party, and a class-independence party.

Chile ’73: Was Victory Possible?

Chilean president Salvador Allende’s experience was the most radical attempt to achieve socialism through elections and gradual reforms. What went wrong?

New York’s ‘Progressive’ State Legislature Passes Austerity Budget During Pandemic

Last year, Democrats in New York, bolstered by their growing left wing, had won control of the New York Senate and passed nearly a thousand bills addressing long-awaited reforms and benefitting the working class. However, the New York State budget passed last week in the midst of the pandemic reversed a number of these laws, showing the precariousness of attempting to reform capitalism and highlighting the steps socialists must take instead.