Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in Trier, Germany. Marx, together with his lifelong comrade and friend Friedrich Engels, invented the scientific doctrine of working-class revolution. We call this doctrine “Marxism.”
From German philosophy, and especially from the philosophy of Hegel, Marx developed dialectical and historical materialism—the science of change in all aspects of life.
Surplus value
From English political economy, the most advanced of its day, Marx and Engels took the Labor Theory of Value and developed from it the doctrine of surplus value, “the special law of motion governing the present-day capitalist mode of production” (Engels):
The worker spends one part of the day covering the cost of maintaining himself and his family (wages), while the other part of the day he works without remuneration, creating for the capitalist surplus-value, the source of profit, the source of the wealth of the capitalist class.
The doctrine of surplus-value is the corner-stone of Marx’s economic theory. (Lenin)
Marx developed this scientific theory in his famous work Capital: Critique of Political Economy (also known by its German title Das Kapital), and in shorter, more accessible works such as Wages, Price and Profit.
Class struggle
From French socialist theory, the most advanced and revolutionary of its day since it developed out of the study of the great French Revolution of the 18th century, Marx developed the doctrine of class struggle.
Just as Darwin discovered the law of
development or organic nature, so Marx discovered the law of development of
human history. (Engels)
All societies, past and present, have developed because of the struggle between the exploiting classes—slaveowners, feudal lorders, bourgeois landowners, capitalists—and the exploited classes: slaves, serfs, and the working class. In every age, class struggle is the force that moves forward scientific, social, political, and intellectual development.
Violent revolution; the dictatorship of the proletariat
Marx understood that the struggle of the working class against capitalist exploitation must lead to violent revolution and the forceful overthrow of the capitalist system. In a letter to Joseph Weidemeyer, written in 1852, Marx wrote:
the class struggle leads necessarily to the Dictatorship of the Proletariat; this dictatorship is but the transition to the abolition of all classes and to the creation of a society of free and equal.
Vladimir Lenin, the great Russian revolutionary theorist and political leader and also the greatest student of Marxism, summed up Marxism this way:
The Marxist doctrine is omnipotent because it is true. It is comprehensive and harmonious, and provides men with an integral world outlook irreconcilable with any form of superstition, reaction, or defence of bourgeois oppression.
Marx the revolutionary
Marx was not only a brilliant thinker and theorist. He combined his theoretical work with ground-breaking revolutionary activity.
In 1847 Marx and Engels joined The Communist League, a secret revolutionary society, for which they wrote the famous “Communist Manifesto” (February, 1848). About the Manifesto, Lenin wrote:
This work outlines a new world-conception, consistent with materialism, which also embrace the realm of social life; dialectics, as the most comprehensive and profound doctrine of development; the theory of the class struggle and of the world-historic revolutionary role of the proletariat—the creator of a new, communist society.
The Communist League (1847-1852) was the predecessor of the International Working Men’s Association (The First International). Some of its members later played a leading role in the First International.
In 1864 (September 28) the International Working Men’s Association—the celebrated First International—was founded in London. Marx was the heart and soul of this organization, and author of its first Address and of a host of resolutions, declaration and manifestoes. (Lenin)
The Civil War in France
In 1871 the working class of Paris rebelled against their government and held the city from March 18 until May 28. During this time the city was governed by the Paris Commune, a radical socialist and revolutionary government. In response to the bloody suppression of the Commune by the French Army Marx wrote The Civil War in France. In this work Marx drew the following lessons from this, the first great proletarian revolution in history:
The need to smash (as opposed to taking over or “appropriating”) bourgeois state power and establish the dictatorship of the proletariat.
The need for equality—particularly economic equality—between revolutionary cadre, state functionaries, and the masses of workers.
Immediate recall of leadership by the masses if leaders fail to carry out the desires and aspirations of the working class.
The abolition of a bourgeois-type standing army and the distribution of arms to the masses of people.
Engels wrote:
… Marx was before all else a revolutionist. His real mission in life was to contribute, in one way or another, to the overthrow of capitalist society and of the state institutions which it had brought into being, to contribute to the liberation of the modern proletariat, which he was the first to make conscious of its own position and its needs, conscious of the conditions of its emancipation. Fighting was his element. And he fought with a passion, a tenacity and a success such as few could rival.
And, consequently, Marx was the best hated and most calumniated man of his time … And he died beloved, revered and mourned by millions of revolutionary fellow workers …
PLP fights to carry on Marx’s Legacy
The Progressive Labor Party has studied the history of the communist movement in the light of its successes and errors and of our own. We continue to strongly support Marx’s central theories and respect him as the greatest revolutionary theorist in history. We proudly call ourselves “Marxists.”
Through the lessons of history, we disagree with a few tactics that Marx proposed. We understand that a standing army will be needed by any revolutionary communist society in order to fight off, and carry the battle to, the forces of capitalism and imperialism that will inevitably try to destroy any communist revolution. The Paris Commune was defeated largely because it had no army, and waited passively until the French Army attacked it. This was a fatal error.
We also reject the notion, put forth by Marx in his “Critique of the Gotha Program,” that inequality – Marx calls it “bourgeois right” – must be preserved during the first, or lower, stage of communism. Preserving inequality has been the excuse for Soviet misleaders like Nikita Khrushchev and Mikhail Gorbachev, and Chinese sellouts like Deng Xiaoping, to turn socialist states back to exploitative capitalism.
Standing on the shoulders on giants
Marx was the great philosopher—economist, theorist, thinker, and revolutionary activist—of the modern movement for an egalitarian society run by and for the producers of all value—the working class.
We commemorate him best when we try to follow in his footsteps and build the movement that he began—a movement for justice and equality for all working people.
We have a long way to go. But we have great predecessors, great ancestors, in this movement. Marx is one of the great giants. PLP and the communist movement is standing on his shoulders .
It is fitting that we remember him every day, and especially this month, the two hundredth anniversary of his birth.
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Israeli apartheid decimates Gaza workers, exacerbates rivalries
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- 05 May 2018 171 hits
It doesn’t matter if they shoot me or not. Death or life—it’s the same thing.
—Saber al-Gerim, 22, protester at Gaza border, New York Times, April 30.
For the two million working-class people in the occupied Gaza Strip, the world’s largest concentration camp, life is indeed the same as death. Since the latest Palestinian rebellion began on March 30, the apartheid state of Israel has murdered at least 45 people and wounded over five thousand more. A United States in decline can no longer control Israel, its regional watchdog. Amid intensifying inter-imperialist competition with Russia and China, the resulting turbulence in the Middle East is further destabilizing the old U.S.-dominated liberal world order.
Nakba Day
The Palestinian protests are expected to peak on May 15, Nakba (“Catastrophe”) Day, the 70th anniversary of the creation of the officially racist nation of Israel, when over 700,000 Arab workers and their families were displaced and exiled. The day before, a new U.S. embassy is set to open in the divided city of Jerusalem—a move by Donald Trump to pander to his racist base and underline the fact that the “two-state solution,” conceived to give the Palestinian nationalist bosses an independent state, is dead. The future is a one-state solution, with the Zionist bosses continuing to exploit, oppress, and brutalize an Arab majority from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
As Nakba Day draws near, Iran-aligned Hamas is organizing tens of thousands of protesters to storm the Israeli border. But Hamas, the Islamic nationalists who have administered occupied Gaza since 2007, has nothing to offer workers there except futile terrorism and misguided martyrdom. Given the imbalance of forces—Palestinian rocks against Israeli assault rifles and hand grenades—May 15 looks likely to be a bloodbath.
Meanwhile, the world’s capitalist bosses—including those in the Arab world—have turned their backs on Palestinian workers and their suffering. For the first time, a Saudi boss, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, reportedly backed Israel’s “right” to an apartheid regime (Ma’an News Agency, 5/1). The U.S.-aligned bosses’ silence on the Gaza rebellion reflects their real priority—keeping regional rival Iran in check.
Gaza, a concentration camp
The Middle East is a victim of unvarnished imperialism, with ceaseless competition and wars for resources (oil) and profits (ExxonMobil). The smaller bosses, from Hamas to Al Fatah (the group that runs the West Bank under Israeli rule), protect their petty fiefdoms but do nothing for Palestinian workers. All of these capitalists, big and small, share a total disregard for working-class lives. Gaza contains 1.3 million refugees. Among workers under 30, 65 percent are unemployed. Living conditions are unspeakable:
“United Nations officials warn that Gaza is nearing total collapse, with medical supplies dwindling, clinics closing and 12-hour power failures threatening hospitals. The water is almost entirely undrinkable, and raw sewage is befouling beaches and fishing grounds. Israeli officials and aid workers are bracing for a cholera outbreak any day” (NYT, 2/11).
The Palestinian workers truly have nothing to lose.
Israel, U.S. watchdog
With the world’s largest reserves of cheaply extractable oil, the Middle East is a powder keg for world war, with U.S.-backed Saudi Arabia and Russia- and China-backed Iran at each other’s throats. Israel enjoys advanced weaponry, military research, and funding in collaboration with the U.S. Why? Because Israel serves to check Russian imperialist aggression.
While fighting wars against Arab states, the Israeli bosses have also waged a vicious campaign to subjugate the Palestinians. They have brutally suppressed two intifadas (rebellions), built electronic fences, bulldozed Palestinian villages. Their jet fighters bomb the homes of supposed terrorists (children who threw rocks were imprionsed for years)—when they’re not bombing schools and hospitals. Now they are using snipers and hand grenades against unarmed protesters in Gaza. And while conditions in Gaza get ever more desperate, the Israeli government has allocated a billion dollars to build an underground concrete fence to further blockade and isolate the workers there.
Complications for U.S. bosses
Yet as we have seen throughout the world, the working class keeps fighting back—and now the workers of Gaza are leading the way. Against insurmountable odds, they are risking their lives to break out of their prison. They are once again exposing the Israeli rulers as racist war criminals.
The new U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, a former Tea Party congressman, is unmoved by the atrocities committed by the Zionists’ Nazi regime: “We do believe the Israelis have the right to defend themselves, and we’re fully supportive of that” (Wall Street Journal, 4/30). But while Pompeo’s racist analysis reflects the interests of the U.S. profit system, the bosses are divided. The main-wing, finance capitalists would prefer to rule with a cover of liberal “democracy.” As Roger Cohen, an arch-imperialist who represents the stance of these main-wing bosses, wrote in the April 20 New York Times: “As usual Israel overreaches, an eye for an eyelash.”
With a weakened U.S. unable to rein in their vicious dog, a virulent Israel gives Iran and Iran’s Russian backers more runway to build their own axis of power—a scenario that can only hasten World War III.
Workers have no borders
The job of Progressive Labor Party is to lead the workers everywhere to turn imperialist war into a revolutionary war for communism. The working class has no borders. With communist revolution, we will tear down every fence and wall—real and imaginary—that divides us. We are one international Party and one international working class. We have nothing to lose but our chains.
Three hundred gathered for this May Day march and celebration. They embraced each other with hugs, smiles, and exchanges of “Happy May Day!”
Future leaders of the international working class, newer workers and students being introduced to the Progressive Labor Party got the opportunity to meet many courageous communist workers as we all strengthened our ties as working people.
For communists, May Day is both a historical reminder of the relentless brutality of capitalist oppression, and a source of revolutionary optimism showing workers glimpses of what is necessary to destroy that same system of vicious inequality.
May Day marks a new year of fightback
“One World, One Class, One Party” was our theme of this new year. This message was embodied in every aspect that shaped this militant demonstration. Families with children, older workers, couples, classmates, co-workers, individuals of different genders and races marched alongside each other and embraced the energy of each other and the workers who witnessed along the streets.
Dancing and chanting in the streets
We went through a mainly working-class Caribbean, Latin, and Black neighborhood. All along the march, participants and observers were electrified by the chants being led by PLP with their conviction and enthusiasm.
Combined with some infectious beats, the lines of these political chants were a tool of mass popular education to clarify for those within reach what we mean when we say “Fight For Communism!”
Passersby stopped along the sidewalks, came out of stores, looked out the windows of their apartments, turned in our direction from within buses and cars, and listened to the youth on the sound truck encourage workers everywhere to overthrow capitalism through communist revolution!
Many workers danced on the sidewalks as they watched us pass by. Many working-class people put their fists up with us when we called for “Workers’ Power (Este Puno Si Se Ve, Los Obreros Al Poder)!”
Many nodded with their fists in the air, moving to the beat of the music, when we chanted, “Fight Back!” against all the crimes bosses inflict on us as their wage slaves. Others were compelled by our energy to join us. Two thousand workers received CHALLENGE, our revolutionary communist newspaper. We also distributed almost 500 copies of a special edition of Le Défi, our newspaper in French and Haitian Creole.
At a moment mass culture encourages individuals to take digital videos and photos of distinctive significance in their lives. A critical mass of workers that encountered our demonstration took out their phones and captured and shared our call to join PLP and struggle to emancipate all workers from capitalist exploitation.
Bosses’ terrified of workers’ potential
Imperialist bosses everywhere are terrified of losing their domination over workers as they steal the surplus value (profit) that we produce. They will do everything in their power to hide or distort the historical significance of May Day for our future—the need to liberate the force of all production, the international multiracial working class, from capitalist domination.
All of the militant demonstrations being waged by PLP around the world this May Day, such as the one in New York, demonstrate that bosses can only do so much to stop workers from organizing against them as violent oppressors.
No matter where you are, join us not only on May Day but also in PLP in developing the courage and confidence of all workers in uniting and fighting for a communist future!
When a young Black teacher and a Latin high school student who are friends of Progressive Labor Party emcee our May Day dinner, you know it will be an inspiring event! These two young women led 60 comrades, families and friends through an interactive, enlightening program complete with good food, music, poetry, games, banner painting, and speeches. At the end of the night, every person in the room wanted to find out about how to get more involved.
The theme of the night “Smash Capitalism with Multi-Racial Unity” shined through all aspects of the event. The main speech took lessons from Kent, Ohio and South Africa about organizing multi-racial unity. Then after analyzing the world situation, the whole room sounded off about what they are doing to change this.
Communist trivia, table talk, and poetry
We followed this with a trivia game based on the latest issue of CHALLENGE. The entire room fell silent—except for the sound of shuffling pages, as competitive communists and friends furiously read articles looking for the answers. The “winner” was happy to take home a year subscription to the paper as her prize.
We moved table talk, engaging participants in a discussion around what it will take to destroy capitalism.
And what May Day dinner would be complete without a Langston Hughes poem? Two high school students from the base of PLP gave a stirring rendition of “Open Letter to the South” (see poem excerpt on page 6). This reinforced the message of the night that freedom for the working class starts with multi-racial unity.
We closed the night with 60 fists in the air singing “The Internationale”.
March in dark times
This event then encouraged many to march on May 1st with PLP. Although small, we were able to participate in two different May Day marches across Los Angeles.
Our banner, created by the participants of the May Day dinner, led the way both politically and aesthetically. One thousand workers on the street went home with a copy of CHALLENGE and thousands more chanted and cheered in celebration of the working class.
The marches were considerably smaller than last year, which is telling, given the raids and terror campaign against immigrant workers. Having said that, for the young Black teacher who marched with us for the first time and rocked our “Fight Back” chant, May Day was empowering. For us, it brought a swell of energy which was really inspiring for our small group.
The digging into mass organizations and on-the-job work in Los Angeles is paying off. This May Day dinner and march would not have been possible without our friends’ organization and leadership. We strive to convert these efforts into recruitment and consolidation.
Fifty comrades and friends of Progressive Labor Party rallied and marched through the streets of Bronzeville to celebrate May Day 2018. PLP has been having regular CHALLENGE sales in the neighborhood for years— lately every week—with an enthusiastic response from the community. It is a historically Black area that has been the home to workers and communists since the 1920s.
We rallied with red flags and signs against racist deportations and mass incarceration.There were specific messages about killer kkkop Jason Van Dyke, who murdered teenager Laquan McDonald by shooting him 16 times. We shouted anti-racist, pro-international working class chants, and distributed over 400 CHALLENGEs during our two-hour rally and march.
A young man who had been arrested while attending a court hearing for Van Dyke’s pre-trial motions gave an impassioned speech on the bullhorn. He pointed out that he lost his freedom and his job for calling for justice, while Van Dyke is still free and working.This racist, capitalist system will always protect kkkops and punish workers to maintain itself. This is why we chanted, “The cops, the courts, the Ku Klux Klan: all are part of the bosses’ plan!”
One world, one international working class, one party
After the march we had a dinner and dynamic program, with just over 90 people and families attending. The main speech was given by a young comrade who focused on the inspirational international fight back that is happening around the world and in the US. He linked the struggle of striking nurses in Zimbabwe to striking teachers in West Virginia and other states, and striking health care workers in Illinois. He explained how holding state power (controlling the military, the police, the press, the schools, and the workers through dead-end reform groups) is the way capitalists are able to continue to exploit our class. He pointed out that true freedom can only be won when the international working class, led by a mass PLP, captures state power.
The comrade linked the policies enforced by Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump: imperialist war, deportations, mass incarceration. His speech was inspiring and made it clear that “we have to be in it to win it!” He talked about our Party organizing 30 workers in only three days in Indiana to protest an ICE raid where eight construction workers were arrested at work (see page 3). After the speech, we had table-talks about whether reform movements can create lasting change and if non-violent revolution is possible. The discussions that followed were inspiring, and were followed up by a call for all in attendance to continue these conversations and actions by joining the Party and study groups.
Ey ta, ta ta!
The program highlighted the importance of a fighting and politicized international working class. We read aloud letters from comrades from around the world: Iran, Iraq, Ecuador, Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan (see some on page 6).We chanted (both during the rally and at the dinner) a slogan from the anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa, “Ey Ta, Ta Ta!,” which mimics the sound of an AK-47 fired by workers to shut down the fascist system during revolution.
We also heard from the mother of a KeMonte Cobbs, a young Black teen murdered by the police in Gary, Indiana last year. There’s been no reason as to why her son was gunned down by killer kkkop Justin Hedrick.She has bravely called out the lies and conflicting stories in the police reports and is fighting for justice for her family.
Through their mass organization, comrades have stood with the family, highlighting that true justice can never be won from appealing to killer kkkops and their murderous system. Her story and strength showed both the personal effects of this racist system, as well as the strength and ability the working class has to challenge the system.
We ended the evening with fists up, singing the International; another inspiring May Day celebration with friends and comrades. Onward to another year of communist organizing!
