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The International Communist Study Group

 The International Communist Study Group (ICSG) has begun holding bimonthly meetings online. We currently conducting a study on Marxist attitudes towards fascism and the anti-fascist struggle. Our September book is Fascism and Dictatorship by Nicos Poulantzas, which analyses how the Third International analysed fascism and some of the mistakes that it made. Poulantzas comes very close to Trotsky's critique of the Comintern's approach to anti-fascist organising, both during the Third Period and the later Popular Front.  In October, the International Communist Study Group will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lenin's death by reading a book related to Lenin (either some works by Lenin or a book like Reminisciences of Lenin by Krupskaya). As Lenin's works remain a guiding light for revolutionaries around the world, we wish to  remain true to Leninism and its revolutionary communist vision. Our hope is to engage with Lenin in order to bring his teachings to life within
Recent posts

Our Attitude Towards Trotskyism

 The Central Committee of the United Communists of Europe presents here the result of an internal discussion about Trotskyism. As we show in this article, we do not call ourselves Trotskyists, but take the best elements of Trotskyism and integrate it into revolutionary Marxism. We wish to uphold Leon Trotsky as a revolutionary communist who has much to teach communists today.  Leon Trotsky was a revolutionary communist whose contributions to socialist revolution are unmeasurable. From his early days as a militant in the Petrograd Soviet during the 1905 Revolution, to his principled opposition to Stalinism in the twenties and thirties, Trotsky was present at each stage in the revolutionary movements of the early twentieth century. As a theorist in works like Results and Prospects and the Permanent Revolution , he produced some important interventions that provided clarity to a confusing situation. Although he was not free of mistakes and theoretical weaknesses at times, Trotsky must be

What is Revolutionary Marxism?

We often get asked what our ideology is. Are the United Communists of Europe Trotskyists? Are we Marxist-Leninists? Are we Maoists? We always answer that we are revolutionary Marxists. This is confusing to people because it does not correspond to one of the common labels that are usually used to identify political organisations. To explain why we prefer the label revolutionary Marxism, we must briefly discuss the tradition out of which we come.  The origin of the United Communists of Europe lies in the Communist Organisation of Scotland (COS), which was founded in February of 2018. It began as a small collective in Glasgow of five communists who wanted to create a new communist party in Scotland. At the time of our founding, we called ourselves Marxist-Leninist (ML), as most of us came out of traditional ML organisations.  A comrade who lived in America had been around the Freedom Road Socialist Organisation (FRSO), which was founded in 1985 as a merger of a few Maoist organisations. F

Scottish Independence: a Communist Approach

  This is an article from the Communist Organisation of Scotland, which is the Scottish section of the United Communists of Europe. It was written in 2020, right before the outbreak of the covid pandemic. Alot has changed since the article was written and the situation in Scotland has somewhat changed. We are currently working on an updated statement that reflects the post-pandemic conditions of Scotland. We publish this statement to give readers a sense of how we would approach an issue like independence.   In our view, Scotland faces national oppression and has the right of self-determination, up to and including independence. As Scotland is still part of the antiquated United Kingdom, it must recognise the monarchy and the House of Lords, and does not have power over its own policies. There are significantly fewer Scottish MP's in the House of Commons, and the interests of Scotland are often side-lined in favour of England. Historically, the Highlands and the Islands have faced

The Left in the Coming Period in the Netherlands

This article is by one of our members in the Netherlands, Papagena de Fidelio. It gives a general perspective of how communists should approach the coming period after the formation of a far-right administration led by Geert Wilders.  The Left in the Netherlands is in a very weak state today, which has resulted in a lack of effective opposition to neoliberalism. With the decline of the Socialist Party in 2020 and a fragmented trade union movement, progressive-minded people have turned to single issue organisations with short-term demands. While struggles for improved housing, a 16 euro minimum wage, or the fight against climate change have made some gains, there is not a united left-wing party with a clear programme of action. This has made it very difficult to build an effective people's movement in the Netherlands and contributed to the victory of the far-right in the last elections. What are the key tasks of the Left in the Netherlands? How can we rebuild the trade-union movemen

Statement on Palestinian Liberation

The Central Committee of the United Communists of Europe release this statement on the Palestine Liberation Movement.  The Palestinian people have struggled against imperialism and colonialism for over a century. They have had their land stolen, seen their homes destroyed, and live in a permanent state of war. Every Palestinian has had a family member, a friend, or a lover who has died. In some cases, Palestinians have lost their entire family, and seen their spouse, parents and children die in the most brutal way. While the Zionists who run the Israeli state are the immediate enemy of the Palestinian people, it is imperialism and capitalist barbarity that is the source of Palestinian oppression.  From the early Ottoman period, to the interwar struggle against British colonialism, to the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 and the ensuing Nakba, the Palestinians have been an oppressed people who are unable to exercise self-determination over their own national affairs. The entire e