No event in human history has stoked as much controversy as the Russian Revolution of 1917. And for good reason - it proved that the structures of capitalist rule could be smashed and replaced by genuine economic and political democracy. Yet the real story of the Russian Revolution has been buried in myths woven by both pro-capitalist and Stalinist accounts.
This session will be dedicated to unpacking the radical, democratic history of the Revolution and what socialists can learn from it today.
Workers have played monumental roles in fighting for a more equal world; whether it was going on strike to support gay rights or refusing to unload ships from apartheid South Africa.
This session will uncover radical history of unions resisting racism, sexism and war, and how we can rebuild these movements today.
Earlier this year in Queensland, access to puberty blockers was halted in what was an unprecedented attack on young trans kids. It was only recently in 2022 that Roe vs Wade was overturned in the US, a monumental attack on abortion rights. Banksia Hill, a detention centre in WA, still disproportionately incarcerates Indigenous youth in what has been described as "barbaric dungeons".
This session will discuss why oppression is crucial for capitalism to function and how only overthrowing capitalism can liberate all of the oppressed.
Donald Trump's return to the White House has emboldened the far right everywhere. The billionaires and capitalist class have lined up behind his far-right vision, and attacks against the oppressed are upsurging. Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Trump's right hand man, did a fascist salute at Trump's inauguration.
Capitalism is increasingly accommodating far-right authoritarianism around the world and this session will discuss this and how socialists can fight against it.
Socialists who argue for revolution today are often met with disbelief - isn't capitalism too well-established to be overthrown? Wouldn't a revolution be violent or just bring a new ruling class to power? Aren't workers simply too comfortable to rise up?
This session will unpack the dynamics of revolutionary upheaval in the contemporary period and paint a picture of what a successful socialist revolution could look like today.
It is obvious that capitalism is a deeply unequal and inhumane system. But the key question for any serious radical is what can we do?
This session will talk through why we need more socialists to help organise collective struggles and to rebuild socialist organisation in Australia today.
