“Fascism is the strongest, most concentrated, and classic expression at this time of the world bourgeoisie’s general offensive. It is urgently necessary that it be brought down." As fascism continues to become more violent and brazen internationally, the question of how to fight it becomes ever more urgent. In Fighting Fascism: How To Struggle and How To Win by Clara Zetkin the esteemed German Communist delivers her 1923 address to the Third Plenum of the Communist International which included her defintion of fascism, an analysis of its origins and what social, economic and political conditions led to the rise of fascism in Italy, tragically accurate and prescient warnings about the development of fascism in Germany, why the fight against fascism must be taken up by the entire proletariat and more. We also comment on fascism in the USA, discuss how to struggle against and overcome fascism and why we can never forget the devastating impact that fascism has had on the world. Please...
"We are witnessing an escalation of violence against women, especially African-descendant and Native-American women, because 'globalisation' is a process of political recolonisation intended to give capital uncontested control over the world's natural wealth and human labour, and this cannot be achieved without attacking women, who are directly responsible for the reproduction of their communities." In our second and final episode on Witches, Witch-Hunting and Women by Silvia Federici, our attention moves to the second part of the book, which begins with 'Globalisation, Capital Accumulation and Violence Against Women: An International and Historical Perspective' and concludes with 'Witch-Hunting, Globalisation and Feminist Solidarity in Africa Today'. These two brilliant essays lead us into discussions on how mental health systems have been oppressive to and dismissive of women and used to institutionalise, gaslight and punish them for their sexuality. Domestic violence and the puni...
‘Every town has its witch, and every parish its trolls. We will keep them from life with the fire of joy.’ In the first of a two-part episode on 'Witches, Witch-Hunting and Women' by Silvia Federici, we discover how historical distortions of the witch-hunts lead to dangerous misunderstandings of women and their history in modern times and how women are not now gaining their rights for the first time, but regaining them after centuries of disenfranchisement and oppression. Part one of the book ‘Revisiting Capital Accumulation and the European Witch Hunt’ consists of one song and four essays: ‘Midsommervisen - Vi Elsker Vort Land’, ‘Why Speak of the Witch Hunts Again?’, ‘Witch Hunts, Enclosures, and the Demise of Communal Property Relations’, ‘Witch-Hunting and the Fear of the Power of Women’ and ‘On the Meaning of ‘Gossip’’. In these insightful and thought-provoking pieces we discuss the Danish annual tradition of burning the effigy of a witch on ‘Sankt Hans Aften’ ...
This week we're once again collaborating with our comrades from The Tolerant Left podcast to bring the second of our two part episode covering 'A Great Love' by Alexandra Kollontai. The second half of the book deals with an intensification of Semyon's abuse, his neglect of her needs, the belittling of Natasha's intelligence, how Senya's actions provoke self doubt and anxiety in her, Natasha's frustration and eventual disillusionment with their relationship and how after becoming jaded with Semyon's incorrigibility she courageously asserts her autonomy and finally breaks free. We also chat about 'crazy ex-girlfriends', how women are kept as toys and why drunkenness isn't an excuse for misogyny. In our first time discussing a work of fiction we found no lack of important subject matter to be gleaned from the text. Considered by many to be a representation of a relationship between Inessa Armand and Vladimir Lenin, this essential and heart-breaking text gives us a deep insight into the...
“All she wanted was to stand between him and the world, relieve him of his worries, help him bear his cross.” This week we're collaborating with our comrades from The Tolerant Left podcast to bring the first of two episodes covering 'A Great Love' by Alexandra Kollontai. In our first time discussing a work of fiction we found no lack of important subject matter to be gleaned from the text. Considered by many to be a representation of a relationship between Inessa Armand and Vladimir Lenin, this essential and heart-breaking text gives us a deep insight into the physical and emotional reality of women revolutionaries before the October revolution and the harmful and misogynistic behaviour of men which remains unchanged to the present day. This book, set in the world of revolutionaries exiled following the 1905 revolution, tells us the story of Natasha, an intelligent and dedicated party organiser, and her relationship with Semyon Semyonovich, a highly respected but deeply abusive of...
In our fifth and final installment of our readings from Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici we focus on 'Chapter 5 - Colonisation and Christianisation: Caliban and Witches in the New World', in it we discuss the indigenous resistance of the Taki Unquy millenarian movement, the connection between colonisation throughout America and the witch-hunts in Europe, the introduction of prostitution, how Spaniards brought over the misogyny necessary to introduce a patriarchal capitalist order, our final thoughts on the piece and more. This episode is part of our series on Marxist-feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara have said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining themost comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past andpresent that we possibly can; therefore we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have bee...
As we delve deepter into Silvia Federici's 'Caliban and the Witch', we learn about the origins of the banning of reproductive sex and the demonisation of homosexuality, how women were pushed out of the workforce, the environment of acceptance around violence on the bodies of women, the attacks on women's intergenerational knowledge, elite magicians of the bourgeoisie, how class war and not enlightenment caused the end of the witch trials, links between Nazism and the witch-hunts and an overview of Malthusianism. Join us for our episode on chapter 4 of Caliban and the Witch - 'The Great Witch-Hunt in Europe' for insight into all these topics and more. This episode is part of our series on Marxist-feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara have said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining themost comprehensive view of the material conditions ...
“How did you become what you are, Pasha?” Praskovya Angelina, affectionately known as Pasha Angelina, takes issue with an American Encyclopaedia's recognition of her as being a 'distinguished person'. In this autobiographical piece she lays out the story of her life from peasant farmer to deputy of the Supreme Soviet and takes us on a journey through collectivisation and the Soviet psyche during some of the most hopeful, and the most desperate times of modern human history. Join us as we discuss Pasha Angelina's 'My Answer to an American Questionnaire', in which we learn the about the strength and humility of this Hero of Socialist Labour, contrast the mindsets of people living under socialism with those living under capitalism, discover the indomitable spirit of the Soviet people and learn how one of the most distinguished citizens of her era understood the concept fame. This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara said, “Women hold up the o...
How were we transformed from humans into machines? In this third installement of Silvia Federici's 'Caliban and the Witch' we discuss 'Chapter 3 - The Great Caliban: The Struggle Against The Rebel Body' and learn about the origins of the mechanisation of the workforce, the new social conceptualisation of the body, magical corpses, the philosophical battle between Descartes and Hobbes and the introduction of shame of the body. This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Mao said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining themost comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past andpresent as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation forcenturies.From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulationto Luxemburg’s essay of...
In this incredibly dense chapter we take a deep dive into topics such as women's bodily autonomy, economic abuse, the weight placed on women by austerity, women as the reproducers of the workforce, the criminalisation of poverty and many, many more. Join us as we dive back into Silvia Federici's game-changing work 'Caliban and the Witch' with 'Chapter 2 - The Accumulation of Labor and the Degradation of Women.' This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Mao said,“Women hold up the other half of the sky.”Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining themost comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past andpresent as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries.From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulationto Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of...