Articles

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Socialism

Information Technology and Socialism
Socialism will be a society based upon production for use. But what does this mean? How could this work and what part could be played by information technology in socialism?
Hunting, Gathering and Co-Operating
Is a change in the basis of society from one of minority class ownership to one of common ownership against human nature?
Is Socialism Against Human Nature?
Dispelling myths about human nature.
Do Our Genes Make Socialism Impossible?
We address the argument that humans are naturally lazy and uncooperative.
Government Or Democracy?
How democracy would be different under world socialism.
Co-Operation Makes Sense
Review of 'The Selfish Gene,' by biologist Richard Dawkins.
Socialism Will Work
Reply to critics who argue that human greed makes socialism impossible.
Beyond Cynicism
A reply to a disillusioned reader.
Why We Don't Need Money
A sane, alternative way of allocating resources

Economics

Economics: Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about capitalism answered.
Why Profit Gets Priority
A straightforward explanation of why the profit motive is paramount in today's society.
Economists—Not on This Planet
Why economists present a narrow and misleading view of the world.
Where Do Profits Come From?
A clear definition of profit. How government statistics show that profit is made at the expense of the working class majority.
All at sea
The indications are that the economy is heading
for a recession, which no government can prevent.
Booms and Slumps—What Causes Them?
In 1821, the highly respected bourgeois economist David Ricardo stated that overproduction is impossible under capitalism. Regular economic slumps have occured ever since—and what has been their cause?
Crisis and Inflation: Back to the Future?
Gordon Brown claimed that he had ended the boom and bust cycle. The current economic crisis demonstrates that normal service has been resumed.
The New GDP: Gilts, Debts and ‘PIIGS’
During 2010 the most talked-about consequence of the housing and banking crisis has been its knock-on effect for governments – those charged with masterminding the bailout. We examine the state of what is euphemistically known as the ‘public finances’.
Forever blowing bubbles.
Those attracted by the ‘buy-to-let’ bonanza, turning themselves into mini-rentiers in a bid to escape wage slavery forever, are likely to get their fingers burnt.
Banks, money and thin air
An urban myth is circulating on the internet that banks have been creating money out of thin air.
Smoke and Mirrors: The Bend Some and Hedges Effect
The fiasco surrounding the $50 billion hedge funds run by Bernard Madoff has been another illustration of the current instability at the heart of capitalism’s financial apparatus.
The axe falls – will anyone take on the axeman?
The Con Dem coalition government is promising a new “Age of Austerity”. What should workers do about it?
Introduction to Marxian Economics 1: The Labour Theory of Value
A summary of Marx's explanation of wages, prices, profit and commodities.
Introduction to Marxian Economics 2: The Rate of Profit
Marx's analysis of long term trends in the rate of profit.
Money Screws You Up
How the market system take over our lives.
A Capitalist Criticises Capitalism
A review of 'The Crisis Of Global Capitalism' by George Soros.
Major Douglas Rides Again
The revival of currency crankism.

Global economy

Economic Meltdown in Argentina
We look at the economic background to the rioting and looting in Argentina, and the factors which led to the social crisis there.
Who's Afraid of the W.T.O?
The World Trade Organisation represents the interests of the capitalist class and is a product of the lessons they have learned for protecting their system.
Tobin Tax—What a Joke
The call for a Tobin tax—a tax on financial transactions—is not anti-capitalist, as some in the anti-globalisation movement seem to think.
Globalisation, Part 1: Introduction
Introduction to a three part study of globalisation
Globalisation, Part 2: The Move Towards Free Trade
Part of a three-part study of globalisation
Globalisation, Part 3: The World Bank, IMF and Structural Adjustment
Part of a three-part study of globalisation
Globalisation, Part 4: Is There an Alternative?
Part of a three-part study of globalisation
Dropping the Debt?
Debt crisis for the world's poorest nations.
Financial Wizards Or Great Pretenders?
The IMF and Ghana.
Uganda's Politics of Alcohol, Soap, Salt and Sugar
Reflections on the Ugandan election.
A Girl's Best Friend
Diamonds, Death and Profits.
Going for Oil
United States enters Central Asia, seeking control over oil resources.
Boom Goes Bust in Asia
Thirty countries covering a quarter of the world's population are officially in recession. Even defenders of capitalism are now compelled to use the term world economic crisis.
Russian Capitalism in Crisis
Russia is in trouble; and its economy is in dead crisis.
China's Transformation
China's move from state-run to free market capitalism.
Africa and the Reality of Capitalism
Africa, a continent with virtually all the resources it takes for development, is the worst hit by hunger, starvation, armed conflicts, instability, displacement and abject poverty. Politicians, jockeying for the little resources left by the capitalist class, display the politics of hide-and-seek, repression and oppression.

Ownership

No Logo
Globalisation and the spread of the 'brand.'
Who Owns the World?
The world's 358 billionaires have more assets than the combined incomes of countries representing 45% of the planet's population. From 1960 to 1990 the share in global income of the poorest 20 percent of the world's population fell from 2.3 percent to 1.4 percent. The share of the richest 20 percent of the grew from 70% to 85%.
The Curse of Xawara
The relentless spread of the market economy threatens the Yanomami people of Brazil
Two-Class Society
Introducing our class-based analysis of society
From Third World to One World?
How capitalism is perpetuating the existence of a 'Third world' and whether this can be reversed
America—From Dream to Nightmare
Poverty in the U.S.A.
Th-Th-Th-That's All Folks!
Reflections on the class struggle in the United States of America

The state

Holes in the 'Safety Net'
The welfare state is in some difficulty across the western world
The Taxation Myth
When capitalist political parties are in disagreement, the issue of taxation often looms large. Should income tax be reduced or increased? What should be done about local government taxation? Why all the fuss about taxation—is it so important?
What Causes World Poverty?
The World Development Organisation claims that the policies of governments and multinational businesses cause poverty. Are they right?
Cuba: No Workers Paradise
Leftist fantasies exposed.

Resources

Health: Africa and the Aids Crisis
Causes and consequences of the AIDS epidemic in Africa
Water: Thirsting for Conflict
The likelihood of expected conflict over scarce water resources in the Middle East in spite of their being enough water on a global scale to meet the needs of all
Capitalism: An Unnatural Disaster
The response from international governments to hurrican-stricken Central America has been mediochre
How We Could Feed the World
World hunger is not caused by a lack of food. The United Nations estimates that one eighth of the global population are actually starving, while the earth could, in theory, feed very many more people than now inhabit the globe.
Slower Than the Speed of Light
Capitalism has taken far too long to explore the potential of renewable energy sources
Searching for Scarcity
Few natural resources are scarce, relative to what is needed to sustainably meet human needs
World Without Accountants
Human and natural resources are wasted by the money system on a vast scale

The environment

Sceptical About Doomsday?
Bjorn Lomborg's 'The Skeptical Environmentalist' vs Lester Brown's 'Eco-Economy' on the state of the planet
Stockholm, Rio and Beyond
The failure of the United Nations to prevent a global ecological crisis
Eco-Socialism
Only world socialism can ensure sustainability
Agenda 21—Funding Failure
How the 1992 Earth Summit failed to deliver
Profit Depleting Agreements
Profit takes priority as global warming continues
Earth Summit II Ends in Failure
Review of the 1997 Conference in New York
Climate Change—A Familiar Story From Kyoto
International struggle to agree on reducing carbon emissions
Trading Loopholes in the Hague
Year 2000 international global warming conference fails to reach agreement
Profit Enhancing Chemicals
Profit takes priority as ozone depletion continues
Deforestation
Profit takes priority as deforestation rates escalate
World Fisheries Reach Crisis Point
Overfishing and the unsustainable drive for profit

Politics and conflict


The Cold War re-heats
              From the Socialist Standard September 2008
La Guerra Fria se re-calienta (Spanish)

The War in  Georgia
          From the Socialist Standard September 2008
La Guerra en Georgia (Spanish)

European Capitalism Or World Socialism
            From the Socialist Party Election Leaflet for Euro Elections 2004.
 Iraq: Liberation Or Occupation?
A statement from our anti-war leaflet.
The Liberian Crisis in Perspective
An African view of the conflict in Liberia.
American Centuries, Old and New
The shadowy think tanks plotting the USA's continued world domination.
Tomorrow's Enemies
Gwynn Thomas argues that since the end of the Cold War, conventional war has become more likely.
The Oil Wars to Come
In a world divided up by private property where are the areas of conflict over apparently diminishing resources likely to be?
The War: Capitalism Does It Again
A statement on the war in Iraq.
Intrigue in the Middle East
The historical background to the pending war in Iraq.
The Coming War for Oil
The U.S. economic interests in Iraq.
Yes, Inaction Is Not an Option
The U.S.A. considers military action against Iraq.
U.S.A. Versus the World
George Bush's State of the Union address.
Election Fever Grips Zimbabwe
A socialist in Zimbabwe writes before the election.
Zambia's Tribalist Politics
A history of party politics in Zambia
Afghanistan and the New Silk Road
U.S. Senator explains U.S. interests in Afghanistan.
World Socialists Comment on Afghanistan War
Comment from Pakistan, U.S.A. and Ireland.
The Middle East Connection
The first war of the 21st Century.
Indonesia: All Change for No Change
The history of conflict in Indonesia.
The Case of the Decroated Donkey
Suhuyini reports on the African Union—the brainchild of Col Gadhafi—and in whose interests it can be expected to operate.
Terrorist Attacks in the USA
A socialist response.
Kosovo—the Real Motives
U.S. interest in Balkan oil supplies was a key factor behind their intervention in Kosovo.
The Politics of Poverty in Zambia
The current, tense political situation in Zambia.
Son of Star Wars
George Bush sets out his intent for a new approach to U.S.A. foreign policy.
Tribalism, Colonialism and Capitalism
A study of West Africa.
Black Consciousness in South Africa
Left wing movements in South Africa do not advocate the end of capitalism.
Letter From Zambia
The impact of free market capitalism on Zambian politics.
Venezuela—Capitalism Staggers on
Re-elected Chavez faces huge problems.
Iraq—The Continuing War
The motives behind and consequences of sanctions against Iraq.
Africa—The Lost Continent
Reflections from the Gambia on the fate of the African continent under capitalism.
New Times for Syria?
A new President takes over in Syria.
Kosovo—A War for Justice?
Questioning the supposed motives for the N.A.T.O bombing in the Balkans.
Whither Iraq?
Questioning the supposed motives for sanctions on Iraq.
Exit Oskar the Pink
The failure of SPD reforms in Germany leads to the resignation of Oscar Lafontaine.
Pinochet and Socialism
What happened in Chile in 1973 is not relevant to our case that capitalism can be abolished by a democratically-organised socialist majority using already-established elective and representative institutions.
The Israel–Palestine Conflict
World Socialist Movement—The Isreal—Palestine Conflict
Not Worth the Paper
Various treaties exist concerning different types of weapons of mass destruction but all of them contain escape clauses and ambiguous formulations that facilitate routine violations.
Out of Africa?
African democracy and U.S.A intervention
Us Flexes Its Muscles in the Gulf
The latest round of U.S.A. sabre-rattling has less to do with any perceived threat Saddam poses to the present world order and rather more to do with U.S.A. hegemony and U.S.A. control of world oil supplies.
Fifty Years of Loot, Plunder and Intrigues
A socialist view of Pakistan.
The Myth Of Maastricht
Can the Maastricht treaty really be blamed by economic problems in Europe?
More Promises in Washington
With a million more members than the Nation of Islam and with an alleged turnout for their recent Gap in the Wall gathering of 800,000, twice the attendance of Louis Farrakhan's Million Man March, many take the Promise Keepers, the US's newest religious sect seriously.
Security and Terror in South East Asia
The ambivalence of the Austrialian government towards the military dictatorship in Indonesia.
Pol Pot and His Friends From the West
Polpot and the West
The Yugoslav Wars—Myths & Realities
The futility of nationalism in the former Yugoslavia.
Darfur: Not Yet a Genocide?
Once again the world is faced by an artificial humanitarian disaster: the Darfur conflict.
Religious Fanaticism Kills in Uganda
In March of 2000, 300 Christian cultists died in a fire in what is considered a cult suicide. We examine the impact of doomsday religions, especially on people in Africa.

History

The Balkan Conspiracy
Historical article on the Balkans conflict, 1912
The War and You
World War I, 1914
Peace(!)
World War I, 1913
The Rise of Hitler: A Warning to the Workers
The rise of Hitler to power in Germany is an event which the workers of all countries should study with care. It is not an isolated phenomenon, but part of a world-wide overflowing of discontent.
How Can Hitlerism Be Destroyed?
Water and conflict in the Middle East
The Black Hole of Calcutta
That the Nazi Government, or what has come to be known as Hitlerism, is a menace to the peace of the world, is a fact as much recognised by Socialists as by all those who support the war. No Socialist will deny that all the Hitler regime stands for is repugnant and revolting to every ideal which he strives to establish.
Hiroshima and After
Reflections on World War II after Hiroshima
Palestine and Its Problems
The Labour Government's blundering methods in Palestine are the offspring of attempts to harmonise conflicting policies.
Hungary and Suez—Hope Amidst Tragedy
The Governments of Israel, Britain, France and Russia, when they resorted to war in October 1956 in pursuit of their own separate objectives, have at the same time struck a decisive blow to achieve something they never sought and are hardly aware of.
Economic Causes of War
Causes of war
How Close Was France to a Socialist Revolution?
Reflections on France and the social movements of 1968
Economic Causes of the Gulf War
The economic causes of the Gulf War
From Primitive Communism to Class Society
A brief history of human society and the different forms of social organisation the led up to class society.
Past Revolutions
What happened on these occasions? Not socialist revolutions, as some claim. But they were significant in the history of the struggles of our class. They are significant because the sort of people who dismiss the possibility of revolutionary upheavals were dismissing it seconds before these events blew up in their faces.
What Caused the Two World Wars?
Causes of war
Why they dropped the bombs
Was it to test the destructive power of a new weapon  for use in future wars?
Why Russia Was Not Socialist
Russian Revolution was not socialist
Russian Socialism ?????
Russian Revolution was not socialist
Losing the Jewel—50 Years Since India's Independence
India fifty years after independence
Ireland—the Lies That Kill
Nationalist violence in Northern Ireland
Labour Vouchers
Labour vouchers are a device suggested to govern demands for goods in socialism, much as money does today under capitalism. The WSM opposes labour vouchers entirely because they will not be needed or desirable.
Socialist Industrial Unions
e critique Socialist Industrial Unions (SIUs), unions representing entire industries, with the stated aim of creating a socialist society.
Trotsky: The Prophet Debunked
Trotskyism is a blend of Leninism and Reformism, committed on paper to replacing private capitalism with state capitalism through a violent insurrection led by a vanguard party, but in practice working to achieve state capitalism through reforms to be enacted by Labour governments.

Society and culture

Religion, Racism and Class
Racist and religious ideology in Africa
The Information Society: Selling the System
The forms of education, entertainment and consumption that are produced by capitalism.
Imagine' by John Lennon
The politics of the Beatles songwriter John Lennon.

Socialist writers

Shelley: A Socialist Poet
Shelley and socialism
William Morris: How We Live and How We Might Live
A review of William Morris' revolutionary vision of a future, moneyless society.
Oscar Wilde: The Soul of Man Under Socialism
Oscar Wilde and socialism
Marcuse: Professor Behind 1960s Rebellion
Marcuse and social revolution
Luxemburg and the National Question
Rosa Luxemburg's critique of the Polish independence movement
Marx and Socialism: A Critical Evaluation
Marx and socialism: an analysis