Fightback’s second Marxist Summer School was a great success. Around 220 people registered, which is nearly four times attendance for the first school back in 2019! We were prevented from holding a school back in 2020 due to the pandemic, but we’re happy to have come back bigger and better than ever. Over the weekend of July 3-4, attendees all over the country enthusiastically discussed a wide range of topics and how they relate to Marxism. The success of the school shows the hunger for revolutionary ideas in the region.
What is historical materialism?
Day one of the school was kicked off by an explanation of the Marxist view on history. Marx explained that: “It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness”. Changes in the way we live are, in the last analysis, reflective of changes in how we secure the necessities of life. For example, under our society, capitalist society, the necessities of life are owned by the ruling class, and the rest of us need to work for them in order to survive. This basic relationship between boss and worker permeates the rest of our culture. With that being understood, we can better fight for socialism by studying past workers’ movements through a scientific lens and uncovering the lessons encased within them. This method set the theme for the rest of the school.
2012 Quebec student strike – lessons for today
The second presentation was on the 2012 Quebec student movement, or The Maple Spring. As capitalism enters into crisis, it will try to unload the economic burden onto students, and the student strike provides great lessons for how we fight against that today. In response to an austerity-crazed provincial government that was hellbent on raising university tuition by 70 per cent, Quebec student organizers led the biggest student strike in Canadian history. Student union leaders organized mass democratic meetings leading up to the strike and throughout, and constantly connected the fight against tuition raises to a wider fight against capitalism. The movement highlights the importance of militant tactics and rank-and-file democracy in the fight against austerity.
10 years since the Arab Spring
Day one of the school was wrapped up with a presentation on the Arab Revolutions of 2011-2014. As one of the biggest revolutionary movements in recent history, all socialists should seriously study the Arab Spring. Millions of workers and poor all across the Middle East rose up against their despotic governments, and many of them succeeded in overthrowing them. The Egyptian workers overthrew multiple dictatorships in succession. While deeply inspiring, the lack of a workers’ leadership led the movement down a blind alley. While several countries succeeded in overthrowing their governments and winning concessions, they didn’t overthrow capitalism, which has meant that many of the same problems that sparked the movement remain. Ultimately, the Arab Spring highlights not only the need to overthrow the system, but to have a conscious plan to replace it.
Alberta’s revolutionary history – the One Big Union
The second day began with a presentation on Alberta’s revolutionary labour history. While Alberta today is commonly known as a bastion of conservatism, that hasn’t always been the case. Throughout the early 20th century, Alberta, as well as the rest of western Canada, was a hotbed for revolutionary socialism. It wouldn’t be unusual to see hundreds of people attend radical speeches in even small towns like Medicine Hat and Drumheller. This was reflected in the formation of the One Big Union, a revolutionary syndicalist organization that took the Canadian prairies by storm. Although they made mistakes, the OBU left behind a tradition of militant socialism that provides enormous inspiration for today.
Fight Kenney!
The school was wrapped up with a discussion on how we can fight back against Jason Kenney and win. Although the United Conservative Party crushed the New Democratic Party in the last Alberta election, Kenney has quickly become the most hated premier in the country. Albertan capitalism is in a deep state of crisis, and the UCP have been making the working class pay for it. Their nonstop austerity and criminal handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has made them deeply hated among Albertans, leading to mass protests and the healthcare wildcat strikes we saw last fall. Class struggle is on the menu in Alberta, and this provides important opportunities for Marxist organizing.
Building the forces of Marxism!
The entire weekend was full of energetic discussion, and the attendees didn’t show any sign of exhaustion by the end. Even though the school was held through Zoom where it can be harder to have high quality discussions than in person, this didn’t prove to be an obstacle! The dedication to Marxist theory was strong enough to cut through that.
Capitalism is facing its biggest crisis in history, and this is reflected in the mood of the working class. More and more people everywhere are becoming sick of the current system and are looking for revolutionary ideas. In the face of growing radicalization, it’s more important than ever for socialists to get together and build an organization that can provide these ideas. If you’re sick of capitalism and want to get involved in building that organization, contact us today at https://marxist.ca/about!
