"Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement." — Lenin
Everywhere we look, the system is cracking, and the pillars supporting capitalism are on the verge of collapse. The capitalist crisis is bringing renewed tensions between the imperialist powers, who are sharpening their weapons to defend their markets, spheres of influence and the profits of their big corporations. The war in Ukraine and the massacre in Palestine are bloody symptoms of a system that is pushing humanity towards barbarism.
But capitalism won't go away by itself. It is therefore essential for communists to organize and fight to help the working class destroy the edifice of this system.
To do this, our action must be based on solid theoretical pillars. As Lenin said: Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement. This is why the Revolutionary Communist Party is organizing for the 15th consecutive year the Montreal Marxist Winter School, the biggest Marxist event in the country.
Over the years, the School has become THE must-attend educational gathering for revolutionaries from across the country and beyond. Over 600 people attended the 2024 edition.
Since last year, an impressive number of youth and workers have joined the communist forces. This event will therefore be an important moment in the education of a broad layer of militants in revolutionary ideas and in the methods of class struggle. With the theme The Pillars of Communism, we will be diving deep into the fundamentals of Marxist theory: philosophy, economics, history and more.
This year, we are adding 3 more presentations to the schedule, for a total of 11 inspiring presentations. Plenaries and most sessions will be held in French and English, with consecutive translation.
Can history be understood scientifically? Modern science shows us that all realms of nature are dictated by objective laws—from quantum physics to molecular biology. But most mainstream historians refuse to admit that the same is true about human society.
As Marx famously said: “Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please.” History isn’t merely driven by the free will of great individuals. Nor is it a senseless mess, as postmodernist thinkers would have you believe. The economic structure of a given society sets the stage for historical development. Great changes in politics and culture are driven by changes in production. By studying this relation, we can develop the tools we need to leave our own mark on history.
Throughout his life, Karl Marx extensively studied the inner workings of the capitalist economy. He scrutinized the work of all the classic bourgeois economists, disproved what was wrong in their ideas and built upon what was correct. He proved that profit is based on the exploitation of the working class and that periodic crises are inevitable to capitalism. Modern economists contort their ideas at all costs to avoid coming to this conclusion, but the truth still stands.
Revolutionaries must understand how capitalism functions in order to overthrow it. Marx’s economic writings are an invaluable treasure trove to assist us in our struggle against exploitation today.
In the current period, identity politics are in vogue. Along with the related trend of intersectionality, these ideas stress the importance of self-identification, personal experience, and the various layers of oppression people experience on racial, sexual, gender and other lines. What is the basis for identity politics? Why are they so popular with the youth in particular? And how do they square with the Marxist method of solidarity and class struggle?
Israel’s assault on Gaza and Lebanon is the most recent and graphic example of the savagery of capitalism. After screaming about “International law” and the “rules based order” over Ukraine– the western imperialist countries are facilitating the genocide of Palestinians by giving money and aid directly to Israel.
These wars are not fought for “values” or “principles”—they are fought for profits, market share, and spheres of influence. As capitalism sinks ever further into crisis, imperialist gangsters wage bloody wars to protect their share of the loot—while ordinary people get caught in the crossfire.
How can revolutionaries lead the working class to the overthrow of the warmongers and profiteers who produce nothing but misery?
Together with Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx forever transformed the landscapes of philosophy, political economy, and history. As the founder of scientific socialism, he laid the theoretical foundation on which the oppressed and exploited could free themselves from the shackles of class society once and for all.
Nearly 150 years after his death, a thorough study of Marx’s ideas is still essential for anyone who seeks to understand and to change the world. But Marx was not born a Marxist. He created himself, consciously and painstakingly, through years of intense study and criticism of capitalist society, and of the entire history of ideas that came before him. In doing so he became the first to develop a truly scientific method for studying nature, society, and thought in their perpetual motion and development. Marx’s method is to this day essential for anyone who wishes to understand and change the world.
Today, as revolutionaries, we must master Marx’s method for ourselves. Why was it that Marx was able to arrive at his revolutionary conclusions? And what can we learn from the evolution of the first Marxist?
As capitalism descends into crisis and barbarism, the world today resembles the end of days more than it does the blissful “end of history” promised by the defenders of capitalism. The class struggle, Marx wrote in the Communist Manifesto, must inevitably end in the revolutionary reconstruction of society, or in the common ruin of the contending classes. History knows many examples of such collapse—the most apparent being the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
But why did the seemingly-invincible Rome, after hundreds of years of conquest and dominance, fall into ruin? Why were the slaves and the other labouring classes unable to overthrow their rulers and reconstruct society? And, most importantly, what can this tell us about our own period and the decline of the capitalist system today?
Capitalism’s defenders love to attack communism by pointing to the atrocities perpetrated by the Stalinist regime in the USSR. Bolshevism—the ideas and methods of Lenin—can only ever result in a totalitarian dictatorship, we’re told. As for capitalism, there is no alternative.
In reality, a river of blood separates Bolshevism and Stalinism. This presentation will reveal the real traditions of Lenin and his Bolshevik Party, traditions with which the Bolsheviks led the Russian working class to vanquish capitalism on one sixth of the planet. And it will explain how the regime set up by the Russian Revolution—the most democratic regime in history—was hollowed out, replaced by the grotesque caricature of the Stalinist regime.
Communism is internationalist, or it is nothing. Already, at the dawn of our movement, in the pages of The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels explained that the workers have no country. That is why the RCP participated in the founding of the Revolutionary Communist International in June 2024.
Shortly after taking power in Russia, Lenin, Trotsky and the Bolsheviks founded the Communist International in March 1919. In the space of a few years, Communist Parties were founded all across the world, armed with the ideas to lead the struggle to overthrow capitalism. From tactics in the trade unions to the fight against reformism; from the fight against imperialism and colonialism to the women's question; the early years of the Communist International are full of invaluable lessons for revolutionaries today.
As the world economy sinks deeper into crisis, so does so-called liberal “democracy”. In country after country, the political status quo has become completely discredited. Anti-establishment mavericks like Donald Trump are violating all traditional decorum and the “rules” of world politics. Liberals feign horror at his authoritarian behavior, but they’re no better themselves. While they scream “fascism” at Trump, they strip workers of their right to strike, and brutally crack down on the Palestine solidarity movement with arrests, and police intimidation.
The state and “democracy” are increasingly exposed for what they are: tools in the service of the capitalist class. It's up to communists to explain this crisis and offer a revolutionary solution.
Communists have always been accused of being bloodthirsty monsters who seek violence. But our accusers, the capitalists, are responsible for untold amounts of death and suffering throughout history.
From colonization to both World Wars to the genocide in Gaza, the ruling class has always maintained that the violence they enforce is for the greater good. Meanwhile, anything the oppressed do to fight back is indefensible.
How do we respond to these accusations as revolutionaries? How do Communists approach war and violence? And where does morality come from, in the first place?
Two threads—of the struggle to liberate Palestine and of the communist movement—have been closely intertwined for more than one hundred years. Communist organizations like the Palestinian Communist Party and the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) have at points in history taken front rank in the struggle to free the Palestinians from the jackboot of Israeli and Western Imperialism.
Their history overflows with determination and heroic sacrifice, but it is also littered with errors which led the liberation movement to defeat and demoralization. As Marxists we must be able to critically examine the history of the communist movement in Palestine and to learn all the necessary lessons which can help guide us today in our struggle to free the Palestinian people once and for all.
Please read the following information carefully before purchasing your tickets.
More details about location will be provided in the coming weeks.
We have arranged for discounted rates at a number of nearby hostels for participants to the school. Please check our accommodations page for details.
The base price is set to ensure that the event does not run a deficit. With inflation, the costs of organizing such an event have risen considerably, particularly for food and venue rental. We also have to pay for the travel expenses of international speakers, whose participation enriches the political discussions. Finally, as we don't want finances to be a barrier to participation, we set aside a certain amount to subsidize the participation of those who can't afford to pay the full fee.
That being said, in order to maximize participation in the event, we have chosen to freeze the prices set last year, despite the fact that we have to pay more to add extra sessions. The base price for the school is therefore $120 for Montrealers and $60 for people from outside the city. This price includes admission to the event, as well as lunch and dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday (3 meals in total).
To maintain our political independence, our financial independence is essential. We have no big financial backers. We rely exclusively on donations from our members and supporters - those who want to see the revolutionary overthrow of the capitalist system. With this in mind, to help support our revolutionary activity, we encourage participants to make an additional donation when purchasing tickets. To help us build a communist organization in Quebec and Canada, we also encourage you to buy a solidarity subscription to our paper.
We do not want finances to be a barrier to attending this event and no one will be turned away for financial reasons. Please contact us at pcr@marxiste.qc.ca or 438-722-3501 to apply for a subsidy.
