The strategic role of internationalism and the need for an international
1. World Capitalism and the need for internationalism
- today's situation
- the class nature, the imperialist and oppressive nature of the global system
- resistance
- global justice movement in the 1990s
- return of strategic issues
- socialism in the 21st century
2. History of the Internationals
1st International 1864 - 1876 Polish uprising, Chartism, Paris Commune
2nd International 1889 -1914 Vote war credits, assassination Jean Jaurès
3rd International 1919 - 1943 Russian Revolution, Stalinism
4th International 1938 - today Stalinist degeneration, 2nd World War
3. The Fourth International today
- the difficult road to the foundation
- world war
- transitional programme
- post war
- 1953 split -> different tendencies
- 1963 reunification
- the FI since 1968
- FI sections
- “broad anti capitalist” or new parties (1995)
Reading material
Dan La Botz The World Up in Arms Against Austerity and Authoritarianism
September 1938 - the founding of the Fourth International
Role and party-building tasks of the Fourth International
Additional reading: Daniel Bensaïd: The formative years of the Fourth International (1933-1938)
Gus Massiah: The new world struggles to be born
Michael Löwy: The Fourth International is 80 years old!
Pierre Rousset: Reflections on the “party question” (expanded version) – an overview