Fighting Fund Appeal

Interest in Marxist ideas continues to grow. Twenty-five years ago, Stalinism collapsed due to its internal contradictions. This was a confirmation of Trotsky’s analysis and showed what genuine Marxists have always said: that socialism must be international and can only exist with workers’ democratic control. However, the elimination of the planned economy and the return to capitalism in the former USSR and Eastern Europe has led to harsh conditions for most people of that region. Poland, one of the most “successful” of those countries, must export lots of its people for work in Western Europe because there are not enough jobs at home. The general crisis of capitalism is also causing deeper problems in that region, and we can point to the crisis in Ukraine as a case in point.

Struggles continue around the globe. The Kurds are fighting bravely in Syria against ISIS, while US and Turkish imperialism watch them die. In Mexico, the students are fighting against an alliance of the state and the drug cartels, with IMT comrades playing a key role in the struggles at the Polytechnic Institute. Students have also been on the move in Hong Kong and Chile. The JKNSF held a large congress in the divided region of Kashmir. The leadership of the JKNSF in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are IMT comrades who put forward the idea of a united, socialist Kashmir as part of a socialist federation of the entire Indian subcontinent, Asia, and the world. In recent weeks, several IMT comrades in Pakistan have been killed, some by gunfire, some in road accidents due to nightmarish infrastructure, and another survived a grenade attack on his home.

In Britain, an IMT school was held the weekend of November 1 & 2. It had the highest attendance in more than 20 years, with many new people joining the IMT. The same weekend, the Northeast Regional Marxist School was held in NYC with a terrific turnout. A few weeks before this, there was the California Regional Marxist School.

One way of measuring the impact of our ideas is by the contributions that we receive. This is “putting our money where our mouth is.” The California School and the Northeast Regional School held collections and raised pledges totaling more than $6,000 to the Fighting Fund! A new comrade in California, a hairdresser, gave $250. A student in NYC, who is not yet an IMT member, gave $240! Others gave $600, $400, $100, $20, or whatever they could spare. It all adds up! In addition, several high school students, who see the horrors of capitalism ahead of them, are joining the IMT.

Our Fighting Fund goal for 2014 was $21,000. We are in a position to surpass this by the end of the year. There are all kinds of prospects for building the forces of Marxism in South Africa, the Middle East, and around the world. We also have to continue building up in here in the USA, where the working class will surely battle the continuing attacks of the ruling class. Any one-time donation is welcome. Better yet, sign up to give us a regular monthly donation of $5 or more, and get a free subscription to Socialist Appeal. You can be part of this effort to change the world and make it a better place.