Category: History

Hari Kumar, January 2022 Note: Below is an excerpt of the full article. View/download the full document as a PDF via this link A short version of this article will be at Berlin Left blog in January 2022 __________ After much bluster the Berlin Humbold Forum finally agreed to return to Nigeria its collection of the ‘Benin Bronzes’. What role do the self-dubbed, ‘great’ museums of the Western world play in colonialism? What are these Bronzes, how did many end up in Berlin? What do we know about their return and the role of anti-colonial activists? World museums gloss over…

English Preface by translators and producers of this translated version When trying to understand current events in the ferment of South America today, the struggles and movements that have galvanised the peoples of Bolivia are important.  The character of Evo Morales from outside of Bolivia, was difficult for us to understand without the guide of this document. It contains a class-based history of Bolivia up to the time of its publication in  March 2020. This Founding Document of the Partido Comunista Revolucionario De Bolivia (PCR Bolivia) was extremely useful to us. We felt it may also prove of use to…

Photo: Ludo Martens, founder of the Workers’ Party of Belgium. Date unknown. ALLIANCE Marxist-Leninist  (North America); July 2000 “UPON THE CURRENT SITUATION, UNITY, AND IDEOLOGY – AN OPEN LETTER  TO  LUDO MARTENS; “PARTI DU TRAVAIL” BELGIUM; Hari Kumar (Editor) and for Alliance-ML (North America); W.B. Bland for Communist League (Britain); G. Altinoglu for Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (Turkey); March 1996; Great Britain Preface to 2021 republication This pamphlet was put out as a moment of realignment of Marxist-Leninist forces was taking place world-wide. It had been hoped that a dialogue between those in the Hoxhaite wing and those in the Maoist wing, would…

Hari Kumar with Mike B. and Alfonso Casal October 2021 On October 11th 2021, the revisionist, guerrilla leader – Abimael Guzmán or Chairman Gonzalo – of the ‘Shining Path’ died in prison. Partido Communista del Perú (‘Sendero Luminoso’) was founded in 1970, in a split from the Peruvian Communist Party Red Flag (PCP-Red Flag). Shortly after the ‘Shining Path’ was a co-founder of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement (RIM). After his capture by the Peruvian state in 1992 Abimael Guzmán was jailed and imprisoned for life. He died in prison on September 11, 2021. Generally, his followers deny that with Guzmán’s…

ALLIANCE 45: Originally February 2, 2002 Web republication at Marxist-Leninist Currents today 21 August 2021. Introduction The Afghanistan war of 2001-2002 has been the prelude to the coming Third World War. In this world war the force of the USA will be likely pitched against that of China. We anticipate that some of the key points of the war will involve the Central Asian Republics and their strategic positions, and their reserves of oil. The tragedy of the Afghan people can be traced to the absence of a Marxist-Leninist party in the country. But, it must be openly admitted that the objective circumstances facing the revolution…

These two articles found as PDFs below, commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Engels (28 November 1820 – 5 August 1895). Originally they were written to commemorate the centenary of the death of Engels. In the meantime, some of the papers of ISML are still of interest, and I believe of value. They were printed in the first issue of the journal for the organisation which adopted the name International Struggle Marxist-Leninist (ISML). This was formed at conference in Ischia Italy in 1995. The theme of that conference was ‘The Relevance of Engels for Today.’ While the…

Written, May 24, 2018; Part 1 web-uploaded November 2020; Hari Kumar Introduction Middle East politics today are a complex maze. But the extraordinary, vindictive and destructive war launched upon the Syrian workers and peasants by Assad, demands Marxist-Leninist interpretations. As the war grinds to a conclusion – which at the time of writing, appears to favour Bashar Assad remaining in power, the landscape of the Middle East has been transformed. Marxist-Leninists have had relatively little to say on the war and its forces, and in the main – they have taken the stance of a tacit or fully open support…