What has history taught socialists?

Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands invites to short educational meetings during Advent where the history of socialism will be discussed in a lively and accessible way. The meetings are intended for everyone interested in learning about or reviewing the history of socialism and the labor movement over the last 200 years.

The meetings consist of a short introductory lecture followed by questions and discussions. The approach of the lectures is based on viewing socialism as a collection of ideas that is constantly evolving, even though the common thread remains the same: equality for all people in a just society. The goal of the meetings is not to provide an exhaustive account of the history of socialism, but rather to capture the lessons learned from historical conflicts and consider how such lessons can be applied today.

For each meeting, participants are asked to read a short text or watch a short video, but it is perfectly fine to attend even if there hasn't been time to do so.

It is Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands that hosts the meetings, and admission is free and open to all. Voluntary contributions are welcome.

Viðar Þorsteinsson, philosopher and part-time lecturer, delivers the lectures and moderates the discussions.

First lecture (December 6):Civil Rights, Public Authority, and the Birth of the Labor Movement

The subject of the first lecture, next Wednesday evening, will be civil rights, public authority, and the birth of the labor movement. It will discuss how the 18th-century ideas of the bourgeoisie about the rights of all people began to undermine the old feudal system and the contradictions and conflicts that arose from these ideas. It will cover the "civil rights revolutions" (the French Revolution, the American War of Independence, and the Haitian Revolution) and the 19th-century democratic revolutions that followed, with particular attention to how these revolutions effectively bypassed the majority of the public (women, workers, small farmers, and inhabitants of the colonies). It will also discuss how radical labor activists adopted ideas of civil rights as their own, for example in the Chartist movement in England, and the magnificent culmination that 19th-century socialist revolutionary politics reached in the Paris Commune.

Before the lecture, guests are encouraged to review three short original texts from the era of the civil rights revolutions:

1. The United States Declaration of Independence, original text available here: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
2. French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen from August 26, 1789 (English translation of the original text: http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/root/bank_mm/anglais/cst2.pdf)
3. Constitution of Haiti from 1805, original text in (old) translation: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Hayti_(1805)

Meeting 2

Socialist Analysis of Capitalism and the Split of Socialists

Here, the rapid development of capitalism in the 19th century and how the socialist labor struggle intensified in that fire will be discussed. Several key aspects of Karl Marx's and Friedrich Engels' attempts to provide a theoretical foundation for the social vision of socialism will be covered, particularly the inevitable importance of class struggle and the need to abolish capitalist organization. The causes and consequences of the European workers' parties splitting into two factions, social democrats and communists, following the First World War and the Russian Revolution will also be discussed. Furthermore, the influence of fascism and why many socialists turned to support Marx-Leninism and the Soviet Union under Stalin's rule will be addressed.

Reading material: The Communist Manifesto, by Marx and Engels. Icelandic translation here:https://www.marxists.org/islenska/m-e/manifesto_icelandic.pdf

Meeting 3:

The Cold War, the '68 Generation, Neoliberalism, and the Present Day

The long shadow cast by the Cold War over post-war politics will be discussed, at the same time as great victories were won in Western European welfare states under the leadership of social democrats. "Eurocommunism," which gained influence within the communist parties in France and Italy, will be discussed, as well as why many radical socialists turned away from such parties towards Maoism and Trotskyism. The turning point marked by the revolutions of the '68 generation will also be discussed, not least by permanently placing imperialism, women's rights, and environmental issues on the agenda. Furthermore, the rise of neoliberalism, the difficulties of the "Third Way" adopted by Tony Blair and other social democratic leaders in Europe, and the unexpected success that socialists like Sanders and Corbyn have enjoyed in recent years will be addressed.

What has history taught socialists?Educational meetings during Advent on concepts and conflicts in the history of socialism

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