The latest issue of the In Defence of Marxism will be released on 15 April. With the Trump regime’s focus on reasserting US imperialism’s domination of the western hemisphere, this issue is largely dedicated to Latin America. As the editorial notes, Latin America has been plundered for over 500 years, reducing the masses to poverty in a land of plenty. Yet despite the numerous revolutions that have taken place over centuries, the Latin American revolution remains incomplete.
The lead article is a thorough balance sheet of the Venezuelan Revolution. It provides an understanding of the process of revolution and counter-revolution, which has led to the situation . Whilst the role of the masses throughout was inspiring, it offers a lesson on the limits of reformism.
The next article, by Carlos Márquez, covers the history of Mexican Muralism, which was closely linked to the Mexican Revolution of the early twentieth century. It explores the works of the ‘Three Greats’ – Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros – and how their art reflected the profound transformations taking place in wider society.
These articles are supplemented with some extracts from Trotsky and documents of the Fourth International, which cover the struggle against imperialism in Latin America. It is incredible just how relevant they are to the situation unfolding .
Finally, we are publishing a review by James Kilby of Andrew Ross Sorkin’s book 1929, which dramatises the events of the Wall Street Crash. The book is a useful hook to explain the Marxist theory of crisis, and answer why the crash actually happened.
