The Paris Commune was founded on March 18, 1871. A few days before the 150th anniversary, we look at how the ground was prepared for the first working-class government in history.

The past three months of social unrest have highlighted the need for broad social change. But we cannot achieve a better society through a reformist approach. A revolutionary alternative is needed. 

This year’s commemoration of Juneteenth --- the day the last of the enslaved Black people in the United States were formally emancipated --- is also a reminder that the job of ending all forms of slavery is not yet finished. As Karl Marx wrote, we have nothing to lose but our chains and a world to win!

Marx and Engels did not provide a theory of the organic political party. But this does not mean that we cannot find important elements on this subject in the thinking of the two revolutionaries.

The thought of reading 150-year-old books on political economy might sound daunting. But Marx was a surprisingly accessible and entertaining writer. If you have already checked out introductory works like the Communist Manifesto, here are eight more short-ish books to continue your studies.

Capitalism has made craftsmanship of furniture into something that only the rich can afford. This means that the working class is being forced to settle for cheap and disposable furniture with no sentimental or material value. But we don’t have to live this way. 

It’s no secret. Marx and Marxists loved to use vivid and yes, spooky imagery: spectres, ghosts, rotting corpses and vampires. Here are six of our favorites. Send us your favorite spooky socialist quotes and we will update this article to include audience submissions. Contact us via email ([email protected]), Twitter (@left_voice) or send us a Facebook message!

Warren Montag and Joseph Serrano take a stock at the ongoing debate on anti-racism, class-wide demands and the fight for socialism.