A Historian of Economic Crisis on the Fire This Time
Economic crises have reshaped the modern world. Economic historian Adam Tooze tells Jacobin how the coronavirus pandemic will upend global politics and commerce for decades to come.
206 Article(s) by: Daniel Finn
Daniel Finn is the features editor at Jacobin. He is the author of One Man’s Terrorist: A Political History of the IRA.
Starmer’s Hymn of Praise to NATO Is Bad History and Worse Politics
Keir Starmer has cynically used the Ukraine crisis to pick a fight with his left-wing opponents. The Labour leader’s denunciation of antiwar activists will reinforce McCarthyite attitudes toward dissent and make fresh disasters like Iraq and Afghanistan more likely.
The People of Kashmir Must Decide Their Own Future
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s violent clampdown is the latest episode in a long saga of repression and resistance in Kashmir. The people of Kashmir deserve the chance to determine their own future, free of repression or outside interference.
Germany’s Counterrevolution Paved the Way for the Rise of Nazism
A revolutionary upsurge after 1918 could have democratized German politics. Instead, the brutal repression used to contain that upsurge strengthened the authoritarian right, divided the German workers’ movement, and facilitated the rise of Hitler.
The British State Has Never Been Held Responsible for Bloody Sunday
Fifty years ago today, British soldiers killed 13 unarmed civilians on a civil rights march in Derry. Britain’s most senior judge, Lord Widgery, then published an official report on the massacre filled with lies, giving judicial sanction to murder.
Yemen Could Have Peace — If the Saudis Stop Demanding Victory
Yemen’s rich and complex history was upended by its catastrophic civil war beginning in 2014. A peace agreement could help Yemenis recover the frustrated hopes of the 2011 uprising — if Saudi Arabia stops demanding victory for its allies.
French Socialism Embraced Neoliberalism and Signed Its Death Warrant
In the 1980s, François Mitterrand brought the French Socialists to power. A generation later, they’re in danger of extinction — and they brought it upon themselves.
It’s Too Soon to Announce the Dawn of a Chinese Century
Despite the pandemic’s impact, China has a long road to travel before it can surpass US economic power. Inter-capitalist rivalry is driving tensions between Washington and Beijing, not the personalities of Xi Jinping or Donald Trump.
The Lost World of Bulgarian Communism
In studies of the Soviet bloc and its afterlives, Bulgaria has attracted little attention. But the country’s history, from wartime partisan resistance to state socialism to postcommunist collapse, is essential to understanding the history of the 20th century.
France’s Pro-Nazi Vichy Regime Still Has Defenders
France’s collaborationist Vichy regime aided Nazi Germany during World War II. With far-right candidates surging in the upcoming presidential election, it’s clear there are still people in French political life who think that was a good thing.
In British Politics, Pro-Palestinian Activism Is Now Considered Criminal
When British students demonstrated this week against a far-right Israeli politician, Tzipi Hotovely, the country’s politicians lined up to denounce them as violent antisemites. Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has added its voice to this authoritarian chorus.
What We Really Know About the CIA and Crack
The CIA claimed that any story linking it to the 1980s crack cocaine explosion was conspiratorial slander. But the evidence of its complicity is all there in the congressional record.
Scotland Still Has to Navigate a Rocky Road to Independence
In the wake of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, support for Scottish independence is higher than ever. But the Scottish National Party still has many hurdles to clear before it can break up the United Kingdom.
Jeremy Corbyn’s Suspension Is a Monument to Keir Starmer’s Political Bankruptcy
British Labour chief Keir Starmer has now kept his predecessor suspended as a Labour MP on spurious grounds for an entire year. The ongoing saga of Corbyn’s suspension perfectly encapsulates the destructive and duplicitous nature of Starmer’s leadership.
Sally Rooney Is Right to Boycott Israel
Novelist Sally Rooney is under attack for endorsing the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel. Rooney’s stand for Palestinian rights is brave and necessary — she deserves our full support.
Revolutionary Cuba and the Legacy of Fidel Castro
Cuba is facing a new set of challenges as a post-Castro leadership confronts the pandemic and its economic fallout. But Cuban socialism has repeatedly shown its capacity for survival and adaptation since the revolution of 1959.
The Revolutionary Legacy of Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg is an icon of the socialist movement who died a martyr’s death in 1919. But she was also a brilliant and highly original political thinker whose ideas about capitalism and how to oppose it are strikingly relevant to today’s world.
Frantz Fanon and the Revolution Against Racism
Frantz Fanon was one of the most influential revolutionary thinkers of the last century. His work, produced in the heat of anti-colonial revolution, is full of insights for the struggle against racism and capitalism today.
Revolutionary Mexico Tried to Transform the World Economy
In the twentieth century, the post-revolutionary Mexican government drew up ambitious plans to transform the world economic system for the benefit of the Global South. Their failure helped turn Mexico itself into a laboratory for neoliberalism.
The Rise and Fall of Poland’s Solidarity Movement
Four decades ago, Poland’s communist system faced the challenge of a powerful independent workers’ movement and eventually drove it underground. Understanding Solidarity’s fate during and after communism is essential for making sense of Polish politics today.