The Man Who Couldn’t Save East Germany
Egon Krenz told Jacobin about his time as East Germany’s last Communist leader.
202 Articles by: David Broder
David Broder is Jacobin’s Europe editor and a historian of French and Italian communism.
Portugal’s Welfare State Is Still in Danger
Victory for the Socialists in last month’s Portuguese election rewarded its successes in easing austerity. But for the Left, the fight isn’t over — especially as the European Union tightens the screws on the country’s public spending.
Making Portugal’s Break With Austerity Real
As Portugal heads to the polls this Sunday, the Socialist government boasts of its success in breaking the country out of austerity. Yet as the Left Bloc’s Francisco Louçã tells Jacobin, the current low-investment growth model is unsustainable — and fundamental questions around debt restructuring and the Eurozone architecture remain to be answered.
How Labour Became “Antisemitic”
When pollsters asked the British public what share of Labour members faced complaints of antisemitism, the average guess was 34 percent — over three hundred times the real total. With media insistent that Labour is “riddled with antisemitism,” Jeremy Corbyn’s efforts to fight it have done nothing to placate his critics.
When Socialist Hungary Went Neoliberal
The events of 1989 are usually remembered as an unprecedented extension of the “free market” to formerly socialist countries. But as the history of 1970s Hungary shows, neoliberal restructuring had never been limited to the West — and spread East long before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The End of Anti-Fascism
The European Parliament has condemned communism as equivalent to Nazism. Based on a fantasy reading of history, the motion smears all “radicalism” as “totalitarian” — and dismisses the moral superiority of those who fought fascism.
What Salvador Allende Feared
On September 11, 1973, Chile’s socialist president Salvador Allende was overthrown in a CIA-backed military coup. In this 1971 interview, published in English for the first time, Allende expressed his fears of internal destabilization and US interference.
Immanuel Wallerstein’s Thousand Marxisms
Immanuel Wallerstein saw his scholarship as a “political task” in the fight against the capitalist system. In this interview — published for the first time in English — he reflected on the historical impulses behind his work, in the age of the Vietnam War and the decline of Soviet socialism.
Before Sweden Was Social-Democratic
Swedish social democracy is often thought of as somehow eternal — the fruit of a solidaristic national culture, or even its historic homogeneity. But Sweden used to be just as unequal as other European countries — and making social democracy “normal” took a fight against what was once considered traditional.
From Harvard to East Berlin
In 1952 the Harvard grad Victor Grossman defected to East Germany, hoping to help build socialism on the ruins of Nazism. Thirty years after that state collapsed, he insists that we should see it as a land of contradictions, not just a totalitarian monolith.
Against Happiness
Self-help gurus and positive psychologists tell us that we should be coaching ourselves to happiness. The painted-on smiles they want to sell us are a pathetic substitute for actually improving our societies.
From Swords to Ploughshares
We’re held hostage by a political and military elite that exploits us to fuel its endless wars.
Breaking the Chains of Command
For centuries, working-class people have been sent to die in wars for empire. The rich history of soldier revolt isn’t just about foreign policy — it’s about breaking the power of the mighty in society as a whole.
Salvini Can Be Beaten
Far-right leader Matteo Salvini brought down the Italian government because he wanted fresh elections. A pact among the other parties could stop his advance — but only if it breaks with austerity.
Scandals Aren’t Enough to Stop Salvini
After a year dominating the government from the Interior Ministry, Matteo Salvini is now set to become prime minister. The opposition has worked hard to highlight what a bad guy he is — but totally failed to confront him politically.
Socialists Invented Summer Vacation
Summer at work is unbearable when we can’t look forward to some time off. In 1930s France, the labor movement made the fight for vacation a top priority — and forced bosses to pay for our time at the beach.
We Need to Win Our People Back
French workers’ top electoral choice isn’t Marine Le Pen, but abstention. To mobilize their support, the Left needs to look beyond the workplace alone — and answer a deeper mood of alienation.
The Five Star Movement Is Imploding
The Five Star Movement emerged promising to liberate Italians from a corrupt political establishment. But its hollow claim to stand outside the left-right divide has made it into a mere stooge for Matteo Salvini.
The Gilets Noirs Are in the Building
Paris’s tourist economy relies on a hidden army of undocumented migrants. But these workers are no longer happy to remain in the shadows — and their protests for regular status are drawing inspiration from the gilets jaunes.
Emmanuel Macron Wants to Set Space on Fire
The 1960s space race prompted international treaties insisting that space travel should only be used for peaceful purposes. Today, Emmanuel Macron’s plans to put military hardware in space point to a dangerous new arms race.