The victories that followed the American civil war and the 1960s civil rights era are once again under attack, echoing earlier efforts to roll back equality and redefine democracy, says JOE SIMS
Latest editorial
What are nations, nationality and nationalism?
It may seem that Marxism’s promotion of internationalism and class coming before country means it opposes ‘the nation state’ — but the truth is actually one of pragmatic acceptance, explains the MARX MEMORIAL LIBRARY
The 1789 French revolution is often seen as the turning point in creating what we understand as nation states today
In 2010, faced with the closure of their local library, a Buckinghamshire town’s locals turned to an unconventional tactic – borrowing every single book – to defend a cherished community space. MAT COWARD tells the story
The indictment of Nicolas Maduro after a deadly US assault is just the latest phase in a long campaign against the Bolivarian government, warns FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ
Journalist STEVE SWEENEY talks to Roger McKenzie about narrowly surviving an Israeli air strike last week while documenting the mass displacement of civilians – and explains why the real story goes far beyond the attack on him
After 27 years in Holyrood, the former first minister urged unity and respect — but, says NEIL FINDLAY, her time in power told a very different story
The Employment Rights Act 2025’s focus on individual rights forces workers into slow and costly litigation to assert rights, rather than empowering unions. A Campaign for Trade Union Freedom-Strike Map rally at the weekend called for a more radical sequel, reports BEN CHACKO
LET’S start here by investigating “nations” and “nationality.” We’ll consider what nationalism is in the next Full Marx column.
Nations — surely, are places on the map with their own government. England, Scotland, Wales: all “nations” now, at least in common discourse. So what about “Great” Britain? Or Ireland? One criterion is the existence of a territorial “state” — or the aspiration of populations (claiming a distinct cultural identity) to establish one.
Books on “British” history often go way back beyond 1066 — some even go back to the Neolithic or before. In reality, the concept of the nation as understood today is a relative novelty.
Similar stories
The selection, analysis and interpretation of historical ‘facts’ always takes place within a paradigm, a model of how the world works. That’s why history is always a battleground, declares the Marx Memorial Library
The newly catalogued News International Dispute Archive ensures the history of the Wapping dispute – and the solidarity it inspired – is preserved, accessible and alive for future generations, says MATT DUNNE
From hunting rare pamphlets at book sales to online panels and courses on trade unionism and class politics, the MML continues connecting archive treasures with the movements fighting for a better world, writes director MEIRIAN JUMP
Labour’s fiscal policy is already in trouble. But simply printing money is not a solution, says the Marx Memorial Library and Workers School