The Death of Die Linke
Once a leading light of the European left, a series of crushing splits have seen Die Linke’s support base crash out and turn to the far right. Its demise is a warning for socialist parties everywhere.
18 Articles by:
David Broder
David Broder is Europe editor of Jacobin magazine.
Portugal’s Carnation Revolution
On this day in 1974 a mutiny in the Portuguese army put an end to the country’s dictatorship. The revolution which followed brought down an empire and showed how working people could take control of society.
Giorgia Meloni’s Victory in the Vacuum of Italian Democracy
This weekend’s Italian election brought victory for Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Fratelli d’Italia, with record low turnout – the result of the decades-long collapse of Italy’s political horizons.
Italy’s Far-Right Are on the Cusp of Power
After the collapse of Italy’s technocratic government, its next prime minister looks increasingly likely to be Fratelli d’Italia’s Giorgia Meloni – the head of a party with direct ties to the country’s fascist past.
How France’s Left Took Macron’s Majority
In yesterday’s legislative election, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s NUPES coalition deprived Emmanuel Macron of his majority. Now, the fight begins to defeat his neoliberal agenda in the parliament.
Thank You, Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jean-Luc Mélenchon narrowly failed to make the run-off in France’s presidential election. But there are signs that the French left can come back stronger – and avoid the collapse of its British counterpart.
France’s Executed ‘Examples’
In the first months of World War I, hundreds of French soldiers were executed by their own side ‘to set an example.’ Only now, more than a century later, has France’s National Assembly voted for their rehabilitation.
Hammer and Salsiccia
Kept out of power during the Cold War, the Italian Communist Party popularised their cause by turning to culture – and organising mass working-class festivals.
Italy’s Far-Right Is Still in the Driving Seat
Italy’s far-right remains on the rise – with both the Lega and Fratelli d’Italia projected to gain in September’s elections. The country’s political direction offers a stark reminder of what happens when a fighting Left disappears.
How Socialists Invented the Summer Holiday
In 1930s France, the labour movement made summer holidays a priority — and forced bosses to pay workers for time at the beach.
To Fight Coronavirus, Pay Hospital Cleaners Properly
Outsourced hospital cleaners at the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak have been forced to walk off the job to demand their wages. It’s time to bring all hospital cleaners back in-house and demand they be paid a real living wage.
Workers Against the Virus
In Italy, the government lockdown hasn’t included many large factories which were expected to keep working through the coronavirus outbreak. But workers refused to be cannon fodder – and many have gone on strike.
How Brexit Sunk Labour
Labour’s decision to embrace a second referendum was a fatal blow – convincing its heartland voters that the party had turned its back on them and denying it the chance to speak across the culture war divide.
Labour’s Big Night
Last night’s resounding debate victory for Jeremy Corbyn exposed both Jo Swinson and Boris Johnson as out of touch with the concerns of working people – and can become a springboard to win this election.
“Imposing Control Through Fire and Blood”
Bolivia’s exiled vice president Álvaro García Linera on how the country’s coup was organised, the money behind it – and its plans to retain power through violent repression.
Comrades at War
After the First World War, thousands of veterans returned from the front lines and fought for their rights against an establishment that was happy to discard them.
Portugal’s Carnation Revolution
On this day in 1974 a mutiny in the Portuguese army put an end to the country’s dictatorship. The revolution which followed brought down an empire and showed how working people could take control of society.
‘Everyone should know — I am very dangerous’
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, tribune of the French left, on the politics of his movement, the question of internationalism, and the way forward in Europe.