Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library: Topic and Discussion

Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library

Sun, Jun 30, 2019: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Fascism: What It Is and How To Fight It.
“Fascism: What It Is and How To Fight It” – a two part talk including a historical overview of the events leading up to the rise of fascism in Europe leading up to WWII, and a political analysis of the failures of the communist movement at the time in preventing it. This all in light of the current rise of white supremacy and fascist movements in the U.S., Europe and Latin America and the lack of a united left movement to fight it. Supplemental handouts will be available, including a timeline. Presented by Peoples Alliance members Bill Bowers and Tova Fry (both former WWP): Bill leading with the historical overview and TovaFry following with the political analysis, largely based on Trotsky’s work of the same name. Questions and comments will follow the presentations with time limits as needed to ensure that as many people as possible can express their views or ask their questions.

Sun, Jul 14, 2019: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
General Elections in India:
Modi’s Fascism vs. Social Democrats and the Left
Modi has completed 5 years in power, with his BJP having a majority in the Indian Parliament. In 2014, Modi won on the slogan of  “Be with everyone, development for everyone” in the background of major corruption scandals in the last 5 years of the 10 years that Congress Party ruled (2004 thru 2014), with Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi as the Congress Party President.
Modi moved rapidly to consolidate power in his hands, ousting or sidelining veteran leaders in his own Party. Under his 5 years of rule, “cow protectors” have become emboldened. Several incidents of lynching of Muslims have taken place, religious bigotry is openly practiced, and assassinations of several public intellectuals, all secularists, have taken place while he mostly sat silently over such egregious violations of civil rights. Further he has tried to create a militarist posture and sought to portray himself as a strong PM, who is willing to take on the terrorists based in Pakistan aggressively. His policies of “demonetization” of 1916 created a great deal of small business distress. Unemployment is at 45 year high and farm distress and farmer suicides continue. But the mass media, now privately owned, and funded by big capital  has helped create him as a “the man of the people”.
Raj Sahai will present his views on what is beginning to boil under the surface of a seeming “all is well” scenario presented in India in the mass media and projected and globally.