Machete and Sickle
One hundred years ago, the Third International inspired the creation of communist parties across Latin America. Yet only its demise would liberate them from stifling Russian control.
Articles by: David Broder
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David Broder is a historian of French and Italian communism. He is currently writing a book on the crisis of Italian democracy in the post-Cold War period.
The State We Need
Socialists throughout history have understood that holding office is not the same thing as winning power. Working people can only entrench their victories through a fight to change the state itself.
The Wilderness Years
Splitters from Labour want to create a new centrist force in British politics. The Social Democratic Party of the 1980s offers plenty of reason to hope they’ll fail.
Who Calls the Shots
Italy’s far-right Matteo Salvini faces charges for the kidnapping of 177 migrants. But the supposedly anti-establishment Five Star Movement can block the trial — and probably will.
Hobsbawm in Italy
Eric Hobsbawm's close engagement with the Italian Communist Party demonstrated the sharply political character of his work.
Comrades at War
Governments want us to respect World War I veterans in an apolitical way. But we should not forget the thousands of veterans who returned home to fight for their rights.
The Resentful and the Damned
Matteo Salvini’s hard-right Lega used to want independence for Northern Italy. Today, the party is building a reactionary base in the South.
The Left Should Welcome Mélenchon
Liberals want to smear Jean-Luc Mélenchon as a xenophobe. In fact, they fear his potential to unite the oppressed.
Zoo Without a Giraffe
Italy’s Democratic Party wants to lead the resistance against the government’s hard-right policies. Yet the party seems close to its death-knell.
Hanging Over the Edge
The Genoa bridge collapse in Italy is an absolute disaster. It's also the result of privatization and austerity.
Arsène Tchakarian (1916–2018)
Arsène Tchakarian was the last surviving member of a Communist military unit in the French Resistance. Mainly Jews and immigrants, they risked everything to fight the Nazi occupation.
When the Americans Came
Bombed by the US Air Force at the height of World War II, Rome’s San Lorenzo district symbolizes the resilience of a popular antifascism.
Domenico Losurdo (1941–2018)
Domenico Losurdo was an acute critic of liberal hypocrisy and double standards in history writing.
The Good Old Days
Madeleine Albright’s Fascism: A Warning is full of criticism of Trump — but it’s silent on the swamp from which he emerged.
Salvini’s Triumph
The collapse of the planned coalition government in Italy opens the way for a fresh breakthrough for Matteo Salvini’s hard-right Lega.
Discovering Shanghai in Paris
Mao’s Little Red Book united student radicals with Third World guerrillas.
Historically Compromised
Aldo Moro’s murder on May 9, 1978 blocked the Italian Communists’ route to government and ushered in an age of political fragmentation.
Macron’s Anniversary
It's been a year since Emmanuel Macron was elected. His “start-up presidency” is a liberal dystopia.
The Memory of the Defeated
Today marks the anniversary of Benito Mussolini’s execution. But the legacy of his regime continues to linger in Italian politics.
Notes on Italy’s Election
After yesterday's Italian election, the old is dying and something superficially different but not altogether new has been born.