On the rolling hills of Carinthia, Austria, where less than a century ago partisans fought fiercely against the armies of fascism, around 80 ISA members and supporters gathered for a week of discussions — on the need for the socialist transformation of society, on our program, and on the challenges that lie ahead.
While the COVID 19 pandemic has led to widespread hardship for the working class worldwide, with record rates of unemployment in some countries, and a sharp increase in poverty and domestic violence, the richest people have become even richer, with Elon Musk increasing his wealth by 600% during the pandemic. The urgent need for system change has become clearer than ever before.
This pandemic has also had very real implications for our ability to discuss and organize internationally, while it has become clear to a broad layer of the working class and youth that global problems call for an international struggle. It is events like this summer camp that allow us to learn, exchange experience, develop our program, and prepare together, internationally, for the opportunities and challenges of the coming period, illustrating a way forward.
Participants from six countries took part in a total of 33 discussions and three rallies during the week. Workshops focused on a range of topics, with theoretical discussions on issues such as Lenin’s theory of imperialism and Trotsky’s theory of permanent revolution. In a workshop entitled “Reform and Revolution”, a look at Rosa Luxemburg’s political work enriched the discussion about reformism as an ideology, which inevitably leads into a dead end. Any reforms will eventually be taken back by the ruling class if they stay within the logic of capitalism, while a socialist revolution will lead to a permanent change of power relations in society that will give way to a democratically planned economy for the benefit of the 99%.
Other workshops focused on historical events and movements such as the Bolsheviks’ struggle for women’s liberation, the Black Panther Party, the Paris Commune, and the role of youth in mass movements and struggles since 1968. In one workshop, a review of the foundation of the KPD, the Communist Party in Germany, led to a discussion about the necessary division between socialists and social democrats, the dangers of reformism, and the need for a strong international — especially in times of war and crisis. The necessity of a revolutionary party in a revolutionary situation, that will seize the opportunities and maintain a revolutionary momentum at the decisive moment was also emphasized by a number of comrades, and in the final rally on Saturday.
Other workshops focused on recent movements such as “Santé en lutte” — the global struggles in the health and social sector, our “Pride is a protest” campaign in Belgium, and class struggle in Russia and Belarus — in which participants discussed the factors leading to the mass movements, the mood and explosive character of the struggle but also the lessons we learn — the need for coordinated and organized demonstrations and strikes, independent unions, and a democratic assembly to plan the next steps of the movement.
Participants were educated on, but also developed our program in all of the workshops in the camp. There was particular interest in programmatic questions in a number of workshops on how to fight the far right, our program against plant closure and against climate change and extreme weather. More practical questions were discussed in workshops focused on organising in the workplace, and in schools and universities, as well as how to prepare contributions for branch meetings. Some workshops raised questions that are becoming more relevant and necessary for our work in recent years. The historical roots and the reasons for the development of conspiracy theories, as well as our approach to them were discussed in one workshop, in another we traced the origin of women’s oppression, gender roles and transphobia in class society and discussed the oppression of trans people as well as our demands and strategies for fighting it.
In a number of workshops, different aspects of consciousness were explored. Comrades discussed the crash of class consciousness following the collapse of Stalinism, and the many mass movements worldwide in recent years in which we have seen it develop, sometimes in contradictory and often taking less traditional ways. These discussions were particularly informed by the experience of comrades from a range of different countries, giving perspective on anti-oppression, anti-capitalist moods and on class consciousness in a number of regions worldwide. Comrades from Austria, Belgium and Germany, as well as two new young supporters from Romania and one from Russia added meaningful perspectives in discussions.
Two discussions, about the Israel-Palestine national question and about the “Arab spring”— movements in the middle east and north Africa then and today, were especially informed by the contributions of two comrades from the Israel-Palestine sections and a German-Syrian participant who attended the camp, as well as insightful contributions from comrades in Belgium and Germany who attended demonstrations against the recent war.
A rally on our Rosa work and socialist feminism highlighted the central position women are taking in mass movements, and the decisive role women have in the struggle against capitalism. The Rally on the international working class and the US-China conflict emphasized the instability of the coming period, with the imperialist rivalry between the US and China as a defining geo-political factor on the backdrop of a highly unstable economic and political situation.
The rally also illustrated the opportunities of the coming period, with growing support for socialist ideas reflected in a rise in workers’ movements and strikes, as well as support for Sanders and our US section. Our achievements speak for the growing thirst for an alternative to the capitalist system, but they also point to the direction needed in the battle for socialist change — from Kshama Sawant’s fight against winter evictions, for a $15 minimum wage and the Amazon tax, to the solidarity campaign against repression in China and Hong-Kong, which has been initiated in 38 countries worldwide.
The Austrian section’s summer camp is a great example of the kind of international discussions needed for the building of a revolutionary international, using theoretical texts, past movements and events to develop our program and demands. While discussions may sharpen our understanding of why we fight and what kind of change is needed, drawing on past mistakes and many victories — we develop the demands and strategy necessary for tackling the challenges ahead. Such an opportunity is coming up soon — the COP26 conference in Glasgow in which we will intervene internationally, to organize and build a fight for action against climate change and the whole system responsible for it.
For those who missed it or want to come again: the next one will be in August 2022!