The revolution will be televised

The short Timeline documentary on the Russian Revolution, made for the Islam Channel, is now online (see below). It is written and presented by John Rees, author of 'In Defence of October' and 'The Algebra of Revolution'.

There's also an excellent new theoretical piece on revolution - past, present and future - by Feyzi Ismail at Counterfire. It examines recent events in Thailand (Red Shirts spokesperson pictured) and Nepal against the background of the history of revolutions. Feyzi writes:

'The recent political upheavals in Nepal and Thailand have been historic events in those countries. They have been heroic struggles, and they have started to open up class divisions. Yet they have failed to achieve fundamental change.

The specifics of these cases are different, but both have been characterised by mass movements on the streets, which have created temporary paralysis in society, and both have concentrated on democratic demands.



They join a long list of popular mass movements since 1989 that have caught the imagination of workers and the poor—from Indonesia to South Africa to much of Eastern Europe—but which have not delivered on their promises. None have been able to address the problems of poverty and inequality.

Not only have the aspirations for fundamental social change that precipitated these movements remain unfulfilled, but the movements have often fallen far short of the democracy they have been fighting for. They have been met either with severe repression, or accommodated through partial settlement.'


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