Subversion
libertarian and council communism on
the web
updated 30th May 2004
Who we are:
This site grew out of the British group Subversion. Although that
group no longer exists, we are committed to continuing this web site
to provide access to texts produced by the communist movement. We are
one of a number of such sites. You will find details of others on
this page.
What is communism:
Communism is the historic movement of the working class towards a
new society. Society at the moment is run in the interests by a
powerful elite that controls the means of producing and distributing
wealth. That production has become an end in itself. Without
constantly seeking to expand, capital faces ruin. To avoid that ruin,
capital seeks to produce more commodities all the time. The influence
of the commodity speads into more and more areas of our lives. Every
aspect of our life, every minute of our day and night is fair game to
capital. Everything we do is becoming subject to the commodity. In
our everyday life we passively watch this domination.
Communism is the negation of this system. It means the end to
buying and selling. It means and end to working for employers. It
means and end to the nations, states and corporations that perpetuate
and protect commodity production. It means production for use and
distribution according to need. It will be a society based on the
free asociation of the people who live in it. It will bring the end
of racism, sexism, homophobia, environmental destruction and greed.
Communist thinkers have come from a number of traditions. Some
have called themselves marxist, some anarchist. Still others have
labelled themselves situationist or autonomist. What links them is a
fundamental understanding that the emancipation of the working class
must be the work of that class itself. It is not the job of some
self-appointed elite. You will find texts from all these traditions
on this site.
The ideas of communism arise from the struggles of the working
class. Sections of this site detail the history of important moments
of our class's fight against capital.
Some members of Subversion are still politically active. We have joined the Anarchist Federation and are slowly moving the contents of this site over to the Anarchist Federation, Manchester web site. All new texts will be added to this site.
Another ex-Subversion member writes under the name M Dupont. His texts can sometimes be found in the pages of Freedom and other magazines.
Various texts we have gathered from around the world on the war against "terrorism". This link takes you to the Manchester Anarchist Federation website, which I also maintain. Each page has a link back to this site.
New on this site
Ecology and Class A new pamphlet from the Anarchist Federation. This is a rather large pdf file - about 1.3mb. It covers most aspects of the anarchist communist case against environmental destruction and for a working class response. To reduce the size, it has had the cover illustration removed.
Manchester Anarchist News This is the local and euro election special we produced in May 2004. Available as a pdf
Work Why work is so terrible and why it must be destroyed before it destroys us.
Other texts on this site:
Monument or Movement?Arguably the text that started it all for Subversion. Written in 1972 when some of us were still members of the SPGB. We used this as the lead article in a magazine we called Critical Theory and Revolutionary Practice. A bit pompous perhaps, the title changed eventually to Libertarian Communism.
A Contribution to the Critique of Marx, by John Crump. Written in 1975, published jointly by Solidarity and Social Revolution. An attempt to get to grips with the contradictions within Marxism that led to both Communism and state-capitalist Leninism
Open Letter to the International Communist Current Written in 1997 by Ingram, an ex-member of the ICC. This letter charts the decline of the ICC from being an innovative communist organisation, through a series of expulsions and bizarre theoretical evolutions, into a narrow minded political sect. A timely warning!
Anti-Parliamentary Communism - the movement for Workers Councils in Britain, 1917-45, by Mark Shipway The definitive history of the Workers Socialist Movement and the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation. Now complete. This link will take you to the AF-north website.
Leninism or Marxism? "Organisational Questions of Russian Social Democracy" written by Rosa Luxemburg in 1904
Food Glorious Food! Communist Perspectives on nature and humanity, No 1. A recently written analysis of the politics and economics behind GM Foods.
What is Communism?
The Future Society - a speculative text
produced by two members of the Anarchist Communist Federation
A Modest Proposal For How The Bad Old
Days Will End - originally produced in 1975 by the Californain
based Reinvention of Everyday Life. An excellent summary of
what it's all about.
Revolutionary Upheavals
Council Communist Ideas in Britain
Subversion Publications
Other Pamphlets
Articles
- Articles that have not appeared in the pages of Subversion.
Currently on the theme of ecology and a green communist society.
- If you have any comments on these texts then email us and we
will include them.
Other Communist Web Sites:
John Gray -
probably the most extensive site, with links, pamphlets and articles
from a wide range of sources. A must to visit. A number of the texts
on the Subversion site have been produced with the help of a member
of the John Gray collective.
Collective
Action Notes - includes the texts produced by the Indian group
KK/Collectivities. Another must.
Anarchist Federation(formerly the Anarchist Communist Federation.) The organisation of which I am now a member - contains articles from Organise! Resistance, Pamphlets and more. Plus a useful events diary and an extensive set of links to other sites.
Other Links
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