a communist organization

Firebrand is committed to revolutionary socialism, internationalism, liberation from all oppression, and the political independence of the working class. We stand in the tradition of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, and Luxemburg. We intervene in social movements and labor struggles to the best of our ability, in order to advance those fights and win our fellow fighters to revolutionary conclusions.

Our Latest Writing

Solidarity with Rodney Hinton: “What Justice Looks Like in an Unjust World”

Rodney Hinton Jr., who allegedly killed a sheriff’s deputy after cops murdered his teenage son in Cincinnati, has become a folk hero and lightning rod for rage against the system of racist policing in the US. Though vigilante violence is not the way forward, we find political significance in Hinton’s actions, and he has our unconditional solidarity.

The Case for a Materialist Politics: A Review of Thinking Systematics

The political mainstream is dominated by philosophies that promote idealism or dualism, which are ultimately irrational views of the universe. A new book by Canadian Marxists Murray E. G. Smith and Tim Hayslip argues eloquently for a monist or non-dualist dialectical materialist approach to politics — the only rational approach to solving the world’s crises and the only path to socialism.

Our Perspective on Mass Politics

Continuing our perspectives series: The period ahead is one of increasing political polarization among the masses and the ruling class. The most obvious result has been the surge of the right, as exemplified by Trump’s return to the White House. While liberals and reformists attempt to paper over this growing divide, revolutionaries should embrace it.

Years for the Locust? Part Two: Leninism Deformed

Years for the Locust? Part Two: Leninism Deformed

Continued from Part One After my first experiences with the International Socialist Organization (ISO), what convinced me to join was the sincere belief that my views and actions mattered. After meeting up with some comrades from the organization in early 2011, we...

Years for the Locust? Part One: The Myth of the Microsect

Years for the Locust? Part One: The Myth of the Microsect

Introduction “Trotsky considers the opportunist current and its leaders somewhat as victims of circumstances… There is no doubt that opportunism, like all else in the world has its objective causes in external conditions. But in politics more than anywhere else, to...

In Defense of Revolutionary Organization

In Defense of Revolutionary Organization

What kind of party do we need? Or what kind of party should revolutionary socialists be focused on building? I want to propose some answers to the organizational questions we’re facing. But more than that, I want to invite those who are asking the same questions to...

On Mutual Aid: Limitations, Opportunities, Strategies

On Mutual Aid: Limitations, Opportunities, Strategies

In recent years, mutual aid has overtaken protest as a dominant form of Left political action. When the US government failed to address anything more than the barest of needs during the pandemic, communities organized themselves. After this same government repressed...

Is There a Socialist Mode of Production Separate from Communism?

Is There a Socialist Mode of Production Separate from Communism?

A specter is haunting communism: the specter of “socialism” Reformists and Stalinists, social democrats and communists alike have invented “socialism” as a replacement for Karl Marx’s revolutionary communism. They try to divert the left-wing movement from its goal of...

Building Followers and Bitter Dissidents, But Not Leaders

Building Followers and Bitter Dissidents, But Not Leaders

“A supporter of the theory of scientific communism does not take anything on word. He judges everything by reason and experience…. Bureaucratic and artificial discipline has crumbled to dust at the moment of danger. Revolutionary discipline does not exclude but...

Socialism Needs Democracy, Democracy Needs Socialism

Socialism Needs Democracy, Democracy Needs Socialism

The authentic Marxist tradition has always stressed that democracy is fundamental to socialism. Marx defined socialism as the “self-emancipation of the working class.” In the Communist Manifesto, he and Engels said that the first step on the road to socialism and then...

Against Dual Membership in the DSA

Against Dual Membership in the DSA

We have enacted a policy prohibiting our members from holding dual membership in our organization and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). This policy is based on our commitment to working-class independence and revolutionary socialism, because we understand...

Crimes Against Humanity

Crimes Against Humanity

The U.S. government and most of the press are trying to whip up support for the U.S./NATO intervention in Ukraine. Labeling Putin a war criminal helps that effort. VP Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and President Joe Biden have solemnly pronounced...

No U.S./NATO Arms to Ukraine 

No U.S./NATO Arms to Ukraine 

Sharp divisions among revolutionary socialists The question of war has always been a key division among socialists. It divides reformist supporters of the capitalist state from revolutionary opponents of the capitalist state. Since the late 1800s, it has divided soft...

TikTok, Surveillance and Imperialism

TikTok, Surveillance and Imperialism

Many people probably know about the proposed ban on TikTok. Biden, the Democrats, and Republicans are coming together in bipartisan unity to limit free speech. They’re attacking an app that many of us not only use for funny and stupid videos, but also for political...

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