Dear Readers,
On behalf of the World Socialist Web Site I am asking for your financial support. The rapid growth of the class struggle throughout the world makes the daily news coverage and analysis of the WSWS more critical than ever. Maintaining and expanding the WSWS is only possible through the sacrifice and support of our readers.
The recent weeks have seen an eruption of social opposition to the austerity policies being implemented in country after country. In South Africa, platinum and gold miners have defiantly spread their strikes against the transnational mining companies and their backers in the African National Congress, which ordered the massacre of 34 miners last month.
In Greece, the largest demonstrations in months have erupted against the austerity demands of the European and global banks. Likewise in Germany, Lufthansa cabin crew members walked out to oppose plans to transform them into a low-wage contract workforce.
In the United States, the strike by 26,000 Chicago teachers—the first teachers’ strike in the city in 25 years—has challenged the right-wing school “reform” agenda of the Obama administration and the entire political establishment.
At the Democratic and Republican conventions, the backers of Obama and Romney traded denunciations and sought to claim there were irreconcilable differences between the two big business parties. But when the Chicago teachers walked out, Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan immediately rallied behind Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel—Obama’s former chief of staff—to support his attack on the teachers. As Ryan declared, “school reform is a bipartisan issue.”
The teachers have taken a stand for the entire working class. Both parties are seeking to dismantle public education and open up the $1 trillion “education market” to Wall Street investors and for-profit schools operators.
In every country, capitalist governments are carrying out a social counter-revolution, aimed at turning the historic clock backwards and stripping workers of the social achievements won over a century of struggle. In the coming period we anticipate an immense escalation of the class struggle on a world scale.
The most critical question facing workers is leadership and political perspective. All of the old trade unions and pseudo-left organizations defend the present order. For the working class to end poverty, oppression and war it must be armed with the most advanced political theory and an understanding of history.
Only the World Socialist Web Site can provide workers, young people and intellectuals with the authentic voice of Marxism and historical truth. The WSWS is an unparalleled source for critical commentary on political, historical, cultural, philosophical and scientific questions.
Over the past several weeks the WSWS has provided live coverage on the Lufthansa strike, the Chicago teachers’ strike and other struggles.
The WSWS depends on your support. It is not a commercial web site. It runs no advertisements. Our audience, constituency, and base of support is the international working class. So donate today.
Fraternally,
Joseph Kishore