Mon, 15/08/11

Antonio Gramsci

1891 - 1937

Antonio Gramsci (22 January 1891 – 27 April 1937) was an Italian Marxist theorist and politician. He was a founding member of the Communist Party of Italy and was imprisoned by the Fascist regime.

Gramsci encouraged the development of factory councils, which undercut the control of trade unions. The councils participated in general strikes during the 'Biennio Rosso', in which Gramsci played a key role. read more »

Theorists: 
Wed, 30/12/15

Proletarian Power: The Turin Factory Councils 1919-1920

The Bienno Rosso, the two red years which threatened to overthrow Italian capitalism, represents one of the high points of working class struggle in the history of the world labor movement.

The Turin Factory Council movement which emerged at the height of the Bienno Rosso, the two red years which threatened to overthrow Italian capitalism, represents one of the high points of working class struggle in the history of the world labor movement. read more »

Theorists: Geographical: Era: Topic: 
Mon, 28/12/15

Unions and councils

The proletarian organization which assembles, as the total expression of the worker and peasant mass, in the central offices of the Confederazione del Lavoro, is passing through a constitutional crisis similar in nature to the crisis in which the democratic parliamentary state vainly debates. The solution of one will be the solution of the other, since, resolving the problem of the will of power in the case of their class organization, the workers will arrive at the creation of the organic scaffolding of their state and they will counterpose it victoriously to the parliamentary state. read more »

Theorists: Geographical: Era: Topic: 
Sun, 27/12/15

Workers’ Control

Before we examine the configuration of the draft bill presented by Hon. Giolitti to the Chamber of Deputies, or the possibilities which it opens up, it is essential to establish the viewpoint from which the communists approach discussion of the problem. read more »

Theorists: Geographical: Era: Topic: 
Tue, 22/12/15

The Italian Factory Occupations of 1920

When 600,000 workers seized control of their workplaces

During the month of September, 1920, a widespread occupation of Italian factories by their workforces took place, which originated in the auto factories, steel mills and machine tool plants of the metal sector but spread out into many other industries — cotton mills and hosiery firms, lignite mines, tire factories, breweries and distilleries, and steamships and warehouses in the port towns. But this was not a sit-down strike; the workers continued production with their own in-plant organization. read more »

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