Socialism or barbarism read the editorial of issue 52 of In Defence of Marxism m

Marxist Theory · 2026-05-13

Core Argument¶

The editorial argues that Rosa Luxemburg's formulation "socialism or barbarism" is not a dramatic slogan but an accurate description of the current conjuncture. Capitalism has entered its terminal phase of decay, in which the productive forces developed under its rule have become incompatible with the existing relations of production. The choice facing humanity is no longer between competing variants of capitalism but between working-class revolution and civilisation's collapse. The article's central political claim is that this dilemma resolves itself into the practical question of building a revolutionary party before the next wave of mass struggle erupts, since the absence of such leadership has been the decisive factor in every revolutionary defeat of the past century.

Theoretical Grounding¶

The analysis draws on Marx's historical materialism as elaborated in the 1859 Preface to a Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, particularly the proposition that relations of production eventually become fetters on the further development of productive forces. This is applied not as a mechanical schema but as a dialectical law: every rising social order contains the seeds of its own decay, and every period of decline contains the potential for future progress.

Lenin's theory of imperialism provides the framework for understanding why capitalism's continued growth does not contradict its decay. Imperialism is treated as a stage in which capitalist relations have turned into their opposite — monopoly replaces competition, parasitism replaces accumulation, and state intervention replaces the market's "invisible hand." The article explicitly rejects liberal conceptions of history as gradual progress, drawing instead on the dialectical understanding that civilisations rise and fall through internal contradictions.

The analysis sits firmly within the classical Marxist tradition of Luxemburg and Lenin, with particular emphasis on the Junius Pamphlet and Lenin's response to it. The argument that revolutions fail due to the absence of a revolutionary party, not the weakness of mass movements, is a direct continuation of the lessons drawn from the German Revolution of 1918 and the Spanish Civil War.

Conjunctural Relevance¶

The editorial grounds its theoretical claims in several concrete developments:

Sudan serves as the central case study. The Sudanese revolution of 2019–2021 is presented as a paradigmatic example of a mass movement that posed the question of power but was deliberately held back by its own leadership, resulting in the country's destruction through the Rapid Support Forces — a paramilitary force groomed by both the Sudanese state and foreign powers. The article treats Sudan as a warning: any revolution that stops short of overthrowing the bourgeoisie and its state prepares disaster.

Gaza, Darfur, and eastern Congo are cited as contemporary examples of imperialism's barbarism, demonstrating that the "annihilation of civilisation" Luxemburg warned of is not a future prospect but a present reality.

The Epstein network is invoked as evidence of the moral and psychological degeneracy of the ruling class, connecting the structural parasitism of monopoly capitalism to its cultural and ethical decay.

Gen Z revolutions are referenced as evidence that a new generation is being radicalised, suggesting that the objective potential for revolutionary upheaval is greater than at any point in recent decades.

The BBC series Civilisations: Rise and Fall is noted as an example of how even mainstream culture acknowledges the parallels between past civilisational collapses and the present, even if it draws reformist conclusions.

Where the Argument Continues¶

This editorial functions as an introduction to issue 52 of In Defence of Marxism, which is devoted to Sudan. The argument about the necessity of the revolutionary party is developed in greater depth in the IDOM corpus through:

The RCI's ongoing analysis of the Sudanese revolution and its aftermath, which provides the empirical grounding for the claim that reformist leadership leads to barbarism.
The broader theoretical elaboration of the law of uneven and combined development as it applies to the current period of capitalist decay.
The critique of reformism and opportunism as objective obstacles to revolution, not merely mistaken strategies.

The article leaves underdeveloped the concrete programme for building the revolutionary party in the current conjuncture — how to connect with the radicalisation of Gen Z, how to win the most advanced layers of the working class, and how to prepare for the "titanic struggles to come." These are addressed in other IDOM articles and Against the Stream episodes that focus on party-building strategy, the analysis of specific national situations, and the critique of centrist and opportunist currents within the workers' movement.

Connections¶

Primary texts: - Rosa Luxemburg, The Junius Pamphlet (1915) — the source of the "socialism or barbarism" formulation - V.I. Lenin, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (1916) — the theoretical framework for understanding capitalism's parasitic stage - Karl Marx, Preface to a Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (1859) — the methodological foundation for the analysis of historical rise and decline - V.I. Lenin, Reply to the Junius Pamphlet — the argument for the necessity of a compact illegal organisation

Related IDOM articles: - Previous analyses of the Sudanese revolution and its betrayal - Articles on the theory of the revolutionary party and the lessons of the German Revolution - Critiques of reformism and the "gradual transition to democracy" strategy

Broader Marxist tradition: - Trotsky's analysis of fascism as the bourgeoisie's resort to barbarism when its rule is threatened - The experience of the Spanish Civil War as a warning against holding back revolution in the name of "order"

Key Quotes¶

"Bourgeois society stands at the crossroads, either transition to socialism or regression into barbarism."
"Imperialism is not simply one nation dominating the other, as is commonly understood by the term; it is a stage in the development of the world capitalist system, one in which capitalist relations have turned into their opposite."
"Never in history has there been a ruling class that is so parasitic, so detached from reality, and so ripe for overthrow."
"The historic dilemma of 'socialism or barbarism' thus resolves itself into the practical political question of the revolutionary party."
"The fate of Sudan should serve as a warning: any revolution that stops short of the complete overthrow of the bourgeoisie and its state is preparing for disaster."
"The working class and the oppressed masses of the world will not allow the ruling class to drag us down to hell without a struggle, which will put all the revolutions of the past in the shade."