Subjects Archives: History

Composing a history of Detroit is an exercise in tying together many economic and social trends within a microcosm of class, race, and fraught politics. Mark Jay and Philip Conklin’s work discusses the 20th-century history of the city to offer a documentation of class struggle seen through the industrialization of the city in the early 20th century, the racial tensions of the post-World War II period, and, finally, the simultaneous processes of decay and development in the last three decades.

This year, Brazil and China celebrate fifty years of official diplomatic relations. The importance of the Sino-Brazilian relationship cannot be underestimated in the context of the rise of the Global South, the decline of U.S. hegemony, and the emergence of a New Cold War. With a look back into the history of bilateral relations, how can we understand the importance of these two countries in the current conjuncture in pushing forward changes unseen in a century?

Israel isn’t just fighting Hezbollah. It intentionally seeks to eradicate Lebanon’s rich cultural heritage and collective history, aiming to raise the Lebanese cost of supporting the resistance and reshape the state’s political and demographic fabric.

The Film was one of the most pro-union movies in American history.

Forty years later, Lehlohonolo Kennedy Mahlatsi looks back on the Vaal Uprising in South Africa, which marked a turning point in the growth of mass-based organizations throughout the country and the mass rejection of apartheid colonial rule.

Toshiyuki Mimaki, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese organization honored with the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for its anti-nuclear activism, drew comparisons between the plight of children in Gaza and those impacted by the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Despite all the many years, those who hated the GDR still hate it today. Indeed, they seem to fear it, and continue almost daily to revile its memories—like kicking an old horse cadaver which might yet bite or strike out with a hoof or two.

Andy Higginbottom reviews Adam Hanieh’s crucial new book, Crude Capitalism.

Israel’s latest murderous assault on Lebanon is part of a recurring pattern of imperialist aggression.

In honor of the monumental life of Fredric Jameson (1934–2024), we republish an essay he wrote for the April 1996 issue of Monthly Review.

Toby Manning’s history of popular music in its historical context is a rich and rewarding exploration of the politics of music, finds Charles Marriott.

The beginning of the left movement in Sri Lanka goes back to 1935.

As the first city-states started to form in ancient Mesopotamia, fed by a patchwork of farms across the fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, grain was stored in large siloes (in case of future shortages), and a surplus was generated for the first time, that was accumulated and controlled by a warrior class drawn from Mafia-like, oligarchic families, assisted by a priesthood that kept records and legitimized their rule via a mandate from the heavens.

In the coming days, the Filipino people will mark the historic termination of the Military Bases Agreement on September 16, 1991.

In the post-World War II period, Britain waged a number of covert wars in every corner of the world, as its financial and military clout rapidly withered.

Critical cultural historical perspective is not easy to obtain.

Baldwin theorizes whiteness as the psychology of empire.

H. Bruce Franklin, who died on May 19, 2024, at the age of 90, ranks among the great public intellectuals of our time. Carolyn L. Karcher writes on his immense legacy as a teacher, activist, and scholar.

How Palestine turned a classical musician and recovering child prodigy into a revolutionary.

As the annual marches commemorating William of Orange’s ascension to power draw to a close, Mark Hackett reflects on how the events of 1688 shaped the modern bourgeoise state.