Socialism 2009: The Socialist Alternative to Capitalism

Contact Phone: 
0402 175330
Date and Time: 
Saturday, August 15, 2009 -
10:00am to 6:00pm
Contact Email: 
info@sa.org.au
Contact Name: 
Socialist Alternative
Location: 
Melbourne University Student Union building
Website: 
www.sa.org.au

For decades we were told that free market capitalism was the solution to all of society's problems. The world economic crisis has shattered that myth. Millions are being thrown out of their jobs or their homes. A whole generation of young people wanting to enter the workforce are finding that there are simply no jobs. In a world where there is the technological capacity to provide a decent life to every person on this planet, poverty and want are everywhere.

This is not some mere episode in the history of an otherwise stable system. For the last century the anarchy of market competition has led to recessions and depressions, to bloody wars to divide up the resources of the world, and to such total disregard for the planet on which we live that we now face environmental destruction on a scale that threatens our very existance.

The need for a systematic alternative to capitalism is clear as day. And yet the options on offer in the mainstream discourse are paltry at best. Providing such an alternative is what Socialism 2009: The Socialist Alternative to Capitalism is all about. From sessions explaining the basics of socialism and answering common questions, to discussions of Marxist theory and labour history, if you are interested in the struggle for a different world, this conference will have something for you.

PROGRAM

10am

What is Marxism?

The Bolshevik party model: is it relevant for a 21st century socialist movement?

Socialists in the trade unions

11.40am

Hasn't socialism been tried and failed?

The Marxist approach to movements of the oppressed

Does the Marxist theory of imperialism help explain today's world?

Lunch

2pm

The case for revolution

Lessons from the class struggle in the Great Depression

Historical materialism: Marx's theory of social change

4pm

Marxist economics made easy

From women's liberation to anti-feminist backlash: what went wrong?

Trotsky's "permanent revolution" and the modern Middle East

Ticket prices:
Waged $12
Student/unwaged $7
High school student $4

Geography: