Chinley, Derbyshire
Residential week school for activists and friends of Workers' Liberty
15-19 July 2017
Chinley, Derbyshire
Book at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/workers-liberty-week-school-tickets-33660893639?aff=es2#tickets
Morning sessions are 10 to 1, and afternoon sessions 2 to 5, except on Saturday when they are 11 to 2 and 3 to 6.
Saturday am: How the Russian revolution happened
Reading: Russian Revolution book, chapter 2. Background: Trotsky, History of the Russian Revolution
Saturday pm: Imperialism in 1916, Lenin, and imperialism since 1945
Reading: Disarray. Background: Russian Revolution book, ch.6; Lenin, Imperialism, the highest stage.
Sunday am: The Bolshevik party
Reading: Russian Revolution book, chapter 3. Background: http://www.workersliberty.org/node/11340
Sunday pm: The left and Israel
Reading: Disarray. Background: Russian Revolution book, ch.7; Two Nations, Two States
Monday am: Permanent revolution, for Trotsky and for Orthodox Trotskyism
Reading: Disarray. Background: Russian Revolution book, ch.5; Trotsky, Results and Prospects; FI, Dynamics of World Revolution Today
Monday pm: The left and Ireland
Reading: Disarray. Background: WL 29
Tuesday am: Soviets
Reading: Russian Revolution book, chapter 4. Background: Marx, Civil War in France
Tuesday pm: The counter-revolution in Russia
Reading: Russian Revolution book, chapter 10. Background: Trotsky, Revolution Betrayed.
Wednesday am: Socialists and war
Reading: Disarray. Background: Russian Revolution book, ch.6; Workers' Liberty 2/3
Wednesday pm: The SWP-ophobe types
Reading: Disarray. Background: debate with Nick Cohen, http://www.workersliberty.org/node/8833
We recommend, and have available in the house, background reading.
The idea would be that all students will already have read most of the basic texts being discussed at the school. They may want to re-read parts in the course of the week as they discuss the texts in more details.
Students will also read some of the background texts (varying amounts, depending on levels of confidence and previous reading) and bring material from them into the discussion.
The school will be hosted in a house in Chinley, Derbyshire (rail connections: 30-odd minutes from Manchester, 45-50 minutes from Sheffield). Communal cooking will be organised: you'll have to pay only (low) cost price for food, on top of a £5 booking fee for the school to cover copying and other expenses. The school is an opportunity to get to grips with ideas and to socialise with comrades.
Numbers are limited by the capacity of the house.
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1267684210012606/
We encourage people to organise time off work, if possible, to attend the full five days, but the week will be so organised that those who come only for the weekend get value from it.