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May 1999 (Volume 51, Number 1)

Notes from the Editors

This issue marks our fiftieth anniversary. We’re sure our readers don’t need to be told about the odds against a socialist magazine surviving through this particular half century. We began at a time when socialism was a dirty word in the United States, and we’re still here today, in fact growing again, after a decade in which people have been abandoning socialism in droves.

But we’re not going to waste time congratulating ourselves on our longevity. In the pages that follow, we reflect on our past, our present, and our future, on the changes we’ve seen and the work that still needs to be done. All we want to add in these Notes from the Editors is our assurance to readers that we have every intention of carrying on. We won’t forget that what has kept us alive is our ruthless critique of capitalism and imperialism, and equally our willingness to criticize and learn from socialist mistakes, our firmness in maintaining our socialist ideals, and our efforts to make sense of change. We intend to go on exposing oppression wherever we see it and contributing whatever we can to the construction of a more humane and democratic social order.

In the coming months, we will be celebrating our anniversary in various ways. By the time this issue appears, we will have had an opportunity to converse with many of you about our history at the fiftieth anniversary panel we are sponsoring at the Socialist Scholars Conference. We are also looking forward to seeing you at our big anniversary dinner on Friday, May 7, at Landmark on the Park (160 Central Park West, New York City), featuring reminiscences, remarks from Noam Chomsky, Ossie Davis, Michael Tigar, and Doug Dowd, and poems read by Adrienne Rich. Phillip Officer, an acclaimed cabaret singer, will also be performing some of Yip Harburg’s songs. It promises to be an enjoyable and memorable evening. Call the MR office at (212) 691-2555 for more information.

From time to time we receive bequests from readers who want to contribute to the continuance of Monthly Review, Monthly Review Press, or the Monthly Review Foundation. Those who wish to do the same may simply state in their wills that the bequest is to “The Monthly Review Foundation, 146 West 29th Street, #6W, New York, NY 10001.” For additional information contact Martin Paddio at (212) 691-2555 or use our contact page.

1999, Volume 51, Issue 01 (May)
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