When the revolution happens do you think it will Marxist-Leninist, because it will have become more popular as it can prescribe a new socialism for our material conditions, or more Anarchistic in character, because of the individualistic ideology of the west?

Edit: thanks everyone for your responses, answering my questions and more.

  • Muad'DibberA
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    2 years ago

    I greatly appreciate your revolutionary optimism comrade. My opinion on the unlikelihood of communism coming about in western courtiens comes from organizing for several years in the US, but I still do it and feel that even if it’s hopeless, we should still do it, in the spirit of Huey P Newton’s Revolutionary suicide. We also have to be real tho, the BPP were the last genuine attempt that had any traction, and we saw how quickly it was crushed, and how quickly other movements in western countries get strangled in the cradle. Many a US comrade has been killed, imprisoned, or died destitute, in their false hope of a revolution happening there. The only ones that survived, like Assata, or Bill Haywood, did so because they escaped / sought asylum elsewhere.

    It may surprise you to know that I share your revolutionary optimism… just not with respect to the US or the imperialist countries. Just as capitalism had many “false starts” transitioning out of feudalism, so has communism. But the arc of history inevitably will turn towards communism. These transitions are not speedy, as Stalin said:

    It scarcely needs proof that there is not the slightest possibility of carrying out these tasks in a short period, of accomplishing all this in a few years. Therefore, the dictatorship of the proletariat, the transition from capitalism to communism, must not be regarded as a fleeting period of “super-revolutionary” acts and decrees, but as an entire historical era, replete with civil wars and external conflicts, with persistent organisational work and economic construction, with advances and retreats, victories and defeats. The historical era is needed not only to create the economic and cultural prerequisites for the complete victory of socialism, but also to enable the proletariat, firstly, to educate itself and become steeled as a force capable of governing the country, and, secondly, to re-educate and remould the petty-bourgeois strata along such lines as will assure the organisation of socialist production.

    Communism will win globally, and it pretty much has already surpassed the US. The western star is waning, and the red star is on the rise politically and economically, in China, Vietnam, SE Asia, latin america, and Africa.

    Can we not show these people the stability of and Dialectical Materialist outlook?

    Even if the masses of the people were to suddenly ideologically believe in communism, it really doesn’t make a difference, because they have no economic power (since the export of production by the late 1990s). Western populations are only useful as consumers, not producers, and US capitalists have other markets to sell to. US citizens are now a mostly unnecessary class, a surplus population, more of a hindrance than anything, which is why you see them trying to kill us off as fast as possible with the lax COVID policy. No amount of dinner-table conversations are going to suddenly make us economically powerful.

    They don’t need our expertise or talents, so fuck’em I say. We should give our talents and energies to communist or global-south countries, who are in need of technical expertise, communist literacy, union-organizing, and labor-power. Western countries are a sinking ship, and its up to us to get on lifeboats and leave while there’s still time. The imperialist countries are eating themselves, and will inevitably depopulate like all empires do anyway (The city of Rome went to 5% of its peak population within like 200 years).

    • CITRUS
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      2 years ago

      I respect your points, comrade. Like having doubts about any traction inside the core from your own experience; and especially with wanting to move to communist and global south countries where we see physical progress, and of course to escape persecution from with the core.

      But for me personally, It feels… wrong to uproot and leave, even if to stay it were in vain. I don’t think it necessarily is. I think there needs to be a remnant of the radical left–underground in the worst case–to put up at least some sort of internal struggle in different scenarios that would occur with the Red Star taking over: A. to severely protest any efforts by the state to drag us into a humanity ending war. B. To possibly take over any industry that would be placed back in the core if they couldn’t exploit the periphery anymore. C. To protect innocents from any rabid fascist dogs being let loose. And D. of course passing on Communism within the core. Somebody will have to stay in the States. There will always have to be a struggle. Sure the need for life boats will come at some point. But feels wrong for me as a communist to get on those life boats before anyone else. Hell, if instead of me being the vanguard of some revolutionary movement maybe instead my job was to usher as many people to get to safety. Not to mention i don’t have the means to leave if i wanted to.

      Still tho, i am comfortable with sacrificing my own life. I believe all comrades worth their shit are. Not mention the reason why the Panthers were crushed were because they posed a threat, a real threat of revolution, not because it was false hope. And I would be honored to go out in the same way, if that what it took.

      I don’t have much else to say that I didn’t already, at least not much coming to mind. This thread seems to have come to its natural conclusion, and yes a question of revolution in the US will come up again, as it always does. As I said, if you feel it is best to leave for the AES states and Global South, i respect you. I whether of choice or circumstance will stay here, and will fight for revolution till the bitter end.

      Take care, Muad.