Learn about the importance of organizing and forming a Vanguard Party. Explore revolutionary theory and practice, critiquing economism and the Leninist perspective. Dive into the debate between Marx and anarchists on revolutionary strategies. Discover the limited reach of reforms and the questioning of the welfare state. Explore the importance of political independence and conscious action. Understand the role of a vanguard party and the need for political organization. Explore the challenges of building a vanguard party and the significance of political education.
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Quick takeaways
Lenin argues that reformist tactics are unreliable and that true reforms are won through revolutionary class struggle.
Reforms within the capitalist system are vulnerable to dismantling by the ruling capitalist class, highlighting the need for revolutionary struggle.
The New Deal era demonstrates the limitations of relying solely on reformist tactics within the capitalist framework.
Building a vanguard party is crucial for navigating crises and bringing about true revolutionary change.
Deep dives
The Limitations of Reformist Tactics
Lenin argues that reformist tactics are the least likely to secure real reforms. He asserts that the most effective way to achieve significant reforms is through the revolutionary class struggle. Reformism, according to Lenin, is ambiguous and unreliable, as it often compromises the independence, fortitude, and strength of the revolutionary classes. He emphasizes that true reforms are won as a result of the revolutionary class struggle, which requires steadfastness, independence, and mass force. Lenin's quote challenges the notion that revolutionary communists are detached from the on-the-ground experience, as he emphasizes the need for real, tangible improvements in people's lives. He highlights that the revolutionary class struggle is essential for securing meaningful reforms within the capitalist system.
Vulnerable Nature of Reforms within Capitalism
Lenin's quote highlights the vulnerability of reforms within the capitalist system. He points out that reforms are subject to dismantling by the dictatorship of capital, as the ruling capitalist class holds significant power in the economic, political, and social spheres. Even popular reforms, such as social security and Medicare, remain at risk of being undermined and recalled due to the dominance of the capitalist ruling class. Lenin emphasizes that seeking reforms within the capitalist framework is unreliable, as the interests of the ruling class ultimately take precedence. This understanding underscores the importance of revolutionary struggle and the need to challenge the capitalist system to secure lasting and meaningful change.
Lessons from History: The New Deal
Lenin's insights are reflected in historical periods such as the New Deal. While acknowledging the flaws and errors of the New Deal, it demonstrated that significant reforms could be achieved through the revolutionary struggle of the working class. The New Deal era improved the quality of life for many, particularly within the white middle class. However, it also exemplifies how reforms within the capitalist system are subject to attack and erosion over time. This historical context reinforces Lenin's argument for the necessity of revolutionary class struggle and the limitations of relying solely on reformist tactics within the capitalist framework.
Balancing Reforms and Revolutionary Struggle
Lenin's quote does not discount the importance of reforms or working towards immediate improvements in people's lives. He emphasizes that reforms should be pursued within the framework of revolutionary class struggle and political transformation. The key is to avoid reformism that compromises the revolutionary potential of the working class. Balancing both reforms and revolutionary struggle requires recognizing the vulnerability of reforms within the capitalist system and the need for a broader revolutionary movement to address the root causes of inequality, exploitation, and social injustices. By rejecting reformism and advocating for revolutionary class struggle, lasting and transformative reforms can be achieved.
Importance of a Vanguard Party
Building a vanguard party is crucial for revolutionary movements. In the United States, there is currently no vanguard party that meets the required standards of being national in scale and having genuine mass support. The task at hand is to construct a party that can effectively contend with the capitalist state and lead the revolutionary struggle. While there are organizations working towards this goal, they have not yet reached the level of a vanguard party. Internationally, there are examples such as the Communist Party of the Philippines and the Communist Party of India (Maoist) that can provide inspiration, but the United States is still far behind in this regard. Constructing a vanguard party is vital to navigate crises, go on the offensive, and bring about true revolutionary change.
Challenges of Spontaneity and Solidarity Economy
Spontaneity, as seen in movements like Occupy and the George Floyd uprisings, has limitations in terms of sustaining long-term revolutionary change. Spontaneous movements often lack structure, political coherence, and the ability to withstand state repression. Solidarity economy initiatives, while important, are not inherently revolutionary and can struggle against tight guardrails imposed by capitalism. The need for a revolutionary political movement, coupled with economic initiatives, is paramount. It is essential to understand that external forces like climate collapse or war cannot provide an organic rupture. Instead, building a vanguard party that can effectively contend with the capitalist state is necessary to bring about true transformation.
Characteristics of a Vanguard Party
A vanguard party is a centralized, disciplined, and organized national party. It consists of leadership that arises through earned respect and credibility from comrades rather than self-serving ambition. The party helps bridge gaps between different classes, subordinating other progressive classes to proletarian interests. It allows intellectuals to be held accountable to the proletariat and helps raise the consciousness and political understanding of workers. By funding full-time organizers, the party can dedicate resources to educating, training, and organizing, going beyond the limitations of small local initiatives. The party engages in democratic centralism, where robust debate occurs, democratic decisions are made, and personal preferences are subordinated to the greater good.
The Need for a Preexisting Vanguard Party
Crises are not enough to bring about revolutionary change. Building a vanguard party ahead of time is crucial since constructing one in the midst of a crisis is already too late. The Bolsheviks' success in the Russian Revolution was rooted in their decades-long party-building efforts. Similarly, the need for a vanguard party in the United States is pressing, although there currently isn't one that fulfills the required criteria. While there are organizations at work, a national-scale party with genuine mass support is still absent. The task at hand is to lay the foundation for such a party, which requires overcoming hyper-individualism, recognizing the necessity of discipline, and focusing on building mass support.
What Is To Be Done? This is the question so profoundly posed by the Russian Revolutionary and Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, in his landmark text of the same name. Although it was written well over a century ago, this text, the questions it asked, and the paths forward that it provided, are just as relevant today as they were a hundred years ago. And just as urgent.
What roles do spontaneity and disciplined organization have in leftist movements? Can we focus simply on economic reform, or do our actions need a larger political framework to structure, guide, and propel them?
Why does it feel like even though so many of us are motivated to work towards structural change, that things continue to get worse? Why does it seem like potential revolutionary struggles in the West always seem to stall and fail to move from a singular moment to a protracted movement?
These are old and familiar questions — a lot of ink has been spilled and speeches made exploring them — and in this Conversation, we’ve brought on two guests who've not only thought about these questions in depth, but who have some pretty compelling answers that draw from revolutionary theory and practice in both their personal lives and from the deep well of wisdom bequeathed by theorists Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Mao.
Breht O’Shea is the host of the podcast Revolutionary Left Radio and a co-host of Guerrilla History. He’s been on the show multiple times so you may already be familiar with his voice. Alyson Escalate, who has also been on the show, is the co-host, along with Breht, of Red Menace, a podcast that explains and analyzes revolutionary theory and then applies its lessons to our contemporary conditions.
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