The Cost of Revolution

[willdw79]

I am posing this scenario and some questions that I have not formed a strong opinion on. I tried to go from the specific to the general so that we could generate some revolutionary theory. Any help is appreciated.

I don't know much about Mengistu. One of my best friends was born in Ethiopia, and his father was killed by Mengistu's army. Because of that, my boy, has a negative impression of Communism.

He gives the argument like this.

1. Communism is good on paper.
2. My father was a fairly good guy.
3. Mengistu's forces killed my father.
4. Practicing Communists killed my father
therefore: Communism is good on paper, but not in practice.

Were Mengistu and his forces Communists?
Who should be killed by a revolutionary force (not just Mengistu, but any revolutionary force)?
Does revolutionary war change particular revolutionary's outlook if they kill too many people?
Can having a mass organization prior to revolution avoid some of the killing?
What are some of the negative aspects of revolutionary struggle, and how do we overcome them?

[Q]

Were Mengistu and his forces Communists?
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengistu_Haile_Mariam) he was main officer of a selfdescribed communist military junta. I don't know much of the fellow, but "communist junta" sounds like an oxymoron to me. Communists should be about empowering people, about self-emancipation of the eworking class, so they can take over the running of society themselves. This guy sounds like some putchist, taking on the "communist" tag, probably to get support from Moscow.

Who should be killed by a revolutionary force (not just Mengistu, but any revolutionary force)?
Preferably, no one. However we sadly don't always have a free choice in the matter. In the Russian civil war for example, which raged from 1918 to 1921, 21 imperialist armies invaded the yout workers state, coming to aid of the white armies that wanted to reinstate capitalism and the Tsar. In those circumstances "Red Terror" was justified, meaning the execution of all white officers.

Does revolutionary war change particular revolutionary's outlook if they kill too many people?
I think so. Going back to the example of Russia, the state under the Bolsheviks was forced to take ever more undemocratic measures, forced by a raging civil war and isolation of the revolution into a backward country. First by a temporary ban on other parties, then by a ban on factions inside the communist party... The counter-revolution merely consolidated those and finished of any genuine workers control by the end of the 1920's, in order to consolidate power.

Is this inherently the fault of "Leninism"? I do think errors were made in the course of 1918 to 1924, but fundamentally the bolsheviks were forced to act in the way they did. The alternative was far worse.

Can having a mass organization prior to revolution avoid some of the killing?
A mass revolutionary party is vital in securing a victory in the revolution in the first place. With "revolutionary party" I don't mean here an overly centralised party with a big following, but a genuine class movement, diverse but united. The better the class is organised, the more secure the revolutionary victory will be. So yes, it does help in avoiding or lessening any killing.


What are some of the negative aspects of revolutionary struggle, and how do we overcome them?
I'm not totally sure what you mean by this. Could you elaborate?