Revolution........

[tellyontellyon]

Revolution... Sorry to be a total dork, but what is this and what might it actually involve?

[Spawn of Stalin]

It can be anything, throughout history revolutions have involved guerrilla warfare, mass strike action, democratic elections, civil disobedience, anything really, it's basically a blanket term. To get a basic idea of the history of revolution and also what future revolutions could possibly look like you should start by reading up on the big ones, so amongst others, the October 1917 Socialist Revolution might be a good one to look at, also the Spanish Civil War, the American Revolution, the Cultural Revolution, and the Bolivarian Revolution.

[gorillafuck]

A revolution is a set of events where one movement overthrows the government and established it's own government, to give a really short and to the point answer. In the case of a socialist revolution, it's where the working class overthrows the bourgeois and establishes a workers state.

This contrasts to reformist views because reformists believe that the bourgeois state can be slowly transformed into a workers state.

[Spawn of Stalin]

Comrade I noticed you are a member of SP, ask someone from your branch for a crash course in proletarian revolution, I'm sure SP have plenty of literature on 1917 that they will be able to give you.

[Искра]

Is this political correct definition :D


Mao: A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.

[cb9's_unity]

The revolution we are calling for is one where the proletariat (the working class) take control of the means of production from the bourgeoisie (the capitalist class). From there in order for the revolution to be truly socialist the means of production will have to be administered democratically by the proletariat itself.

There are many opinions on how exactly to do that, but those are the basic requirements for a socialist revolution.

[KarlMarx1989]

He'. If we want this to happen, we're going to have to get off our asses and do something.

And how are we going to get the funding to do all this if we are fighting the system unemployed? There's no way we'd be keeping any jobs if we fight the current system.

[Kukulofori]

It's not just a few people from RevLeft taking over the world and establishing glorious socialism. It's an act of violence through which one class overthrows another. We're being paid with the world we seek to create.

[Absolut]

He'. If we want this to happen, we're going to have to get off our asses and do something.

Im going to go out on a limb here, and say that most of the people posting here are actually trying to fight for the revolution and build towards it, theyre not just sitting at home thinking about it.

My point is, most of us are already off our asses.

[Spawn of Stalin]

He'. If we want this to happen, we're going to have to get off our asses and do something.

And how are we going to get the funding to do all this if we are fighting the system unemployed? There's no way we'd be keeping any jobs if we fight the current system.
I don't know about you but my political activity extends way beyond posting on RevLeft.

[Aesop]

A socialist revolution will be a process not an event. In which I mean, a socialist revolution will not just happen over the weekend and be up for business on the following Monday.

It will be a process involving the dismantlement of bourgeois economics (Capitalism i.e. CAP in which food hordes of staple foods are burned for the sake of keeping up food prices) in which industries will be collectively owned etc etc, by default this means that the surplus value that the workers produce will not go into the capitalist pocket, but instead will allow for shorter working hours in which people can develop their creative interest. This would probably lead to a change on political thought.

This will probably have an effect on the political thought in which classical liberal/libertarian, social democratic, modern liberalism ideas will be made redundant. Due to the capitalism will no longer will existing there will be no need for the state (i.e different political parties) trying to negate the structural negative effects of capitalism.

This will have affect society socially, in which for example the family structure may/probably change in which nuclear families may become less prevalent and larger extended/communities may become the dominant model of a family. You may ask me why. However, I think a deeper analysis is needed to understand the nuclear family and its role and how it has came to existence for purely economic and a ideological reasons, economically because it increased labour mobility and ideological it supports the theory that we are all atomistic individuals that just care about ourselves and are family and we only engage in relations to people just for economic exchange. So a large extended or local community acting as a family will be more beneficial due to the increased corporation needed to maintain production, to aid solidarity amongst people and as social humans it makes perfect sense.

Although the revolution will also probably effect the science, arts etc etc, it is just that I have not got enough knowledge to tell exactly.

This is a very brief example on what the revolution may do to the social norms and political thought. Although the revolution will also probably effect the science, arts etc etc, it is just that I have not got enough knowledge to tell exactly.

[KarlMarx1989]

My point is, most of us are already off our asses.
my political activity extends way beyond posting on RevLeft.
OK then, I am wrong. I am really glad that there are so many people building toward revolution.

Though I am glad, I will say that there aren't (m)any US comrades doing much. I hope that revolution can be possible here, too. Also, should my friends get out of this dead-end town, would there be anyone willing to build toward revolution in, let's say, a big city?

[RedRise]

He'. If we want this to happen, we're going to have to get off our asses and do something.

I do agree with that statement, but when you're twelve years old it's a little tricky.:D Any ideas for those of us less able to participate?

[Absolut]

I do agree with that statement, but when you're twelve years old it's a little tricky.:D Any ideas for those of us less able to participate?

Educate yourself.

[Spawn of Stalin]

Join a party, support picket lines and show solidarity with the working class, join a union and attend meetings, distribute newspapers, pamphlets and leaflets to potential Comrades and "fellow travellers", get down to every demonstration possible, read more books so that you are well prepared for educating people. There are so many ways you can further the cause with little or no effort at all involved, but really I would say the most important thing you can do is become a Marxist-Leninist.

OK then, I am wrong. I am really glad that there are so many people building toward revolution.

Though I am glad, I will say that there aren't (m)any US comrades doing much. I hope that revolution can be possible here, too. Also, should my friends get out of this dead-end town, would there be anyone willing to build toward revolution in, let's say, a big city?
Unfortunately the majority of "progressives" in the United States are just liberals, and they can hardly be considered progressive at all. I don't know much about America as I've never been, but as far as I can tell the general population in a metropolitan area is slightly more leftist than that of a rural area. If you were to move to a big city you would undoubtedly get a lot more done, but it's not always convenient to just up and leave whenever you feel like it. Find some open-minded liberals and teach them about class politics, you might get through to them.

[scarletghoul]

Is this political correct definition :D
An awesome Mao quote, and one of the most useful when talking to people who condemn every revolution for the death and excess which invariably accompanies it.

And yeah a class overthrowing another class, establishing itself as the new ruling class, this is generally considered by marxists to be what a political revolution is. But it's much more than just an act of violence, it is as that other guy said a process, with many elements.


To get a basic idea of the history of revolution and also what future revolutions could possibly look like you should start by reading up on the big ones, so amongst others, the October 1917 Socialist Revolution might be a good one to look at, also the Spanish Civil War, the American Revolution, the Cultural Revolution, and the Bolivarian Revolution.Agreed. Also the Chinese Revolution in general is worth reading about, not just the Cultural Revolution (which was its climax). Chinese Revolution is certainly one of the longest and most complex revolutions, and to me the most inspiring

[red cat]

One point to note is that the class seizing power should be more developed, i.e. in purely economic terms, should have greater production capability than the class which it is overthrowing(to differentiate between a revolution and a counter-revolution). Also, there can be more than one class being overthrown and more than one class seizing power(as a united front).