Types of Struggle and Propaganda

[subcp]

There appears to be varying levels of understanding of historic forms of struggle among communists; at different times, certain forms spread like wildfire (something Lenin noted when the soviet form spread internationally in the span of a year or 2 after the February revolution), recently we witnessed this with the generalization of the General Assembly form during OWS, Indignados, etc.

The Situationists put forward the idea of writing a 'Wildcat Strikers Handbook' during the peak of the wildcat strike waves in Europe and the US, as a practical guide and a concise expression of their theory to be spread as widely as possible for the purpose of propagandizing struggles and trying to influence day to day class struggle in a pro-revolutionary (and councilist) direction. The CNT-AIT wrote a very good, brief description of General Assemblies, and tips on what to watch out for when engaging in assemblies in the workplace or neighborhood, a couple years ago.

If there were to be a contemporary pamphlet to disseminate as widely as possible, what are the forms of struggle and kinds of theoretical ideas you think it should include?

[tuwix]

I think the most efficient way is, when the majority of workers just won't go in some day to work. State with its oppression tools nothing can do then. When there is general strike, police can start to shoot, but when one don't want to go to work they can do nothing.

[subcp]

During the Wisconsin struggles in 2011, after an IWW got the central labor council to support 2 General Strike motions, they also created a general strike pamphlet to distribute at the time. There were a number of critiques of the pamphlet. In all of these examples, it seems that theory is emphasized over the nuts and bolts descriptions of how things like general assemblies, general strikes, etc. operate, how they form, what they do, etc.

From the CNT-AIT (F) pamphlet on the GA's:



What is a general assembly? (Text of the CNT AIT, Gers)

Definition
We call a general assembly the regular meeting, democratic and sovereign, of workers, regrouped as and when, without criteria, which can be varied (those belonging to a union, a confederation of unions, a social movement). At no point should these workers be prevented from being delegates: the principle of the GA is the vote by head count.
Typology
There are several types of GA:


The GA of a single union
The combined GA of several unions
The GA of workers on strike

Moreover, it can be limited to a single profession or be ‘inter-professional’. [Regrouping those from many professions – trans.]
Functioning of the GA


The GA is democratic, and therefore guarantees each a turn to speak, shared equally in terms of duration and discussion topics. This is guaranteed by a mandate given to the moderator.
Speeches must also be consistent with an agenda, agreed at the beginning of the meeting, which does not include various decision points.
The GA is sovereign, and decisions are made by a show of hands, without any overturning of decisions, according to the agenda.
The GA meets regularly and keeps a record of its debates and decisions. The record is kept by a secretary appointed early in the meeting, who ensures the debates and decisions of the GA are made public. The GA gives the date and place of the next GA.

Threats to the GA


Monopolisation of debate: The GA becomes un-democratic. The classic case is the shop-steward who takes the role of moderator, participates in discussions or responds systematically giving their opinions. A variation on this is a participant in the room who monopolises the floor or speaks too often.
The handling of the debate: The agenda is not respected. When the debate is moving precisely towards direct action, or a motion to renew the strike, the agenda is changed in order to blur the clarity of discussion, and to confuse the whole point of a GA, which is to answer the question "What and how?"
Lack of democracy within the GA: the vote is not respected. Violating the agenda, votes are taken several times on decisions already made. Often, manipulation occurs at the end of the meeting, to destroy its coherence and audacity.
Neutralisation of the GA: there is no alternative to a GA, however rich. Often, a GA of striking workers is treated as a safety-valve for their anger, neutralising their revolt, transforming their militancy into a sterile talking-shop. Be on guard! In a GA, we have all the tools at hand to see if they are being monopolised, manipulated, and neutralised. In all cases, failure to denounce the above threats will undermine our activity, our words, and our decisions: in short, our very reason to go on strike!

"The emancipation of the workers will be the task of the workers themselves"
SIA 32 (Member of the CNT-AIT).


Here's a link to the General Strike pamphlet from the IWW:


http://madison.iww.org/content/general-strike-pamphlet


How can these kinds of nuts and bolts, how to pamphlets and leaflets be improved?

[LeonJWilliams]

Anything based on the contemporary movement must highlight the changes in the way people communicate.

Social media is and will continue to be fundamental in the struggle to communicate ideas.

[Philosophos]

I think the most efficient way is, when the majority of workers just won't go in some day to work. State with its oppression tools nothing can do then. When there is general strike, police can start to shoot, but when one don't want to go to work they can do nothing.

There are lot's of people that are familiar and like this idea. It's basically a very nice way to fuck up the capitalist system, but there are lots of ways that non communists can ruin it.

For example if we have 1000 workers and 300 are communists, 300 right--winged, 200 don't have political views and the rest 200 are unemployed and the 300 communists don't go to work, capitalists will raise your salary, give you more credits and other things and most of them will fall for it. At the same time capitalists will always have the unemployed as a saving bag because these people will work for even less money than the communists that stopped working.

It's a good plan but we need lots of years of propaganda if we want this plan to work.