V.I.Lenin
10th August 2004, 08:09
Nikolai Chernyshevksy wrote what some call a handbook of radicalism in 1862 entitled 'What is to be done?' while in solitary confinement, having been arrested for his radical activity in Russia.The book had the appearance of a novel while serving as a vehicle in which Nikolai communicated key points in radical policy.
This work served as inspiration for revolutionary youth,among which was V.I.Lenin who himself would later pen his own thoughts regarding revolution under a work bearing the same title as Chernyshevskys.
Having stated the foregoing I shall now offer my own,somewhat condensed version,being based upon the collective thoughts which Comrade Lenin at first put forth.
'Popular Front' is a modern catchword defining a collective group sharing key principles and goals and the term 'front' is likewise used to designate an area of concentrated activity.
In matters pertaining to the socialist struggle there are in reality many fronts in that a revolutionary movement must work where the masses are,and as we well know,this in effect demands our voice in numerous fields and our activity in various arenas,be it cooperating with trade unions or efforts to influence parliamentary systems.
There has always been select individuals whose socio-political perception are more keen and discerning than the majority of the masses,persons who can rightly gauge the generation in which they live and to whom potential aspects of civil discontent are revealed in manners which are not so obvious to the innumerable masses.
What I propose is that its exactly these select individuals who have been and ever shall be the key ingredient to social change,that such are the nucleus of any and all rebellions,this of course is the fundamental basis of a revolutionary elite - the Vanguard.
It is to this compact group which the masses must look for instruction and guidance in the revolutionary struggle,for truly there can be no revolutionary movement without revolutionary theory and this must be carried to the masses under the leadership of an elite group of hardened revolutionaries.
In reality the world is ruled by thoughts and ideas,and as Victor Hugo once wrote,'There is nothing in the world as powerful as an idea whose time has come', and in the final analysis a man is only as great as his idea.
People are not perfected by rules,they can only be perfected by examples and that which holds the attention determines action which in turn depends solely upon ones enthusiasm,for all great events in history have been nothing more than the triumph of someones enthusiasm,by this one must always bear in mind that confidence is contagious,as is the lack of it.
I witness certain individuals at this site who have taken it upon themselves to attempt converting we poor misguided Communists to christianity,such ones fail to understand that as socialists and radicals we prefer revolution and social justice rather than petty individual salvation which is itself the full expression of the most extreme egotism.
For anyone who willingly separates themself from others due to religious dogma and doctrine,who closes themself off from the rest of humanity by the nonsensical notion that God has somehow chosen them above all others is an egotist and supremist of the first order,a highly delusional individual suffering from a god-complex through which he envisions himself as being special in the eyes of a god which he himself created.
Religion is the impotence of the human mind to deal with occurances and situations it cannot understand,its the natural causes reduced to a systematic neurosis as an outcome of utter hopelessness and depression,a method of myth by which the human mind attempts to make peace with itself regarding its own ignorance.
Enough regarding such things,back to the initial issue and one which has sound validity.Revolutionaries must be the active agents of the peoples will and by this they must never seek to separate themselves from the masses as though their role and responsibility has made them of greater importance,thus of greater value,for this would be no better than the religious egotism which I just addressed.
Of course the Vanguard is of importance,however,this importance is only equal to the importance which they give to the struggle for the emancipation of the masses which in turn is verification of the importance which these revolutionaries have poured upon the masses and by this reasoning all are equal.
The present state,as any monarchy of old,is merely the organ of class rule,the machinery by which man exploits man,and as such it must be accepted by every true socialist that its not to be reformed - it must be completely destroyed, for there can be no liberation of the oppressed without destroying the state apparatus created by the ruling class.
Thus,revolution is inevitable,and its for this reason that a revolutionary vanguard must teach the masses to recognize the need for violent revolution, for only with the smashing of the bourgeois state apparatus will come the political rule of the proletariat.
All systems of cultural-national autonomy must be protested and rejected without reserve and with no space for compromise,for nationalism is itself the enemy of socialism,though it is expedient that we at first promote national self-determinism as a ploy to attract the working class and by this pave the way for the eventual victory of the proletariat,for it would prove unwise to abandon this idea of national self-determinism in that this would merely serve to the advantage of the existing government.
In this same vein of reasoning it is likewise necessary to put into place a revolutionary party within which there must be created a secret order into which select members are to be recruited and trained as professional revolutionaries, for this I may be labeled as a Jacobin,but I assure you that I will wear the title proudly.
The primary function of a revolutionary movement is to find new ways of coming closer to the socialist revolution,to rally all the allies and support possible,to present itself at all times as being highly organized and disciplined as well as rejecting any who would abandon the revolution for the pursuit of reforms by means of the present established system.
A revolutionary must thrive on continuous advancement and know retreat only in those situations wherein no other viable option is available,for the call and appeal of revolution is first and foremost to make outrageous demands,and chief of these is the proclamation that exploiters should not be allowed to live and rule in the manner they have grown accustomed to.
That those who possess palatial homes should not be afforded the opportunity to dwell in them,that those with costly jewels should be given no occasin to flaunt them,that those with luxury cars should be deprived of driving them, every existing wall standing between man and his fellowman must be smashed to dust and carried away by an east wind.
Still,this sort of political consciousness is not an automatic product of economic struggle,thus it falls to those such as we to carry this knowledge to the masses and by it infuse in them a revolutionary impulse,and to reject utterly the notion that politics are the sole property of the ruling elite.
To wrap this post I will point out the undeniable fact that revolution is impossible without a nationwide crisis and that in times of national conflicts the potential for revolutionary success is at its greatest,that by transforming world wars into a civil war lays a sure foundation for the overthrow of an existing government.
Must I draw a map for you? can you not reason what I imply by these things? Consider the present state of affairs,could a more perfect opportunity be presented than that which lies before the eyes of the entire world?
This work served as inspiration for revolutionary youth,among which was V.I.Lenin who himself would later pen his own thoughts regarding revolution under a work bearing the same title as Chernyshevskys.
Having stated the foregoing I shall now offer my own,somewhat condensed version,being based upon the collective thoughts which Comrade Lenin at first put forth.
'Popular Front' is a modern catchword defining a collective group sharing key principles and goals and the term 'front' is likewise used to designate an area of concentrated activity.
In matters pertaining to the socialist struggle there are in reality many fronts in that a revolutionary movement must work where the masses are,and as we well know,this in effect demands our voice in numerous fields and our activity in various arenas,be it cooperating with trade unions or efforts to influence parliamentary systems.
There has always been select individuals whose socio-political perception are more keen and discerning than the majority of the masses,persons who can rightly gauge the generation in which they live and to whom potential aspects of civil discontent are revealed in manners which are not so obvious to the innumerable masses.
What I propose is that its exactly these select individuals who have been and ever shall be the key ingredient to social change,that such are the nucleus of any and all rebellions,this of course is the fundamental basis of a revolutionary elite - the Vanguard.
It is to this compact group which the masses must look for instruction and guidance in the revolutionary struggle,for truly there can be no revolutionary movement without revolutionary theory and this must be carried to the masses under the leadership of an elite group of hardened revolutionaries.
In reality the world is ruled by thoughts and ideas,and as Victor Hugo once wrote,'There is nothing in the world as powerful as an idea whose time has come', and in the final analysis a man is only as great as his idea.
People are not perfected by rules,they can only be perfected by examples and that which holds the attention determines action which in turn depends solely upon ones enthusiasm,for all great events in history have been nothing more than the triumph of someones enthusiasm,by this one must always bear in mind that confidence is contagious,as is the lack of it.
I witness certain individuals at this site who have taken it upon themselves to attempt converting we poor misguided Communists to christianity,such ones fail to understand that as socialists and radicals we prefer revolution and social justice rather than petty individual salvation which is itself the full expression of the most extreme egotism.
For anyone who willingly separates themself from others due to religious dogma and doctrine,who closes themself off from the rest of humanity by the nonsensical notion that God has somehow chosen them above all others is an egotist and supremist of the first order,a highly delusional individual suffering from a god-complex through which he envisions himself as being special in the eyes of a god which he himself created.
Religion is the impotence of the human mind to deal with occurances and situations it cannot understand,its the natural causes reduced to a systematic neurosis as an outcome of utter hopelessness and depression,a method of myth by which the human mind attempts to make peace with itself regarding its own ignorance.
Enough regarding such things,back to the initial issue and one which has sound validity.Revolutionaries must be the active agents of the peoples will and by this they must never seek to separate themselves from the masses as though their role and responsibility has made them of greater importance,thus of greater value,for this would be no better than the religious egotism which I just addressed.
Of course the Vanguard is of importance,however,this importance is only equal to the importance which they give to the struggle for the emancipation of the masses which in turn is verification of the importance which these revolutionaries have poured upon the masses and by this reasoning all are equal.
The present state,as any monarchy of old,is merely the organ of class rule,the machinery by which man exploits man,and as such it must be accepted by every true socialist that its not to be reformed - it must be completely destroyed, for there can be no liberation of the oppressed without destroying the state apparatus created by the ruling class.
Thus,revolution is inevitable,and its for this reason that a revolutionary vanguard must teach the masses to recognize the need for violent revolution, for only with the smashing of the bourgeois state apparatus will come the political rule of the proletariat.
All systems of cultural-national autonomy must be protested and rejected without reserve and with no space for compromise,for nationalism is itself the enemy of socialism,though it is expedient that we at first promote national self-determinism as a ploy to attract the working class and by this pave the way for the eventual victory of the proletariat,for it would prove unwise to abandon this idea of national self-determinism in that this would merely serve to the advantage of the existing government.
In this same vein of reasoning it is likewise necessary to put into place a revolutionary party within which there must be created a secret order into which select members are to be recruited and trained as professional revolutionaries, for this I may be labeled as a Jacobin,but I assure you that I will wear the title proudly.
The primary function of a revolutionary movement is to find new ways of coming closer to the socialist revolution,to rally all the allies and support possible,to present itself at all times as being highly organized and disciplined as well as rejecting any who would abandon the revolution for the pursuit of reforms by means of the present established system.
A revolutionary must thrive on continuous advancement and know retreat only in those situations wherein no other viable option is available,for the call and appeal of revolution is first and foremost to make outrageous demands,and chief of these is the proclamation that exploiters should not be allowed to live and rule in the manner they have grown accustomed to.
That those who possess palatial homes should not be afforded the opportunity to dwell in them,that those with costly jewels should be given no occasin to flaunt them,that those with luxury cars should be deprived of driving them, every existing wall standing between man and his fellowman must be smashed to dust and carried away by an east wind.
Still,this sort of political consciousness is not an automatic product of economic struggle,thus it falls to those such as we to carry this knowledge to the masses and by it infuse in them a revolutionary impulse,and to reject utterly the notion that politics are the sole property of the ruling elite.
To wrap this post I will point out the undeniable fact that revolution is impossible without a nationwide crisis and that in times of national conflicts the potential for revolutionary success is at its greatest,that by transforming world wars into a civil war lays a sure foundation for the overthrow of an existing government.
Must I draw a map for you? can you not reason what I imply by these things? Consider the present state of affairs,could a more perfect opportunity be presented than that which lies before the eyes of the entire world?