Eugene Debs Regarding Leadership

[Sa'd al-Bari]

This is a quote by Eugene Debs from during his Socialist Party campaign speech of 1912:

“Too long have the workers of the world waited for some Moses to lead them out of bondage. He has not come; he never will come. I would not lead you out if i could; for if you could be led out, you could be led back again. I would have you make up your minds that there is nothing that you cannot do for yourselves.”

I’m wondering, how should this be interpreted from a Marxist standpoint? Upon reaching such interpretations, what is the essence of this quote, and what are its possible implications?

I do not know how to take it. On one end, it seems to be a call for the movement being more mass initiated than party or leadership initiated. Since movements should be based on the conditions of the working class, there is much truth in that regard. On another end, it seems slightly defeatist to me, discounting the role of practical work among the masses.

I do not pretend to have formed a proper opinion on this topic, so I think it would be relevant to if this is discussed a bit.

[Severian]

"On another end, it seems slightly defeatist to me, discounting the role of practical work among the masses. "

I don't think so; and it doesn't seem Debs thought so since he was constantly doing practical work among the masses.

I think this statement's right on: "I would have you make up your minds that there is nothing that you cannot do for yourselves.”

The biggest problem working people have is a lack of self-confidence that we can become the rulers of the world...too often workers look for someone else to lead us or worse, to do things for us. It might almost be a historical law, that most workers will go through every other alternative, every bourgeois and petty-bourgeois misleadership, before accepting that only a workers' party and a workers' and farmers' government can resolve the crisis....that is, before accepting that "there is nothing that we cannot do for ourselves" and that we must do it for ourselves.

[SonofRage]

I'v had that Debs quote in my signature for a long time actually =) I think Debs was spot on.