REACTIONARIES...

[R_P_A_S]

I think I know what it means. but I might not. I feel that a reactionary is someone like maybe.. the president of the United States? they appear to be for the people and for the good of all. but its bullshit? am i close or totally off?

for example a friend of mine threw a JFK quote at me when I was speaking of the need of revolution and regime change.. she told me..

"Those who make peaceful revolutions impossible
will make violent revolutions inevitable." -JFK

I told her.. 'thats a reactionary comment' and she said; what's that? LOL

do you guys think it is? didn't he say this as his sponsored terrorist and CIA operatives were terrorizing the people of Cuba and Central America?


could you guys give me more examples of reactionaries and the shit they talk.??

[bloody_capitalist_sham]

I actually think its a pretty smart comment, not knowing the context in which it was spoken anyway.

[RebelDog]

"Those who make peaceful revolutions impossible
will make violent revolutions inevitable." -JFK

I think when JFK said that he had one eye on the USSR and Cuba. His view of revolutions were the ones that bring 'bourgeois democracy', two words combined that cannot, ever make sense. It is his class that that gives the proletariat no option but revolt. He wasn't speaking for us. If he had been speaking for us as then it would be a reasonable statement. If your friend was speaking from the proletariat point of view then they were not speaking in reactionary terms because the fact is that the bourgeoise do not leave anything but violence open to the workers.

[R_P_A_S]

Originally posted by The [email protected] 09, 2007 09:45 pm

"Those who make peaceful revolutions impossible
will make violent revolutions inevitable." -JFK

I think when JFK said that he had one eye on the USSR and Cuba. His view of revolutions were the ones that bring 'bourgeois democracy', two words combined that cannot, ever make sense. It is his class that that gives the proletariat no option but revolt. He wasn't speaking for us. If he had been speaking for us as then it would be a reasonable statement. If your friend was speaking from the proletariat point of view then they were not speaking in reactionary terms because the fact is that the bourgeoise do not leave anything but violence open to the workers.
this was dealing with the APPO conflict. she said there was no need for the violence and that it was wrong.. that they would never get anything accomplished and she went ahead to say "look at the black panthers" and then she added that JFK quote.

[Cryotank Screams]

I define a reactionary as one who may or may not want change, however they seek to retreat into the ills of the past, and restore the old order, and is one who is reacting against the revolution, revolutionary ideas, theories, and philosophies, and such.

[MrDoom]

A reactionary is someone who wishes to halt or turn back the wheel of history, regardless of whether or not the percieved conditions which reationaries seek to restore or preserve are real or imagined.

[R_P_A_S]

Originally posted by [email protected] 09, 2007 11:25 pm
A reactionary is someone who wishes to halt or turn back the wheel of history, regardless of whether or not the percieved conditions which reationaries seek to restore or preserve are real or imagined.
so people in the USSR who were happy to live under the former USSR could also be call 'reactionaries' if they want to go back to that old model? as opposed the new Russia?

[MrDoom]

Historical status in this context refers to how progressive said society is, not neccessarily the chronological value associated. It is certainly arguable that the "new" Russia is less progressive than the USSR.

[Demogorgon]

I tend to use it to apply to anyone who is against progress. Very properly though, it shuld be used to describe someone who not only opposes progress but actually seeks to undo past progres.

For example a reactionary in America would perhas be someone in the Libertarian party seeking to undo progress made in the form of progressive taxation.

[Ander]

re·ac·tion·ar·y /riˈækʃəˌnɛri/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ree-ak-shuh-ner-ee] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation adjective, noun, plural -ar·ies.
–adjective 1. of, pertaining to, marked by, or favoring reaction, esp. extreme conservatism or rightism in politics; opposing political or social change.


Originally posted by Wikipedia
In Marxist terminology, reactionary is generally used with a pejorative meaning to refer to people whose ideas might appear pro-working class but in essence contain elements of feudalism, capitalism, nationalism, fascism, or other ruling class characteristics.

The term reaction appeared in Europe during the French Revolution, when conservative, and especially Catholic, forces organized to oppose the changes brought by the revolution and to fight to preserve the authority of the Church and Crown. Reaction was especially opposed to the most radical tendencies such as Jacobinism,

In the context of 19th century European politics, the reactionary class were the Roman Catholic hierarchy (namely the clergy), the aristocracy, royal families and royalists and all those who supported traditional monarchies and the involvement of the Catholic church in government. In France, those who supported traditional rule under the direct heirs of the Bourbon dynasty were called the legitimist reaction. At the time of the Third Republic, the monarchists were the reactionary faction which was later changed to a much milder term of Conservative. (1) The term was also used in Protestant countries to describe those who support tradition against modernity.

In the 20th century the term was often used to describe opponents of Socialist or Communist revolution such as the supporters of the White Army who opposed the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution. It was also applied to supporters of highly authoritarian, anti-Communist or fascist regimes such as Vichy France, Francisco Franco's Spain or Antonio Salazar's Portugal. Franco was a reactionary in the usual sense of the word; he sought to defend the traditional order of Spanish society (including the major role of the Catholic Church) and the power of the Spanish state against democratic leftist forces, and he wanted to revert Spain's political situation to an authoritarian regime after a period of democracy. The Vietnamese government frequently call organisations or ideas they perceive as hostile as "reactionary" (phan đông), and this word even features in legal codes.

[Political_Chucky]

Honestly, the term more or less annoys me. The term in general however usually describes someone who usually has intentions of good, but only seems to hinder the movement by their actions or ideas. Thats my definition of it anyways. Dictionary.com says " of, pertaining to, marked by, or favoring reaction, esp. extreme conservatism or rightism in politics; opposing political or social change."

[Janus]

that they would never get anything accomplished
They would never get anything accomplished if they were pacifists.

and she went ahead to say "look at the black panthers" and then she added that JFK quote.
The Black Panther Party was a very militant organization. Their ideology supported direct action and one of their mottos was "By any means necessary".


The term in general however usually describes someone who usually has intentions of good
"Good" or "bad" and morals in general are relativistic. Reactionaries perceive their intentions to be "good".