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Socialist
Politics 101
 What is
Socialism:
Socialists
obviously don't have a monopoly on compassion, however. What
distinguishes socialists from other socially concerned people is that we
do not view these problems as normal, natural, eternal, or an inherent
feature of the human condition. We believe that these problems are
historically and socially created and that they can be solved by human
beings through conscious, organized political struggle and change. continued .
. .
How to Make a Revolution:
First of all, you have to have clear in your mind the
meaning of the word “revolution.” Many people have a stereotyped picture
of what a revolution is like. They say a revolution is when people come
with guns, when they surround a fortress or take over a city. What they
do is they confuse revolution with insurrection. Insurrection is just one
stage of revolution. Revolution is a lot more. It’s a long process.
continued .
. .
What Will a Socialist America Look
Like:
While the formal program of revolutionary socialism
does not embody a picture of what the future socialist society will look
like, revolutionary socialists share a vision of that society, if only in
its broad outlines. There is no reason to be concerned about the absence
of precision on this question. We cannot know what the socialist
generations will decide to do, but the general lines of development we
are able to forecast give us confidence in the wisdom of these decisions.
continued .
. .
An Overview of What
Socialists Stand For:
Socialism has been pronounced dead many, times before
- and it has always revived to continue the struggle. One instance was
the time of deep demoralization that followed the defeat of the Russian
Revolution of 1905. Lenin said at that time that the "official
professors" who declared Marxism to have been "refuted and
annihilated" were utterly befuddled. continued . . .
Socialists and Elections:
With elections coming up again a lot of politically
conscious people are hitting the pavement to campaign for their
candidates. Voter registration drives, leafleting and yard sign
distribution have become the order of the day for many activists. We
certainly commend people who take politics seriously and who are
committed to fighting for what they believe in. However, when asked who
we will be supporting in the upcoming elections, we have to say “nobody.”
continued .
. .
Marxism vs. Anarchism:
In the worldwide movement for social justice, many
young people are attracted by the ideas of anarchism - even if they don’t
call themselves anarchists. Anarchists seem to stand for the same thing
we Marxists do - a classless society, a self-organized and self-managed
society - what we often sum up with the phrase ‘workers’ power’. Like us,
many anarchists say they stand for revolution. No bosses, no police,
social equality, no rich and no nuclear bombs. People not profit. continued .
. .
Why We Need a Revolutionary
Party:
You
cannot have a spontaneous socialist revolution. You cannot make a
socialist revolution without really trying. And you cannot have a
socialist revolution commandeered from the top, ordered around by some
omniscient leader or group of leaders. You need both ingredients in a
socialist revolution: the highest level of consciousness possible, and
the highest level of self-organization and self-activity by the broadest
possible segment of the population. continued .
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