THE PARTY OF A NEW TYPE
THE PARTY OF A NEW TYPE- DEMOCRATIC CENTRALISM AND THE WORKER'S PARTY
THE PARTY OF THE MASSES. Socialism's enemies pretend that the work of the left is that of a few agitators. Nothing could be further from the truth.Fascism has taken care of destroying the left with jail, assassinations, propaganda, yet the left has a constant resurgence. Why? Because the left represents the organized Party of the working class. They have their origins in the most profound objective need that the workers have in social development, and above the interests and needs of the workers. Workers and Party are like "carne y uña", that is, as the finger nail is to the finger. Unions and mutual help societies will never be enough for the emancipation of the workers. The Party is destined to take the working class to power by showing the way to a revolutionary transformation of society.
FROM ECONOMIC TO POLITICAL. While the workers simply protest economic conditions the ruling class does not feel particularly threatened. The struggle is economic, but it does not become effective until it gathers a political grouping around it, when it begins to express its demands as a separate class. That is why the Party is the first to be attacked. The ruling class undermines the workers faith in the Party, it tries to subvert it from within, by installing anarchosindicalists at meetings that propose radical action that is sure to fail. Anarchists (extreme left), like libertarian capitalists (extreme right), are opposed to all forms of a government or a political organization at the head. We all know peaceful demonstrations with anarchists breaking windows in opposition to what the demonstration has been called for, resulting in innocent demonstrators being thrown in jail as a result.The extreme left does the work of the right without knowing it.
THEORY. The Party of a new type does not walk alone, but is accompanied by the writings and thoughts of the great revolutionaries, adapted to modern times.The Party consist in the free union of its members, who come together in a community of like ideas, who are dedicated to make reality of the theory of worker's power. It demands unity of action and tactical flexibility. But the key is that it isn't made up of a handful of revolutionaries, but of millions of people thirsty for justice. The Party is the advanced and conscious sector of the workers, capable of planning the way toward the destruction of capitalism and of its replacement. The Party is the vehicle for training the workers and the vanguard through an analysis of capitalism, against the middle class and the ruling class.
The Party program is a scientific document that corresponds to the interests of the workers. They must be widely informed of the program, understand the long range objectives of the struggle, because otherwise the Party can never call itself an organ of leadership. At the same time, the Party must have a program of action that addresses the immediate needs of the workers, salaries, jobs, education, health, etc.
Party members are not special or elite- they are ordinary workers and everyday people. They stand out because the their firm stance, their ideas and their revolutionary spirit, which makes them formidable. The Party must typically go through three stages;
AGITATION. 1.- Producing propaganda within and without its ranks. This is necessary to achieve ideological unity, educate the members and organize itself as should.
2.- The Party then integrates with the mass of workers and begins to direct strikes and other mass actions. This is a very important phase which is based on the unity between the worker's movement and the ideas of socialism, the turning of an amorphous mass into a tightly organized and conscious class sector of workers.
3.- The last stage is that of turning the working class into a POLITICAL force capable of leading not only the workers, but the majority of the people in general.
The Party represents the unconditional, centralized action of a ferociously disciplined working class, able to defeat the ruling capitalist class.
DEMOCRATIC CENTRALISM. On the other hand, the will of the Party can only be expressed through democratic means, that is to say, all together and collectively, after discussions, opinions, proposals, which are adopted or rejected, after which all must submit to the general will. The Party's centralism is a DEMOCRATIC centralism, through which the will of the worker's is most accurately expressed. All organs are elected bottom up. The Party organs report regularly to the center, There is a discipline related to the subordination of the minority to the majority, lower organs must conform to that which has been agreed to by the higher organs, after discussions etc and agreement that have risen from the bottom. . These practices in the struggle and unity of opposites decide the internal life of the Party, how to proceed, and what the rights and duties of its members are.
UNITY OF ACTION. Democracy in the Party is not limited to electing the membership. Democracy here means unity of action, where after through discussion the members actually shape the direction the Party is to take. Expert and influential leaders constitute the nucleus of party membership, and the cadres see to it that the accords are carried out. The cadres are not over the Party leadership, but rather under its control, while at the same time holding the leaders responsible for carrying out the wishes of the cadres themselves. . Under conditions of democracy , the political activity of the leadership is out in the open, so that everyone knows about it and can evaluate it. This means that each leader is placed in the optimum post for his/her capacities and energies, is able to acknowledge mistakes and correct them or avoid them. This guarantees that leaders base themselves on the collective experience of the cadres, and do not simply act according to personal criteria.
All decisions must be made collectively, taking into account the experience of all the cadres. The experience of all is examined critically, taking into account defects and solutions, before reaching a unanimous decision for the leadership to establish.
Unity of action does not mean that there can be no differences of opinion. No one is asked to give up their personal opinions, as long as these do not contradict the established Party program.Those that refuse to go along, however, may be seen as non conformists who are more interested in themselves than is the triumph of socialism, more interested in forming separate groups that are no longer under a centralized leadership, or even spies who bring themselves into the Party for the purpose of destroying it. Those who work to weaken or contradict decisions that have been taken are to be expelled.
CRITICISM. There are two types of criticism- that which strengthens and that which weakens. The lifeblood of the Party is criticism, but only if it is to lead the movement forward. All criticism must be within the limits of fealty to the program. The Party is a voluntary organization, and those who try to undermine it from within ideologically and/or materially are not welcome. Before a decision has been taken, there can be any number of contradictory ideas, but once an idea has been adopted, all must act as one. This discipline allows the Party to be effective and reach its goals, but it cannot be a blind discipline, either. The members act out of conviction because they are the very ones who have reached the conclusions that fire them into action.
DEVIATIONS. Democracy with centralization turns it into a discussion club. Centralization without democracy leads to bureaucracy, which kills everything. Thus the Party instead is an organism that practices ample democracy with a centralized direction, and free discussion with severe discipline and unity of action. Fundamentally, the Party is answerable to the masses and has their strong support. The Party cannot force the masses to follow it. It has to earn that privilege, or it cannot ever be considered their leader.
ROLE OF PARTY MEMBERS. Party members must be in the bosom of the working class, know them personally and work where they work. Instead of contemplating from a distance, members must have a live , constant and intimate relationship, figuring out who can and should be added to their ranks, teaching and learning from them. Party members join unions, youth groups, cooperatives, etc., respecting their statutes, and defending their interests while at the same time working toward unity of action by all. In the event of a strike, Party members are the most knowledgeable and most resolute, and are easily voted in by the workers. Party members in community organizations do not impose their influence, but work by example and spirituality, whether as simple affiliates or leaders. Party members often must face hostility when they start talking about the failure of capitalism, and must be prepared to struggle with those who have been brainwashed by the capitalist system, and win them over, being careful to consider them comrades, if they are genuine working class members, and not enemies.
What would otherwise be congressional or parliamentary activity, under Party leadership becomes mass work and education. Far from acting behind the scenes, as in bourgeois politics, the Party brings everyone into its fold so that all are aware, have opinions and tasks to fulfill. Party members may do the same type of work along the people all their political iives, because it is fulfilling, and are not necessarily interested in "promotions." It is important for the conscious elements to not go too far too fast, or risk losing contact with the masses that may not be as politically knowledgeable. The Marxist Party gathers the experience of all the people, under capitalism, interprets their situation in the light of their history, and of theory, and is able to articulate the tendencies that are on the horizon but not tangible as yet. Teach and learn, otherwise known as "the mass line". This means that it is not infallible, and mistakes must never be covered up, but brought to light so they can be discussed, rectified and serve to let the masses continue to trust the leadership.
STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL POLITICS. After a scientific analysis of the stage of struggle that the Party finds itself in, tactical and strategic thinking and action can be brought out to form the Party line.A tactic represents a short period of activity, a strategy represents an entire historical period, beginning with the correlation of forces in a determined stage, which expresses the main task, without jumping over stages as the ultra left are wont to do.
Politics does not involve military armies ready for combat, but rather social class and force which may or may not be organized. A general in an army can display his platoons as he wishes without having to rationalize too much, a politician, because his people are not always ready to do battle, does not have that luxury. He does not deal in reserves nor armies. His followers do not necessarily follow orders, but rather according to their interests and how they see those interests. This is why it is so important to be clear as to what the end results are, what the concrete work is to be done, and exactly who the enemy is.Likewise it is very important to analyze the middle levels, those elements who, in spite of also being against the main class enemy, because of the duplicity of interests may be found to be unstable, tending toward compromise, and even to openly join the enemy in some cases. In the Russian revolution there were two tasks, 1- destroy the autocracy, and 2- paralyze the bourgeoisie. The Mensheviks refused to take on the second task, with the result that they moved to the right, while the Bolsheviks moved to the left. Under these conditions it is necessary to understand who are the allies of the workers, without considering them mere reserves, because the Party always has the ongoing task of hooking up with all the people. To do otherwise would not only go against Party principles, but would lose necessary allies.
THE ART OF POLITICS. Knowing is one thing, but doing is another. Theory is not enough. The practical struggle throws practitioners into morass of transformations, tests, victories and defeats, successes and reverses. These are not entirely avoidable, but they must be minimized if the Party is to flourish. The best way to avoid problems is to establish intimate relations with other parties and organizations, nationally and internationally, and to learn from their experiences.
The first thing to learn is how to work in the bosom of the masses, become as one. There can be no difference between the leadership and their supporters. Propaganda and agitation are not enough. The Party has to live the actual experience of the members. The role of the Party in this case is to show the correct way, to accelerate change, and not let the members waste time and lives finding out things out without assistance. The Party is in a position to demand that the needs of the masses be fulfilled by working politically as a liaison between masses and the ruling class, forcing the oligarchy to submit to the will of the people in unity of action. It is up to the Party to choose the most effective forms of struggle that will yield the best results, whether in propitious times or in adversity, going underground if necessary. This allows for the Party to become a guiding light, and even more importantly, to accelerate the spark of oncoming battles that will be decisive in the struggle, and when necessary, to step back without giving up, as the enemy forces its way forward. It is impossible to win if the Party has not learned the art of moving forward when necessary and stepping back when it is equally necessary to protect what has already been won.
Science is the key. Social relations, economic relations, and culture, are not divorced or separate in any way from the relationship between bacteria, atoms, quantum physics. etc. We are all an inexpugnable part of nature, and our bodies and minds obey the basic struggle and unity of opposites, of evolution. We live from one link of a chain to the next, some links are bigger some smaller, some tougher, some easier, but we all have to travel along that road.
Sometimes the link seems to have been conquered, and that we are ready for the next. That is not necessarily true, we might be looking at a reform, but as long as capitalism exists as the dominant force, the link in the chain is still there, and we cannot move on to the next. It takes time for the masses to arrive at a "nodal point" where there are enough people convinced of the rightness of their cause, and its inevitability, to take mass action and wipe out the oppressive policies once and for all. Whether the taking of power is peaceful or bloody depends on a myriad of factors, not the least is the level of consciousness of the masses, a level fortified by the teachings of the leadership.
In today's world, where the ruling class is veering, as always, towards war in an attempt to "solve" the problems created by capitalism itself, the position of the Party must be an unequivocal struggle for peace and real democracy- the election of the leadership by one person, one vote, no exceptions. The army must be recruited to work massively in modernizing an infrastructure that is falling apart, creating millions of jobs, while ambassadors solve problems with other countries in terms of diplomacy, and war as a solution is done away with.
OPPORTUNISM. There are social democratic parties that are not up to the task. The ruling class knows how to "domesticate" them so they talk a lot but pose no danger. There is a radical need for a Party of a new type, a genuine worker's Party, not a sell-out Party. Such parties are forming all over the world there is capitalist exploitation, and it behooves us to join forces with them, support them, learn from their mistakes and successes. No Party is going to be exactly like another, but they all have some things in common. The thing that unites them all is a policy of non-collaboration with capitalism. A worker's Party seeks to overthrow capitalism, which is selfish and individualistic nationalism and supplant it with socialism, which is for equality and internationalism.
Opportunists don't demand discipline from their members. This will inevitably lead to a split in the Party, thereby weakening it. The Party must actively seek new members, while at the same time being suspicious of unknown quantities, so that agents provocateurs be kept out as much as possible. One way is to change membership cards every year. This allows the Party to evaluate the work of the members, and also to weed out those who are no longer active. The Party then should examine all activities, measure the individual accomplishments of the membership, and elect leaders based on their work.
Once the Party gets going, many people join massively. This is good, but it brings its own problems. Many new members are not firm in their ideas, they are new to the struggle, they don't understand dialectics well enough, and cling to the outworn capitalist ideology of "us vs them," and individualism. Such opportunism leads to faint-hearted lack of confidence in the new system that is being born. The basic tenets of the Party must be inviolable, and members must assimilate them as their own, before the class can move forward.
The definition of opportunism, no matter what form it takes, is to conciliate the working class with capitalism, to arrange the worker's movement to fit in with the wishes of the capitalists. We find that such opportunists are always trying to "revise" dialectical materialism, instead of adapting to it as the scientific truth that it is. Thus they might support a worker's union, passing up revolutionary theory in order to pacify the ruling class. If the Party isn't ready to do battle inside and out, the movement will deteriorate.
Opportunists will declare that Marxism is out of date, even though they follow the ideas of Adam Smith, Ricardo or Keynes. Yet Marx was the first to properly analyze the inner workings of capitalism, and that has never gone out of date. He is as contemporary as any economist at a first rate university. What is behind the opportunist impulse is to slow down and detsroy revolutionary ideas, so that everything stays the same, turning the Party of action into a discussion club. Under the pretext of "more democracy" they push for weakening Party discipline, sympathizing with the minority issue, and developing factions thereby, destroying Party unity. By pretending to develop dialectical materialism further, they attempt to destroy something that cannot be destroyed, only covered over temporarily. Thus the struggle against revisionism is one of the primary struggles of Party members.
SECTARIANISM. Another ideological enemy is sectarianism, otherwise known as the ultra left faction, the "real revolutionaries". Sectarians capture theory and try to apply it to real life, even though theory has to be developed always in the light of varying conditions. If real life doesn't fit their theory, they will discard the real life problems. The result is depression and inaction, where instead of working daily in the bosom of the working class, they prefer to wait for the "great day" in which power is dropped into their lap. For example, they refuse to work in right wing organizations, within the system, or to adopt flexible tactics.
Revisionism tries to reconciliate socialism with capitalism so they can work together, but sectarianism cuts off Party ties with the masses, making the revolution impossible.
INTERNATIONALISM. With the advent of globalization, Western capitalism has taken over the world, and has created similar problems in every society. The ruling class pretends that "we" have different interests than "they" in an transparent effort to divide the international movement. (See Iran). But the laws of social development are universal. Party members must become familiar with conditions abroad, read texts that are the result of international conferences, and travel abroad frequently, creating strong ties with the left in other countries. All experiences come with baggage, of time, place, and a correlation of forces. One path can yield success while another will not. It is not the local conditions that are universal, but both must be taken into account in order for the movement to go forward.
THE PARTY OF THE MASSES. Socialism's enemies pretend that the work of the left is that of a few agitators. Nothing could be further from the truth.Fascism has taken care of destroying the left with jail, assassinations, propaganda, yet the left has a constant resurgence. Why? Because the left represents the organized Party of the working class. They have their origins in the most profound objective need that the workers have in social development, and above the interests and needs of the workers. Workers and Party are like "carne y uña", that is, as the finger nail is to the finger. Unions and mutual help societies will never be enough for the emancipation of the workers. The Party is destined to take the working class to power by showing the way to a revolutionary transformation of society.
FROM ECONOMIC TO POLITICAL. While the workers simply protest economic conditions the ruling class does not feel particularly threatened. The struggle is economic, but it does not become effective until it gathers a political grouping around it, when it begins to express its demands as a separate class. That is why the Party is the first to be attacked. The ruling class undermines the workers faith in the Party, it tries to subvert it from within, by installing anarchosindicalists at meetings that propose radical action that is sure to fail. Anarchists (extreme left), like libertarian capitalists (extreme right), are opposed to all forms of a government or a political organization at the head. We all know peaceful demonstrations with anarchists breaking windows in opposition to what the demonstration has been called for, resulting in innocent demonstrators being thrown in jail as a result.The extreme left does the work of the right without knowing it.
THEORY. The Party of a new type does not walk alone, but is accompanied by the writings and thoughts of the great revolutionaries, adapted to modern times.The Party consist in the free union of its members, who come together in a community of like ideas, who are dedicated to make reality of the theory of worker's power. It demands unity of action and tactical flexibility. But the key is that it isn't made up of a handful of revolutionaries, but of millions of people thirsty for justice. The Party is the advanced and conscious sector of the workers, capable of planning the way toward the destruction of capitalism and of its replacement. The Party is the vehicle for training the workers and the vanguard through an analysis of capitalism, against the middle class and the ruling class.
The Party program is a scientific document that corresponds to the interests of the workers. They must be widely informed of the program, understand the long range objectives of the struggle, because otherwise the Party can never call itself an organ of leadership. At the same time, the Party must have a program of action that addresses the immediate needs of the workers, salaries, jobs, education, health, etc.
Party members are not special or elite- they are ordinary workers and everyday people. They stand out because the their firm stance, their ideas and their revolutionary spirit, which makes them formidable. The Party must typically go through three stages;
AGITATION. 1.- Producing propaganda within and without its ranks. This is necessary to achieve ideological unity, educate the members and organize itself as should.
2.- The Party then integrates with the mass of workers and begins to direct strikes and other mass actions. This is a very important phase which is based on the unity between the worker's movement and the ideas of socialism, the turning of an amorphous mass into a tightly organized and conscious class sector of workers.
3.- The last stage is that of turning the working class into a POLITICAL force capable of leading not only the workers, but the majority of the people in general.
The Party represents the unconditional, centralized action of a ferociously disciplined working class, able to defeat the ruling capitalist class.
DEMOCRATIC CENTRALISM. On the other hand, the will of the Party can only be expressed through democratic means, that is to say, all together and collectively, after discussions, opinions, proposals, which are adopted or rejected, after which all must submit to the general will. The Party's centralism is a DEMOCRATIC centralism, through which the will of the worker's is most accurately expressed. All organs are elected bottom up. The Party organs report regularly to the center, There is a discipline related to the subordination of the minority to the majority, lower organs must conform to that which has been agreed to by the higher organs, after discussions etc and agreement that have risen from the bottom. . These practices in the struggle and unity of opposites decide the internal life of the Party, how to proceed, and what the rights and duties of its members are.
UNITY OF ACTION. Democracy in the Party is not limited to electing the membership. Democracy here means unity of action, where after through discussion the members actually shape the direction the Party is to take. Expert and influential leaders constitute the nucleus of party membership, and the cadres see to it that the accords are carried out. The cadres are not over the Party leadership, but rather under its control, while at the same time holding the leaders responsible for carrying out the wishes of the cadres themselves. . Under conditions of democracy , the political activity of the leadership is out in the open, so that everyone knows about it and can evaluate it. This means that each leader is placed in the optimum post for his/her capacities and energies, is able to acknowledge mistakes and correct them or avoid them. This guarantees that leaders base themselves on the collective experience of the cadres, and do not simply act according to personal criteria.
All decisions must be made collectively, taking into account the experience of all the cadres. The experience of all is examined critically, taking into account defects and solutions, before reaching a unanimous decision for the leadership to establish.
Unity of action does not mean that there can be no differences of opinion. No one is asked to give up their personal opinions, as long as these do not contradict the established Party program.Those that refuse to go along, however, may be seen as non conformists who are more interested in themselves than is the triumph of socialism, more interested in forming separate groups that are no longer under a centralized leadership, or even spies who bring themselves into the Party for the purpose of destroying it. Those who work to weaken or contradict decisions that have been taken are to be expelled.
CRITICISM. There are two types of criticism- that which strengthens and that which weakens. The lifeblood of the Party is criticism, but only if it is to lead the movement forward. All criticism must be within the limits of fealty to the program. The Party is a voluntary organization, and those who try to undermine it from within ideologically and/or materially are not welcome. Before a decision has been taken, there can be any number of contradictory ideas, but once an idea has been adopted, all must act as one. This discipline allows the Party to be effective and reach its goals, but it cannot be a blind discipline, either. The members act out of conviction because they are the very ones who have reached the conclusions that fire them into action.
DEVIATIONS. Democracy with centralization turns it into a discussion club. Centralization without democracy leads to bureaucracy, which kills everything. Thus the Party instead is an organism that practices ample democracy with a centralized direction, and free discussion with severe discipline and unity of action. Fundamentally, the Party is answerable to the masses and has their strong support. The Party cannot force the masses to follow it. It has to earn that privilege, or it cannot ever be considered their leader.
ROLE OF PARTY MEMBERS. Party members must be in the bosom of the working class, know them personally and work where they work. Instead of contemplating from a distance, members must have a live , constant and intimate relationship, figuring out who can and should be added to their ranks, teaching and learning from them. Party members join unions, youth groups, cooperatives, etc., respecting their statutes, and defending their interests while at the same time working toward unity of action by all. In the event of a strike, Party members are the most knowledgeable and most resolute, and are easily voted in by the workers. Party members in community organizations do not impose their influence, but work by example and spirituality, whether as simple affiliates or leaders. Party members often must face hostility when they start talking about the failure of capitalism, and must be prepared to struggle with those who have been brainwashed by the capitalist system, and win them over, being careful to consider them comrades, if they are genuine working class members, and not enemies.
What would otherwise be congressional or parliamentary activity, under Party leadership becomes mass work and education. Far from acting behind the scenes, as in bourgeois politics, the Party brings everyone into its fold so that all are aware, have opinions and tasks to fulfill. Party members may do the same type of work along the people all their political iives, because it is fulfilling, and are not necessarily interested in "promotions." It is important for the conscious elements to not go too far too fast, or risk losing contact with the masses that may not be as politically knowledgeable. The Marxist Party gathers the experience of all the people, under capitalism, interprets their situation in the light of their history, and of theory, and is able to articulate the tendencies that are on the horizon but not tangible as yet. Teach and learn, otherwise known as "the mass line". This means that it is not infallible, and mistakes must never be covered up, but brought to light so they can be discussed, rectified and serve to let the masses continue to trust the leadership.
STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL POLITICS. After a scientific analysis of the stage of struggle that the Party finds itself in, tactical and strategic thinking and action can be brought out to form the Party line.A tactic represents a short period of activity, a strategy represents an entire historical period, beginning with the correlation of forces in a determined stage, which expresses the main task, without jumping over stages as the ultra left are wont to do.
Politics does not involve military armies ready for combat, but rather social class and force which may or may not be organized. A general in an army can display his platoons as he wishes without having to rationalize too much, a politician, because his people are not always ready to do battle, does not have that luxury. He does not deal in reserves nor armies. His followers do not necessarily follow orders, but rather according to their interests and how they see those interests. This is why it is so important to be clear as to what the end results are, what the concrete work is to be done, and exactly who the enemy is.Likewise it is very important to analyze the middle levels, those elements who, in spite of also being against the main class enemy, because of the duplicity of interests may be found to be unstable, tending toward compromise, and even to openly join the enemy in some cases. In the Russian revolution there were two tasks, 1- destroy the autocracy, and 2- paralyze the bourgeoisie. The Mensheviks refused to take on the second task, with the result that they moved to the right, while the Bolsheviks moved to the left. Under these conditions it is necessary to understand who are the allies of the workers, without considering them mere reserves, because the Party always has the ongoing task of hooking up with all the people. To do otherwise would not only go against Party principles, but would lose necessary allies.
THE ART OF POLITICS. Knowing is one thing, but doing is another. Theory is not enough. The practical struggle throws practitioners into morass of transformations, tests, victories and defeats, successes and reverses. These are not entirely avoidable, but they must be minimized if the Party is to flourish. The best way to avoid problems is to establish intimate relations with other parties and organizations, nationally and internationally, and to learn from their experiences.
The first thing to learn is how to work in the bosom of the masses, become as one. There can be no difference between the leadership and their supporters. Propaganda and agitation are not enough. The Party has to live the actual experience of the members. The role of the Party in this case is to show the correct way, to accelerate change, and not let the members waste time and lives finding out things out without assistance. The Party is in a position to demand that the needs of the masses be fulfilled by working politically as a liaison between masses and the ruling class, forcing the oligarchy to submit to the will of the people in unity of action. It is up to the Party to choose the most effective forms of struggle that will yield the best results, whether in propitious times or in adversity, going underground if necessary. This allows for the Party to become a guiding light, and even more importantly, to accelerate the spark of oncoming battles that will be decisive in the struggle, and when necessary, to step back without giving up, as the enemy forces its way forward. It is impossible to win if the Party has not learned the art of moving forward when necessary and stepping back when it is equally necessary to protect what has already been won.
Science is the key. Social relations, economic relations, and culture, are not divorced or separate in any way from the relationship between bacteria, atoms, quantum physics. etc. We are all an inexpugnable part of nature, and our bodies and minds obey the basic struggle and unity of opposites, of evolution. We live from one link of a chain to the next, some links are bigger some smaller, some tougher, some easier, but we all have to travel along that road.
Sometimes the link seems to have been conquered, and that we are ready for the next. That is not necessarily true, we might be looking at a reform, but as long as capitalism exists as the dominant force, the link in the chain is still there, and we cannot move on to the next. It takes time for the masses to arrive at a "nodal point" where there are enough people convinced of the rightness of their cause, and its inevitability, to take mass action and wipe out the oppressive policies once and for all. Whether the taking of power is peaceful or bloody depends on a myriad of factors, not the least is the level of consciousness of the masses, a level fortified by the teachings of the leadership.
In today's world, where the ruling class is veering, as always, towards war in an attempt to "solve" the problems created by capitalism itself, the position of the Party must be an unequivocal struggle for peace and real democracy- the election of the leadership by one person, one vote, no exceptions. The army must be recruited to work massively in modernizing an infrastructure that is falling apart, creating millions of jobs, while ambassadors solve problems with other countries in terms of diplomacy, and war as a solution is done away with.
OPPORTUNISM. There are social democratic parties that are not up to the task. The ruling class knows how to "domesticate" them so they talk a lot but pose no danger. There is a radical need for a Party of a new type, a genuine worker's Party, not a sell-out Party. Such parties are forming all over the world there is capitalist exploitation, and it behooves us to join forces with them, support them, learn from their mistakes and successes. No Party is going to be exactly like another, but they all have some things in common. The thing that unites them all is a policy of non-collaboration with capitalism. A worker's Party seeks to overthrow capitalism, which is selfish and individualistic nationalism and supplant it with socialism, which is for equality and internationalism.
Opportunists don't demand discipline from their members. This will inevitably lead to a split in the Party, thereby weakening it. The Party must actively seek new members, while at the same time being suspicious of unknown quantities, so that agents provocateurs be kept out as much as possible. One way is to change membership cards every year. This allows the Party to evaluate the work of the members, and also to weed out those who are no longer active. The Party then should examine all activities, measure the individual accomplishments of the membership, and elect leaders based on their work.
Once the Party gets going, many people join massively. This is good, but it brings its own problems. Many new members are not firm in their ideas, they are new to the struggle, they don't understand dialectics well enough, and cling to the outworn capitalist ideology of "us vs them," and individualism. Such opportunism leads to faint-hearted lack of confidence in the new system that is being born. The basic tenets of the Party must be inviolable, and members must assimilate them as their own, before the class can move forward.
The definition of opportunism, no matter what form it takes, is to conciliate the working class with capitalism, to arrange the worker's movement to fit in with the wishes of the capitalists. We find that such opportunists are always trying to "revise" dialectical materialism, instead of adapting to it as the scientific truth that it is. Thus they might support a worker's union, passing up revolutionary theory in order to pacify the ruling class. If the Party isn't ready to do battle inside and out, the movement will deteriorate.
Opportunists will declare that Marxism is out of date, even though they follow the ideas of Adam Smith, Ricardo or Keynes. Yet Marx was the first to properly analyze the inner workings of capitalism, and that has never gone out of date. He is as contemporary as any economist at a first rate university. What is behind the opportunist impulse is to slow down and detsroy revolutionary ideas, so that everything stays the same, turning the Party of action into a discussion club. Under the pretext of "more democracy" they push for weakening Party discipline, sympathizing with the minority issue, and developing factions thereby, destroying Party unity. By pretending to develop dialectical materialism further, they attempt to destroy something that cannot be destroyed, only covered over temporarily. Thus the struggle against revisionism is one of the primary struggles of Party members.
SECTARIANISM. Another ideological enemy is sectarianism, otherwise known as the ultra left faction, the "real revolutionaries". Sectarians capture theory and try to apply it to real life, even though theory has to be developed always in the light of varying conditions. If real life doesn't fit their theory, they will discard the real life problems. The result is depression and inaction, where instead of working daily in the bosom of the working class, they prefer to wait for the "great day" in which power is dropped into their lap. For example, they refuse to work in right wing organizations, within the system, or to adopt flexible tactics.
Revisionism tries to reconciliate socialism with capitalism so they can work together, but sectarianism cuts off Party ties with the masses, making the revolution impossible.
INTERNATIONALISM. With the advent of globalization, Western capitalism has taken over the world, and has created similar problems in every society. The ruling class pretends that "we" have different interests than "they" in an transparent effort to divide the international movement. (See Iran). But the laws of social development are universal. Party members must become familiar with conditions abroad, read texts that are the result of international conferences, and travel abroad frequently, creating strong ties with the left in other countries. All experiences come with baggage, of time, place, and a correlation of forces. One path can yield success while another will not. It is not the local conditions that are universal, but both must be taken into account in order for the movement to go forward.
posted by ANTONIO at 7:49 AM
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