The government shutdown enters its fifth week with no end in sight, so that the crisis in capitalism continues to intensify. Trump continues to insist the crisis is at the southern border, despite all evidence to the contrary. The press must be given credit for pointing out his lies and hypocrisy.
It is also reported that the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, suggested that Trump postpone his State of the Union report, possibly because she is concerned that the Secret Service, the personal body guard of the president, may not be able to provide adequate protection. After all, they are working without pay, some are having a difficult time even paying for gasoline to get to work, and no doubt their enthusiasm for the job, that of protecting the man responsible for this hardship, is somewhat lacking.
Trump has responded by denying Pelosi the use of military aircraft for government business. She had planned a trip to Europe, in complete secrecy of course, but at the last minute Trump torpedoed her trip, at the same time letting the American enemies know of that trip. To say that such behaviour is not professional is an understatement. To say that such behaviour is typical of Trump, is an accurate statement.
At the same time, the press also reports that the wife of Trump is flying to Florida on a government plane, allegedly at tax payer expense. That too is typical of Trump.
One of the journalists, a true wit, has compared this feud, between Trump and Pelosi, as a battle of King Kong versus Godzilla. A great many journalists agree that Trump has met his match. The only source of disagreement is the identity of King Kong as opposed to Godzilla.
The latest news, which is a bomb shell even by the standards of the day, is that it is alleged that Trump ordered his former personal lawyer, Cohen, to lie, under oath, to Congress. This is referred to as suborning perjury, and certainly rises to the level of ”high crimes and misdemeanors”, as is required by the constitution, in order to remove a president from office. If this can be proven to be true, then the lawyers of Trump will certainly have their hands full, earning their pay.
If such little details worry Trump, he is doing a fine job of concealing his concern. Instead, he is focused on the future, or at least his future, and wants to change the law so that he can serve more than a mere two terms as president. Perhaps he thinks that is the least he can do for the American people. He may even pull a Napoleon and crown himself emperor. I would not put it past him.
That man is far removed from reality, which is that the government is paralyzed. Trump is determined to get the money for his wall, and Pelosi is equally determined that the wall is not about to happen. Not that she has much choice in the matter, as even to attempt to provide that money would likely trigger a rebellion within the Congress, and she would almost certainly lose her position as Speaker of the House. The situation has changed dramatically, the revolutionary movement has resulted in a great many new members of Congress, and they are determined to make a change.
As for those who consider that these well meaning new members of Congress can enact significant change, perhaps even a peaceful transition to socialism, Lenin has a few choice words. ”A democratic republic is the best possible political shell for capitalism, and therefore once capital has gained control of this very best shell….it establishes its position so securely, so firmly, that no change, either of persons, of institutions, or of parties in the bourgeois democratic republic, can shake it”.(italics by Lenin)
It is up to Marxists to let the members of the public, the working class, the proletariat, know that the system cannot be changed ”from within”, regardless of how sincerely the newly elected members of Congress make a supreme effort. The capitalists, the bourgeoisie, are in charge, and they fully intend to remain in charge.
This is to say that the revolutionary situation is similar to Russia, in 1917. At that time, after three years of the great imperialist slaughter to divide and redivide the world, the working people of Russia decided they had enough. They spontaneously rose up and overthrew Czar Nicholas of Russia. Three centuries of Romanov rule came to an end. We can learn from the Russian revolution, as the situation is quite similar.
The capitalists of Russia, the bourgeoisie, were rather pleased to see the Czar vacate the throne. They determined to set up a democratic republic, which is the ideal political shell for capitalism. With that in mind, they promised land to the peasants, an end to the war, the establishment of a Constituent Assembly, and many other things. Of course, as all capitalists are liars, every word was a lie. The war continued, the peasants received no land, the opening of the Constituent Assembly was postponed, and so on.
At that time Russia was one huge, primarily underdeveloped country. Most of the population, three quarters of them, were peasants. It was unofficially classified as a backward country, one which few people took seriously. On the other hand, it had one asset which was grossly under estimated. That asset was the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, the RSDLP, led by none other than Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, otherwise known as Lenin.
In early 1917, Lenin was in Switzerland. As for those who think it strange that the leader of the RSDLP should be out of the country, it was only because years earlier he had first been thrown in jail, for his revolutionary work, then exiled to Siberia and finally allowed to leave the country. The Russian officials were glad to see him go. They thought that was the last they would see of young Ulyanov. They could not possibly have been more mistaken.
Even though Lenin was out of the country, he continued to do his revolutionary work. He stayed in touch with other revolutionaries, members of the RSDLP, inside and outside of Russia. He kept track of the revolutionary movement of the Russian working class and offered advice from afar. Lenin was a Marxist, and applied the theories of Marx to monopoly capitalism, technically referred to as imperialism.
In 1917, Lenin was anxious to return to Russia, as the revolution was taking place. The Czar had been overthrown by a spontaneous uprising of the people, and it was necessary to carry the revolution through to its logical conclusion, that of scientific socialism. The only way in which that could happen was by raising the level of awareness of the people, both workers and peasants, to that of Marxists. His presence was urgently required.
The trouble was that Lenin was a Russian citizen and Russia was at war with the Central Powers, including Germany. To return to Russia, it was necessary to pass through Germany.
Ordinarily, this was out of the question, but the situation was anything but ordinary. The German High Command was well aware that Lenin was the worst enemy of the deposed Czar and the Russian Provisional Government, then taking shape, which became known as the Kerensky regime. They were of the opinion that ”the enemy of my enemy is my friend”, and decided to make an exception for their new friend, which was Lenin.
Accordingly, Lenin was placed on a sealed train and allowed to pass through Germany and into Russia. He arrived in Saint Petersburg in April of 1917 and promptly went into hiding, with the assistance of Stalin, as the police of the newly created provisional government were hunting for him. The provisional government agreed with the German High Command that Lenin was their worst enemy. In this, they were absolutely correct.
As Lenin saw it, the overthrow of the Czar was merely the first step on the road to socialism. The second step was to overthrow the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, whom had seized power. The details of this socialist revolution had to be worked out, and Lenin wrote that which is widely considered to be one if his greatest works, State and Revolution. This book is every bit as relevant now as it was in 1917. It deserves careful study.
Just as Lenin wrote that book in great haste, as he knew the revolution was taking place, so too we must study that book, with a sense of urgency, as our revolution is also imminent. It may help to think of the revolution as a force of nature, an act of God, as that is precisely what it is. Just as a hurricane does not wait until people are prepared, so too the revolution will not wait until we are prepared.
As Lenin phrased it, ”it is clear that the liberation of the oppressed class is impossible, not only without violent revolution, but also without the destruction of the apparatus of state power which was created by the ruling class”. (italics by Lenin)
This begs the question, what is the apparatus of state power? Lenin makes it clear that he is referring to the ”bureaucracy and the standing army” which are a ”parasite on the body of society” one which ”chokes all its pores of life”. That is pretty clear, and explains the reason it must be destroyed.
In response to the revolutionary movement, we can expect the bourgeoisie to ”increase their repressive measures against the revolutionary proletariat, to strengthen the apparatus of the state machine” which ”compels the revolution to concentrate all its forces of destruction against the state power, and to regard the problem, not as one of perfecting the state machine, but of one of smashing and destroying it”. (italics by Lenin)
One possible way the capitalists can ”increase their repressive measures” is by declaring a state of national emergency, which would very likely amount to a state of martial law. Rest assured, the capitalists are determined to find some way to crush the revolution, possibly to ”strengthen the apparatus of the state machine”. It is just a matter of time, and very likely a short time.
Our response is quite clear. We must ”concentrate all of our forces of destruction against the state power”, as it must be ”smashed and destroyed”.
It is up to Marxists to let the working class, the proletariat, know just what is expected, and what is required, in response to this anticipated attack on the working class. Further, the proletariat also has to be made aware that a different sort of state apparatus must be established, after the successful overthrow of the capitalists, as Lenin makes abundantly clear.
As Lenin phrases it, ”A Marxist is one who extends the acceptance of the class struggle to the acceptance of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat”. (italics by Lenin)
Under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, the bureaucracy and the standing army will be abolished. All officials will be elected and subject to recall, at any time. Such officials will be working at the wages of working men. The vast majority of working people will take part in crushing the desperate and determined resistance of the capitalists, the former billionaires who can be counted upon to resort to any subterfuge to regain their ”paradise lost”.
Lenin goes on to say that the workers ”will organize large scale production on the basis of what capitalism has already created; we shall rely upon our own experience as workers, we shall establish strict, iron discipline supported by the state power of the armed workers, we shall reduce the role of the state officials to that of simply carrying out our instructions as responsible, revocable, managers (of course with the aid of technicians of all sorts, types and degrees.) This is our proletarian task, this is what we can and must start with in carrying out the proletarian revolution.” (italics by Lenin)
I have merely touched upon a few of the main points which Lenin addressed in State and Revolution. It is my most sincere hope that this will inspire people to study this most essential work of Lenin. As for those who are skeptical concerning the theories of Marx and Lenin, may I suggest that the Russian revolution was successful. If not for the leadership of Lenin, it is doubtful that a socialist society could have been created. It is very likely that the 1917 revolution would have ended with the overthrow of the Czar.
The fact that the Russian capitalists were able to restore capitalism does not reduce the accomplishment of the Russian proletariat. We just have to make sure we do not repeat their mistake. After the successful American socialist revolution, we will have to make sure that we exercise complete and total dictatorship over the bourgeoisie. Any and all attempts to restore capitalism can and must be precluded. If there is any one slogan which must be driven home to the American workers, that one slogan must be:
Dictatorship of the Proletariat!
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 