The current American situation is very similar to the situation of Russia in 1917, immediately after the spring revolution. The Russian monarchy was overthrown, which is to say that the Romanov’s were no longer in power. That particular family had been ruling Russia for three hundred years, but the spontaneous uprising of the people of the Russian empire ended that dynasty. A great many of those people were not even Russians, but members of different nationalities, crushed under the rule of the Romanov’s. Now in America we also have people of different nationalities who are being crushed under the rule of the American empire. As well, many of the people who are currently taking part in the revolution are also doing so spontaneously, not fully aware of precisely that which they are doing.
In the case of 1917 Russia, the Marxists, the leaders of the workers and peasants, cannot be blamed for the lack of awareness of the working people. Almost all of them had been arrested under the rule of Czar Nicholas and were either executed or exiled. That includes Lenin, whom had been exiled and was living in Switzerland at the time of the spring Russian revolution. As well, most of the people of Russia were peasants, and the majority of them were illiterate. Then there was the fact that the press was strictly controlled by the agents of the Czar. Any and all socialist literature was strictly forbidden.
The difference is that now in America, most people, but by no means all, are literate. As well, there are very few peasants in America, and those that remain are referred to as farmers. The members of the middle class, small business owners, technically referred to as petty bourgeois, have been all but wiped out by the monopoly capitalists, the imperialists. As for socialist literature, it is available, if only on the internet. Works of Marx and Lenin can readily be downloaded, and the capitalists have no way of controlling this.
The vast majority of people now have computers, or at least have access to computers. The young people in particular have various digital devices, all of which are used as a means of communication. These electronic devices serve the same purpose as the press.
There are also a great many conscious people in America. By that I mean people who are aware of the existence of classes and the conflict between the classes. Most of them are current or former members of the middle class, petty bourgeois, usually people who have been financially ruined, forced into bankruptcy, driven into the ranks of the working class. These people I refer to as Leftist people, or people who are on the Left. Most of them consider themselves to be Marxists or Socialists, while others are politically active because it is the right thing to do. All such Leftist people have my respect.
This is in stark contrast to those who are aware of the current situation, of the fact that the working class is being crushed and exploited by the capitalists, and are further determined to strengthen and further this exploitation. Those people I refer to as members of the Right, or the BCBL, which stands for Belly Crawling Boot Lickers. It should come as no surprise to any reader that I have no respect at all for those people. They are truly contemptible, many of them working class, traitors to their own class.
The important thing to remember is that the working class is not aware of itself as a class, and this class awareness must be brought to the working class from an outside source. That outside source is the middle class, the petty bourgeois. Bear in mind that Marx, Engels and Lenin were middle class, petty bourgeois. They sacrificed a comfortable middle class life style in order to do the right thing, to fight for the working class, the proletariat. Sadly, a great many of the class conscious people in America, those who consider themselves as Marxist or even Leftists, are not following suit.
The fact is that those who are class conscious people, current or former members of the middle class, whether Marxists, Socialists, Communists, Bolsheviks, Independent Socialists, Democratic Socialists or merely progressive people, are not doing their duty.
I realize that is a strong accusation, and no doubt many people will be offended by this. Yet I stand by that which I have stated. Any and all conscious people have the duty to bring the awareness of classes to the working class, the proletariat.
True, there were demonstrations made in the past which were quite successful, but nothing recent. Among other things, I am referring to the marches to the houses, banks and restaurants which are frequented by the members of the Trump administration. This caused considerable embarrassment to certain American officials, and more to the point, was shown on the mainstream press. People loved it, as it was entertaining. Yet the banners and posters were devoid of Marxist slogans, such as Workers of the World, Unite! or Scientific Socialism! or Down With Capitalism! The idea is that workers must be made aware of the existence of classes, and the struggle between the classes. We want to bring that awareness to millions and tens of millions of working people, and the best way to do that is by saying it in a manner which is entertaining.
Without doubt, there are a great many Leftist people who are professional entertainers. The members of the Me Too movement are living proof of that. Now it is a simple matter of persuading those Leftist people to do that which they do best, to entertain, while at the same time carrying the Marxist message to the working class.
It is entirely possible that the revolutionary movement has been -temporarily- side tracked by the uproar to impeach Trump and remove him from office. The monopoly capitalists, the bourgeoisie, may have decided to ”throw Trump under the bus”, as they refer to it, in an effort to derail the revolution. As they are completely devoid of principle, it is not beneath them.
Certainly the press is focused on this spectacle, including the conflict between the Speaker of the House and the members of the Squad. The press is also quite gleefully pointing out the lies and hypocrisy of Trump and his merry band of boot lickers.
As the press is owned and operated by the capitalists, it is clear that the journalists have been turned loose on Trump, in much the same way that well trained attack dogs are turned loose on people. The journalists are also well trained and are tearing into Trump with a vengeance. It is very likely that they hate the man -who can blame them?- and are doing a fine job of pointing out the obvious. For this they deserve full credit.
The fact remains that Trump is a mere figurehead, a puppet who is being manipulated by some very highly placed American officials, loyal servants of the bourgeoisie. They refer to themselves as the Resistance, and I refer to them as the White House Resistance, in order to distinguish them from the Leftist resistance. This White House Resistance very likely is composed of most, if not all, of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, among others. They are the puppet masters who pull the strings of Trump.
This point was driven home recently when Trump was prevented from going to war with Iran. Not that Trump referred to it as war, but as a ”proportional military strike”. As if changing the name changes the nature of the beast! The members of the White House Resistance knew precisely what it was, and decided to stop Trump, not out of respect for any humanitarian concerns but only because they considered that it would adversely affect their profits. If nothing else, this drives home the point that the military are firmly in control of the country.
Having said that, I will now appeal to the millions of working people who have recently become politically active, as a result of the revolutionary movement which is currently sweeping the world, and which is being led in North America by the United States (Americans), and in particular American women. Way to go, American ladies!
To such people I can only say that it is perfectly understandable if you find the situation confusing, if not depressing. To see the country that you love so deeply divided! No doubt it reminds people of the Civil War, when it was neighbour against neighbour and brother against brother. That is true, just as it is true that the end result of that war was the defeat of the class of slave owners. That is the way we have to look at the civil war which is on the horizon, the second American revolution. It is a war between classes. It is a war which has to be fought, and the workers have to win that war, because the bourgeoisie have to be defeated. This is another way of saying that it is a just war.
In fact, the current American situation is much simpler than the situation of Russia in 1917. Now there are only two classes in conflict, the capitalists, technically referred to as the bourgeoisie, and the workers, technically referred to as the proletariat.
As I mentioned, I am writing this with the members of the working class in mind, so I am explaining these technical terms and being repetitive. These are terms with which all working people must become familiar, as knowledge is power, and if we are not aware of these terms, then the capitalists will use this against us.
It may help to think of the billionaires as the bourgeoisie, because that is precisely what they are. They are parasites, leaches on society, taking everything and giving nothing in return. They contribute nothing to society, possess more money than they can ever hope to spend and are never satisfied. Whatever they have, it is not enough. They are constantly trying to squeeze ever more money from the working class. They have more money, in total, hidden in ”offshore accounts”, than the country owes. To put this in perspective, the national debt stands at twenty two thousand billion, or twenty two trillion. That is a mind boggling amount, and yet the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, have more than that amount of money placed in banks in other countries. They are determined to hang on to this money, and even add to it, while at the same time not paying any taxes.
As the Leftist people are not doing their duty, I can only suggest that working class people -I also refer to such people as common people- should take the bull by the horns and do that which most common people in Russia could not do, and that is educate themselves.
This may not be as difficult as it may sound, as there is no need to read everything Marx and Lenin wrote. For that matter it is not practical. It is not necessary to immerse ourselves in Marxist literature. We just have to focus on that which is most relevant.
Of course I am referring to State and Revolution, written by Lenin in the fall of 1917. After the overthrow of Czar Nicholas in the spring of that year, Lenin managed to return to Russia in a sealed train, and carry on his revolutionary work within the country. It did not take long before the newly created bourgeois republic, led by Kerensky, determined that Lenin was a supremely dangerous man, and decided to kill him. For that reason, he was disguised as a peasant and fled to Finland. In secret, faced with the difficulties of overthrowing the bourgeoisie and establishing a new socialist society, he wrote that which is widely considered his greatest masterpiece, State and Revolution.
This work of Lenin is available in pamphlet form and can be bought online or it can simply be downloaded from the internet. For older working class people, those who may not be all that familiar with high tech, I can suggest enlisting the assistance of the younger generation. I have found them to be quite helpful, in that respect, if nothing else. To be referred to as a Caveman can quickly become rather tiresome. Yet my children never seem to tire of it. But then I spoiled my children when they were growing up, and now I am paying the price.
The important thing to remember is that the country is now a powder keg. Any spark could cause an explosion, by which I mean a full blown revolution. Class against class, workers against capitalists, proletariat against bourgeoisie. There is no middle ground. The revolution may break out before the 20-20 election. We have no way of knowing. The only thing we know for sure is that we had best be prepared.
Just as in the eighteen fifties, in America, the country was deeply divided. Everyone knew the country was on the brink of civil war, but on one wanted to admit this. But then no one was terribly surprised when Fort Sumter was attacked in 1861, as that was the start of the Civil War.
This is not to say that the common people, by whom I mean the workers, farmers and small business owners, were aware that it was a class conflict, the capitalists against the slave owners. Those two classes are traditional enemies, as capitalism and slavery are incompatible. The capitalists want to invest their capital, taking advantage of any and all natural resources, as well as hiring an inexpensive labour force – they refer to it as cheap labour – while the slave owners want to keep growing their crops -this is referred to as an agrarian economy- using slave labour. Of course the two classes were on a collision course, and the end result was the Civil War.
At that time, the American workers, farmers and small business owners of the north, aided the capitalists in crushing the slave owners. Then too, the southern slaves, or at least those who were able to escape from bondage, were also of service. Many southern escaped slaves were able to join the Union Army and fought the Confederates, and in fact they distinguished themselves. It is safe to say that those soldiers were more motivated than most Union troops.
To return to the current situation, it may help to think of capitalism as wage slavery, because that is precisely what it is. Now as workers, proletarians, we are forced to sell ourselves by the hour. We have no choice in the matter. If nothing else, it beats starvation. We in turn take pride in our work, and the capitalists express their appreciation by blaming us for their incompetence, firing us on impulse. Welcome to the wonderful world of the class struggle!
The good news is that the capitalists, bourgeoisie, have managed to simplify the class struggle. They have pretty well destroyed the petty bourgeois, the small business owner, and the owner of the family farm, as well as the slave owners. Bully for you, capitalists! You have done a fine job of digging your own grave! Do not be surprised when we place you in those graves.
My heart goes out to working class Americans, because they are a heroic people, blessed with a proud revolutionary history. Now they are once again going to have to break the bonds of tyranny, as they previously did, first in 1776 and later in 1861. First they threw off the yoke of British rule and later they crushed the class of slave owners, each time at the great expense of American blood. Now they are leading the American working class revolutionary movement, (very likely throughout North America and probably South America), preparing to crush the monopoly capitalists, those who are technically referred to as imperialists. These American workers have my utmost respect.
No doubt there are many who think that no war, revolutionary or not, can justify the violence, the bloodletting, the loss of life. To such people I can only say that my heart goes out to you, and I deeply regret that it is not true. Just consider the following facts:
American working class seniors, those who built the country, are now suffering and dying because they cannot afford the meds they so desperately need
American working class students are staggering under student loans, which they very likely will never be able to repay
American working class children are being neglected because their parents are forced to work two or even three jobs, just to make ends meet
American workers are losing well paying manufacturing jobs for various reasons, including automation and factory closures, and forced to seek minimum wage jobs
Americans workers are facing bankruptcy and mortgage foreclosures, losing their homes, in record numbers
Americans workers are living on the streets and eating from trash cans, being completely degraded
Immigrants who came to the country in desperation, seeking a better way of life, just as our ancestors did, are being separated from their children and thrown in jail
The children of immigrants are also being thrown in jail, the infants crying for their parents
American capitalists are enjoying record profits, with the stock market at an all time high
American president Trump is now telling Americans to leave their country
I can only stress that these are facts, and these facts speak for themselves. For the workers, to paraphrase a famous British author, this is the worst of times, while for the capitalists, this is the best of times. There is a reason for this. The capitalists, the bourgeoisie, make their profit off the labour power of working people. The harder they work us and the less they pay us, the higher their profit. That which is best for the capitalists is the worst for the workers. The profits of the capitalists are at a record high because the poverty and suffering of the working class is at a record high.
This brings us back to educating the working class, or more accurately, encouraging the workers to educate themselves. I can only suggest that workers, or better yet groups of workers, get together and read that which is perhaps the greatest masterpiece of Lenin, and one which is especially relevant. Of course I am referring to State and Revolution. In this book Lenin explains quite clearly just what the proletariat will have to do in order to free themselves from capitalist tyranny.
It is only natural that working class Americans may wonder just what Lenin means by the State. In America, that mainly refers to the vast military, which contains many branches, as well as the various law enforcement agencies, complete with jails, prisons, courts and other coercive institutions. This is referred to as a state apparatus or a ”public power”, or a ”special coercive force”, to use the expressions of Engels. This public power was established by the ruling class, in this case the bourgeoisie, in order to keep the ”lower class”, in this case the working class, the proletariat, in subjugation. That is the one and only reason for the existence of the state apparatus, the public power. It is set up to crush and exploit the working class.
Lenin goes on to explain that this same state apparatus, this public power, must be destroyed, crushed, at the time of the revolution. It must be replaced by a new working class state apparatus, an apparatus set up to crush the tiny minority, the monopoly capitalists, the bourgeoisie. This new state apparatus is referred to as the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. As Lenin points out, ”The suppression of the bourgeois state by the proletarian state is impossible without a violent revolution.” Further, he goes on to say that ”Only he is a Marxist who extends the recognition of the class struggle to the recognition of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.” –my italics.
It is to be stressed that the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, cannot be overthrown by taking over Washington, complete with the various government agencies and organizations. Those same agencies and organizations must be crushed and replaced with a working class state apparatus, one which can and will be used to crush the bourgeoisie, the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.
I repeat, a careful reading of State and Revolution by all working class people is the way forward.
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 