All Americans are now supremely well aware that the country is deeply divided. In fact, it is close to civil war, to revolution, whether people are aware of this or not. Open class warfare is right around the corner, capitalists against workers, bourgeoisie against proletarians. It is very likely that most working class Americans are not aware that it is class warfare. The blame for this lies with conscious people, those who consider themselves socialists but have failed to bring to the working class the awareness of itself as a class, complete with its own class interests.
For that reason, I am appealing to the most advanced American workers. You have a history of revolutionary motion, of which you can be most proud. You have thrown off the yoke of British rule in 1776, and later, in 1861, destroyed the class of slave owners, the same class of people who brought shame and disgrace onto your country. Now you are once again being called upon to destroy another class, the bourgeoisie, those who are crushing and exploiting American working people. They too are a shame and a disgrace. The whole world is watching, as you are in the vanguard of the world revolutionary working class movement. You are leading the proletarian revolution in the United States (America) as well as in all of North America, and very likely South America. It is a tall order, but I have no doubt that you will rise to the occasion, as your forefathers have in the past.
Working people around the world are being inspired by you, and that includes proletarians, petty bourgeois and peasants. You are not alone.
The revolution will almost certainly break out in America and spread to other countries. The success of the conflict will depend largely upon the level of preparation of the working class. By that I mean the preparation of the most advanced stratum of the working class, as the less advanced workers tend to follow the more advanced. This second civil war need not be as long and drawn out as the Civil War of 1861. If fact, the working class, the proletariat, could well seize power within a matter of a day or two, several days at most.
As for those who are skeptical, consider the fact that in Russia, on November 7, 1917, the common people, by whom I mean the workers and peasants, overthrew the bourgeois government. This happened literally overnight, but then it was well organized. The first socialist republic was established, by which I of course mean the Soviet Union.
This revolution was successful because the workers and peasants, led by Lenin and the Communist Party, followed the advice of Marx. It was Marx, no less, who stressed the fact that insurrection must be treated as an art, that you must win the first success and then proceed from success to success, never ceasing the offensive against the enemy, taking advantage of the confusion in the ranks of the enemy, etc. The defensive is the death of every armed uprising.
With that in mind, I am encouraging all working class Americans to read carefully an article Lenin wrote immediately before the Russian revolution of November, 1917, that which overthrew the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. It is titled Marxism and Insurrection, and can be downloaded from the internet. It is most encouraging, as there is currently no party to lead the working class in America, which is to say no American Communist Party. By that I mean, there is no true Communist Party, one which calls for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.
In this article, Lenin gave advice on the subject of the approaching armed insurrection. By this he meant the time the proletariat would openly challenge the ruling Russian government, the government set up by the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, with Kerensky at the head. As it is so important, I have chosen to quote it at length.
As Lenin states, ”To be successful, insurrection must rely not upon conspiracy and not upon a party, but upon the advanced class. That is the first point. Insurrection must rely upon that revolutionary upsurge of the people. That is the second point. Insurrection must rely upon that turning point in the history of the growing revolution when the activity of the advanced ranks of the people is at its height, and when the vacillations in the ranks of the enemy and in the rank of the weak, half hearted and irresolute friends of the revolution are strongest. That is the third point…Once these conditions exist, however, to refuse to treat insurrection as an art is a betrayal of Marxism and a betrayal of the revolution.”- all italics by Lenin.
At that time in Russia, the various classes included that of nobility, capitalists, landlords, peasants, small business owners or petty bourgeois, and the workers or proletarians. It was the class of workers, proletarians, which composed the advanced class. The peasants, or at least the vast majority of poor peasants, supported the workers. The petty bourgeois tended to vacillate, supporting the bourgeoisie one day and the workers the next, depending upon the class which seemed to be winning the conflict. Of course the two classes of landlords and nobility generally supported the bourgeoisie, but frequently fought among themselves. The more they fought among themselves, the weaker they were. The weaker they appeared, the more the petty bourgeois supported the common people, the workers and poor peasants.
The current situation in America is different only in the sense that it is simpler. There are fewer classes involved, as Americans gave the nobility their walking papers many years ago. As well, the peasants or farmers have practically been wiped out by the monopoly agrarian corporations. There are still a few small business owners, middle class, those whom the corporate monopolies have yet to destroy, so the petty bourgeois is yet limping along in America. As they are under extreme pressure, they are more likely to side with the revolution, supporting the workers.
As well, advances in communications have made great strides. In particular, the internet has made possible instant communication with all parts of the world. Now we are no longer restricted to ”word of mouth” or even the press. With the various digital devices, which include computers, cell phones, tablets, smart phones and whatever else, we can now keep in touch with each other immediately.
By contrast, in Russia of 1917, it was necessary to send loyal Communists to the factories and barracks, to the workers and military personnel. That was the one and only way in which the temperament of those people could be determined. As well, that was the only way they could be notified of the approaching uprising. Now that we have the internet, such is no longer the case. We would be fools not to use the tools at our disposal.
At that time, there were two major cities in Russia, Saint Petersburg, also known as Petrograd, and Moscow. Saint Petersburg was at that time the capital, the seat of power, as well as the cultural centre of the country. It was Lenin who directed the insurrection. The Provisional Government, led by Kerensky, was seeking refuge within the Winter Palace of the Czar. The revolutionary forces, that of workers and military personnel, stormed the Winter Palace. The shock troops who were guarding the members of the Provisional Government were brushed aside and the members of the Provisional Government were arrested. At the same time, in Moscow, the revolutionary forces also seized key buildings.
Immediately afterwards, in fact the next day, a new government was established, that of workers and peasants, called the Council of Peoples Commissars, led by Lenin. It was the first true Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
The insurrection in America, which is to say the outbreak of the revolution, should follow a similar course. The seat of power is in Washington, so that the White House will have to be stormed. It is quite possible that the members of the government will seek refuge in the White House, which is to say the members of the Cabinet, the Senators and members of Congress. It is also imperative that the Pentagon be captured. All members of the administration, as well as all military personnel, especially the Joint Chiefs of Staff, must be arrested.
Once these key people are arrested, they must be denied access to any and all communication devices. Even one phone call can prove to be disastrous, as they will immediately activate a relief expedition. The revolutionary workers and soldiers who guard these people must be truly resolute, as government personnel are accomplished, professional liars. They will no doubt resort to the subterfuge of faking heart attacks or some such illness, demanding medical attention. If they get their hands on a cell phone, they will use it to call for help. All requests for medical assistance must be denied by the guards. Those same guards may take comfort in the fact that even if the sickness is legitimate, one less imperialist in the country is no cause for mourning.
The other major city in the country which deserves special attention is New York. At the same time that Washington is being secured, the stock exchange and communications centres in the financial capital of the country must also be seized. Spokespeople must go on the air and announce that the working class is now in control of the country. The American citizens must be told that the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are no longer in charge. They can also announce that the military is being disbanded. The troops are coming home, and they are coming home alive.
Other major cities should also receive special attention, such as Los Angeles, which is the cultural centre of the country. This may be thought of as going from success to success, as Marx stated. It is absolutely essential to stay on the offensive, keeping the enemy off balance. There can be no greater mistake than going on the defensive.
Major bridges must be secured as well, as the capitalists may use the roads to try to send in troops to crush the rebellion. The railways certainly must be locked down, the rail stations secured. As well, the airports must be shut down. The airport workers can be of great assistance in blocking runways, as that is another port of entry. The shipping docks are to be shut down, as they will try to send in the navy, perhaps with their finest, well trained shock troops, perhaps Marines. We can expect them to send in paratroopers, who tend to be supremely well trained, and we have to be prepared for that. It is essential that the revolutionary forces be armed, and prepared to use those weapons.
It is very likely that many of the people taking part in the insurrection, possibly a majority, will be women. It is to be hoped that many of their husbands will ”grow a set” and join them, but so far women have been leading the revolution and that will likely continue. This could even work in favour of the revolution, in that even the most highly trained, most brutal troops, may be reluctant to fire upon fellow Americans, especially if those fellow Americans are women. Even so, be prepared to return fire, even if that fire is to be directed at only the officers.
Those women have proven themselves to be excellent organizers, as the Womens’ March on Washington proved beyond any doubt. Not only was the march on Washington a raging success, but in almost all cities and towns across the country, women also marched, at the same time. That is precisely the sort of activity we need for the day of the insurrection. Only those who have proven themselves to be such excellent organizers can be counted upon to do so again. The difference is that this time, the goal will be to seize power for the working people, the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
No doubt this American womens’ organization exists, even though it has been dormant for some time. I have no idea of the name of the organization, although it may be a coalition of various womens’ groups. The precise name is secondary, as is the fact that it arose spontaneously. The important thing is that it exists, it is nation wide, and it has the support of womens’ groups around the world. The fact is that at the time of the march on Washington, women around the world marched in a show of solidarity.
As best I can gather, it is the one and only such organization in the country. These American women have distinguished themselves, and for that they deserve full credit. It is very likely the first time a revolution has been led by women. We can only hope that countless men will be inspired by their example and join the women in the front lines of the class war.
The Womens’ March on Washington proves, beyond a shadow of doubt, that American women are capable of organizing, of planning and carrying out a simultaneous nation wide demonstration. As that is the case, they are also quite capable of organizing an insurrection. It is also the case that the revolutionary motion is gaining strength, so that it is reasonable to assume that a great many men will also be inspired to join their women folk. In that case, the insurrection is sure to succeed, as it did in Russia, within a day or two.
I also suspect that the womens’ organization is an alliance of current or former members of the middle class, with members of the working class. That also is most encouraging, precisely the thing needed for the revolution, an alliance of classes. Now it is up to these American ladies, or at least the leaders of these women, to gauge the correct time to strike. That is where computers and other digital devices come in handy.
In order to gauge the maturity of the working class, it may be necessary to put forward a slogan such as ”All Power to the Working Class” If countless working class people embrace the slogan, then the time for the insurrection is upon us. We may even be able to put forward this slogan on the internet, perhaps facebook or youtube, and see the response we get. It may not be necessary to put forward the slogan on signs and posters and rely upon the bourgeois press to carry the message, although that is still an option.
Possibly the most difficult problem will be to keep the precise timing of the insurrection a secret from the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. There are various government agencies which specialize in eavesdropping on all electronic communications. The less advance warning the capitalist have, the less prepared they will be for the insurrection.
I have complete confidence in those American ladies. They have done it before and they will do it again. No doubt they will rise to the occasion. I am also sure that they will find a way to motivate their husbands and boyfriends. The time is fast approaching when there will be a crying need for those who are proficient in the use of firearms and the application of brute force. That being said, as long as the insurrection is well planned and carried out, the blood shed will be kept to a minimum.
No doubt, the bourgeoisie will send in shock troops to crush the rebellion. Equally without doubt, many of them will be reluctant to shoot fellow Americans, especially if those fellow Americans are prepared to shoot back. With any luck, those shock troops will join us.
For now, I can only suggest a careful reading of Marxism and Insurrection. At the crucial moment, it is proper and necessary to mount an insurrection. The same American women who organized the Womens’ March can use their internet connections to determine the crucial moment. That crucial moment is the point at which the vast majority of working people are prepared to overthrow the bourgeoisie.
Allow me to close this article with the words Lenin chose in closing his article, italics by Lenin: ”It is impossible to remain loyal to Marxism, to remain loyal to the revolution unless insurrection is treated as an art.”
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 