The contradictions in the world of capitalism are becoming ever more intense. Now even the journalists are daring to mention that capitalism is in a state of crisis. They are further reporting that unemployment is at a level which has not been seen since the days of the Great Depression. There is currently a great abundance, a vast surplus of almost all commodities. Under socialism this is a great blessing, but as we live under capitalism, it is considered to be a terrible curse, in that prices have been driven down. The business reporters are suggesting that profits have been ”negatively impacted”, which is to say that the capitalists are losing money.
As well, the corona virus is causing death and devastation on a scale not seen since the days of the flu epidemic of a century ago. Of the confirmed number of dead due to the virus, roughly a quarter of them are confined to one country, which is America. In fact the official death toll in that country is approaching 100,000. As well, tens of millions of people in the same country are currently unemployed. The ruling class, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are at their wits end, not sure of which way to jump.
The government first responded to the twin crises by shutting down the country, aside from essential services, and initiating various ”economic stimulus packages”, in an attempt to get the country ”back on its feet”. The latest such package, approved by the House of Representatives, amounts to 3 trillion dollars. If approved, this will send the national debt to heights never before imagined, possibly 30 trillion dollars. Of course, that is just the debt the government chooses to acknowledge. They manage to keep the national debt at artificially low levels, by simply denying the existence of money they owe.
Now the government has decided to initiate ”limited reopening”, in an attempt to further ”stimulate the economy”. This has also resulted in further ”stimulating the virus”, in that hospitals are reporting an increase in the number of patients who are suffering from the virus. We can count on the bourgeoisie to deal with a situation which is desperate and transform it into an absolute disaster.
This is another way of saying that the situation is truly revolutionary, as the ruling class, the bourgeoisie, can no longer rule in the old way. As well, the class which is being ruled, the proletariat, is no longer content to be ruled in any manner. They are rising up, demanding change, holding their leaders accountable. At least, they are making a supreme effort.
In response to these twin crises in capitalism, President Trump has managed to scale the twin peaks of stupidity and incompetence. His latest brainstorm is to declare religious services as ”essential services”, and to order the buildings of all such religions, whether churches, mosques or synagogues, to be opened. He is also threatening to override any governor who dares to disobey that order.
The journalists are reporting that Trump does not have that authority, as no where does the Constitution grant him that power. That is certainly true, yet those same journalists are overlooking the fact that Trump declared that he has ”total power”. He was not joking. He was also not joking when he said that any governor who dared challenge his authority was committing a ”mutiny”. He ”welcomes mutiny”, and promises to be harsh with the mutineers. The various governors of the states, as well as any one else who dares to cross Trump, would do well to bear in mind that he has just threatened such people with death by hanging, as that is the penalty for mutiny.
Incredibly enough, it is just possible that the spark which sets off the American revolution, or at least the break up of the country, could well be the presidential directive to reopen the religious buildings!
Cracks are now appearing in the American empire. A number of states on each coast have come together in alliances, to form the nucleus of two republics. These are the two major population centres. As well, several states in the midwest, the industrial heart land of the country, have also come together, to form the nucleus of a third republic.
As mentioned in a previous article, the breaking up of the American empire and socialist revolution is on the horizon. Trump is doing his best to hasten the collapse of capitalism, at least in America. Now it is up to conscious people, Marxist intellectuals, to form a proper Communist Party. Working people need proper leaders, as they are not capable of setting up a scientific socialist society by themselves, a truly Marxist Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Their conditions of life do not lead to this awareness. This class consciousness can only be brought to them from conscious people, those who are aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin.
In years gone by, that meant only middle class intellectuals were aware of those theories, and it was up to them to bring that awareness to the proletariat, to form a proper Communist Party. But now the situation has changed, in that most working people in America are literate and have access to the internet. As that is the case, I am encouraging all working people who are deeply discontent with the current situation to take action. By that I mean that all advanced workers, proletarians, must study the essential works of Lenin, raise their level of awareness and also take part in the creation of the Communist Party. Of course middle class intellectuals are also welcome to take part in creating the Party.
As members of that Party, they can expect to be faced with three trends in the revolutionary movement, according to Lenin. It is absolutely essential to recognize the existence of these trends and to fight consistently for the trend that is truly revolutionary.
The first trend is that of the social chauvinists, those who are socialists in words and chauvinists in deed. They may claim to be Marxist or Marxist -Leninist or Communists, while at the same time defending the bourgeoisie. They may or may not be members of a political party, while at the same time demanding nothing but paltry reforms. They absolutely do not demand anything that is not acceptable to the bourgeoisie. They are careful to not make any reference to revolution or to the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. They are MINO, Marxists In Name Only.
Historically, these people have generally not been members of the working class, the proletariat, but middle class intellectuals. That was before the virus and the Second Great Depression. Now the situation has changed quite dramatically. A great many middle class people have recently been ruined, forced into the ranks of the working class, and most of the remainder are soon to follow. That includes many of the social chauvinists, now being reduced to the level of proletarians. Now these former members of the middle class are joining their ”comrades in arms”, the upper stratum of the working class, those who have been bribed by the bourgeoisie. Together they do a fine job of defending the bourgeoisie, making every effort to divert the revolutionary motion onto some harmless path of social reform. As that is the case, these people, the social chauvinists, are the enemy.
As opposed to the social chauvinists, there exists a second trend, referred to as the ”centre”. The members of this second trend, that of the centre, are best described by Lenin: ”the ‘Centre’ is not convinced of the necessity for a revolution against ones own government; it does not preach revolution; it does not carry on a whole hearted revolutionary struggle; and in order to evade such a struggle it resorts to the tritest ultra ‘Marxist’ sounding excuses”. (italics by Lenin)
As anyone with any considerable experience in the revolutionary movement can testify, there is no shortage of such people. They tend to be middle class, or at least of a middle class background, petty bourgeois. As the middle class is currently being wiped out in America, we can expect a great up surge of such people into the ranks of the proletariat, and into the class struggle. They may refer to themselves as Leftists, although most prefer the term Democratic Socialists or Independent Socialists. They tend to be well educated, aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin, including the theory of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Yet few of them are at all anxious to put those theories into practice. There is a big difference between being aware of the revolutionary theories and believing those same theories.
On occasion, individuals drift from one position to the other, from Centre to social chauvinist or the reverse, much as boats without anchors tend to drift around a lake. In fact, such people have no anchor, which is to say they take no guidance from the theories of Marx and Lenin.
This is not to say that the members of the centre are the enemy, because they are not. A great deal of patience is required in dealing with them, as they seem to be impervious to logic. No doubt their conditions of life, as members of the petty bourgeois, have led to this vacillating outlook on the class struggle, one day supporting the proletariat and the next day siding with the bourgeoisie. As the revolution gains strength, ever more of them will gravitate towards the proletariat.
This brings us to the third trend, and we will once again quote from Lenin, as it is so important. In reference to the third trend, he stated: ”Its distinctive feature is its complete break with both social chauvinism and ‘Centrism’, and its gallant revolutionary struggle against its own imperialist government and its own imperialist bourgeoisie. Its principle is: ‘Our chief enemy is at home’. It wages a ruthless struggle against honeyed social pacifist phrases (a social pacifist is a socialist in words and a bourgeois pacifist in deed; bourgeois pacifists dream of an everlasting peace without the overthrow of the yoke and domination of capital) and against all subterfuges employed to deny the possibility, or the appropriateness, or the timeliness of a proletarian revolutionary struggle and of a proletarian socialist revolution in connection with the present war”.(all italics and punctuation by Lenin. It should be noted that this was written at the time of the great imperialist slaughter referred to as the First World War)
It is people who are members of this third trend who are destined to form a true Communist Party. It matters not if they have a petty bourgeois or a proletariat background. The important thing is that they are true Marxists, dedicated to scientific socialism, the revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Their class background is of absolutely no consequence.
This is not to say that it is easy to be a Marxist, a member of the third trend, and to take part in forming a true Communist Party. It is not easy at all. That is a fact, just as it is a fact that certain things simply have to be done. May I suggest that those of you who are aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin consider it your duty to take action, as it is your duty. As the old proverb states, ”To whom much is given, of him much is required”. To once again quote Lenin: ”Such people are few; but it is on such people alone that the future of socialism depends; they alone are the leaders of the people, and not their corrupters…It is not a question of numbers, but of giving correct expression to the ideas and policies of the truly revolutionary proletariat”. (italics by Lenin)
It is to be expected that the members of the public should be confused, if only because the social chauvinists make a supreme effort to spread confusion. It is for that reason I recommend the name of the party be Communist Party, Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, or CP,DOP. The social chauvinists are dead set opposed to the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, as it is the worst nightmare of their lords and masters, the bourgeoisie. This should help to draw a clear distinction between the social chauvinists and the true Marxists.
May I suggest that Lenin wrote the previously quoted lines immediately before the German revolution of 1919, a revolution which spread across Western Europe. As is well known, that particular revolution was not successful, mainly because most of the leaders betrayed the working people and called for ”defence of the fatherland”, in support of their ”own” bourgeoisie. Now it is up to American Marxists, true internationalists, to make sure that history does not repeat itself. There is only one way to do that:
Embrace the third trend. Form the Communist Party, Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 