The Difficulty In Maintaining State Power After The Revolution

INTRODUCTION

The current revolutionary motion is not limited to America. It is raging in capitalist countries around the world. In fact, this is similar to the years immediately following the successful socialist Russian October revolution of 1917. At that time, the most advanced strata of the proletariat of the capitalist countries had embraced the concept of Soviet Power and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, according to Lenin. For that reason, he was of the opinion that it was essential to prepare the most advanced workers for revolution, as after the revolution, workers with very little training, or even no training at all, would be placed in positions of authority.

The big difference now, is that the most advanced workers of the world have not embraced the concept of Soviet Power, or of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Yet the revolution could break out any day, as no revolution is made to order. At that time, the existing state apparatus will be destroyed, and replaced with a new working class state apparatus, in the form of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Certain advanced workers will be placed in key positions of authority. Any training they receive now will be of great value.

Yet it is one thing for the proletariat to seize state power, it is something else entirely to hang onto that power. Classes will continue to exist, after the revolution, which is precisely the reason the new, proletarian state apparatus, in the form of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, will be necessary. The experiences of previous, proletarian revolutions, has had mixed results. In each case, at some point after the workers seized power, the capitalists were able to return to power. It is the purpose of this article to determine those mistakes, so that we can avoid repeating them. At the same time, we have to take into account our current state of preparedness.

With that in mind, consider the fact that it is significant that Lenin placed the recognition of Soviet Power on the same level as that of recognition of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. This Soviet Power is Council power, as the word Soviet, in Russian, means Council.

The key to maintaining state power, under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, lies with both the Communist Party and, Soviet (Council) Power. In the words of Lenin, ”Only the Communist Party…is capable of leading the proletariat in a final, most ruthless and decisive struggle against all the forces of capitalism. On the other hand, it is only under the leadership of such a Party that the proletariat is capable of displaying the full might of its revolutionary onslaught, and of overcoming the inevitable apathy and occasional resistance of that small minority, the labour aristocracy, who have been corrupted by capitalism, the old trade union and cooperative leaders…it is only after they have found an opportunity of organizing in their Soviets (Councils) in a really free way…that the masses, the toilers and exploited as a body, can display…all the initiative and energy of tens of millions of people who have been crushed by capitalism….It is only in the Soviets (Councils) that the exploited masses really begin to learn -not in books, but from their own practical experience, the work of socialist construction, of creating a new social discipline and a free union of workers.”

It is also significant that at present, most working people have no idea of the meaning of the term ”Soviet Power”. For that matter, the term ”Dictatorship of the Proletariat” is mere ”Greek”. That is certainly not acceptable. It has to be changed, and quickly.

It is up to class conscious people, those who are aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin, to raise the level of awareness of the proletariat. Of necessity, most of these people are middle class, or at least have a middle class background.

It is entirely possible, that as the American proletariat becomes ever more class conscious, they will start to refer to these Councils as Soviets. That remains to be seen, and is entirely up to the workers. For the purposes of this article, I will refer to them as Councils.

The raising of the level of awareness of the working class is a ”tall order”, but not as difficult as it once was. The fact is that most working people are literate, and most of the advanced worker own a digital device, of one sort or another. That is important, as those are precisely the workers on whom we are most focused. After all, it is the more advanced workers who lead, while the less advanced follow.

The capitalists have very thoughtfully provided us with a valuable tool, in the form of the internet. It is truly a marvel of modern technology. The least we can do is express our gratitude, our appreciation, by using this tool against them. God knows that they deserve it!

Councils, Also Known As Soviets

Even though most Americans have no idea of the meaning of the word Soviet, the fact remains that these Soviets, or Councils, are currently being created.

These Councils, to use the English expression, are formed as communities of workers come together, as a result of extreme pressure, especially at a time of revolutionary motion. These communities of workers then elect leaders, members of a Council. This can be compared to the creation of trade unions. There is an instinctive awareness that there is strength in numbers.

The Councils then attempt to improve the living standards within the community, to enact certain reforms. Under capitalism, this is supremely difficult, but not impossible, especially at a time when the situation is revolutionary. As Lenin phrased it, ”symptomatic of any genuine revolution is a rapid, ten fold and even hundred fold increase in the size of the working and oppressed masses – hitherto apathetic – who are capable of waging the political struggle”.

This ”pressure from below”, as the journalists describe it, often results in reforms, however paltry, especially during times of revolutionary motion. In this way, the working people learn that the capitalists are not all powerful, that they can be beaten. This serves to empower the workers, builds up their self confidence, and encourages them to undertake even greater challenges. As Marx phrased it, ”Reforms serve to strengthen and further the revolutionary motion”.

With that in mind, the experience of the city of Seattle is instructive. In that case, a section of the city, an area referred to as Capitol Hill, attempted to break away and form an independent community. As people lived and worked together, assisting and caring for one another, it was nothing other than a Commune. It was also self governing, with the elected leaders forming a Council. The local police precinct was even forced to close. This was first referred to as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest. Then, in a touching display of optimism, the Council decided to be Autonomous. So the name was changed to the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.

Naturally, the government regarded this as nothing less than a threat to their authority. After all, state power can be in the hands of one class or another, but not both. As the Zone was in the hands of the working class, they wasted no time is attempting to destroy it. At the same time, they tried to crush the Council.

Perhaps the government agents thought, in the simplicity of their souls, that by crushing the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, that would be the end of all Councils. Such is hardly the case. Instead, it has served to educate other Councils. There are no more illusions. People are now aware that ”half measures get you nowhere”. Now it is ”all in”, a ”war to the finish”.

It is clear that revolutionary Councils are being created, all across America, and probably in other countries as well, as was predicted by Lenin. Of necessity, these Councils are keeping a ”low profile”, arming, training and equipping workers, in preparation for the revolution. The insurrection is critical, at which time the government will be overthrown, and the element of surprise is of great importance.

These Soviets, or Councils, had humble beginnings. They first appeared in 1905 Russia, at the time of the first Russian Russian. As Lenin stated, ”The Soviet form of organization came into being in the spontaneous development of the struggle”.

It was spontaneous, if for no other reason than that, in Russia, at that time, almost all of the Social Democrats, as the Marxists of the day referred to themselves, had been first thrown into prison, and then were either killed or exiled. Lenin had been exiled.

In Russia, as the 1905 Revolution was crushed, so too were the Soviets, the Councils. There followed several years of reaction, before the revolutionary motion picked up again. At that time, the Soviets reappeared, only this time, far more numerous, far more powerful. But then the Second Russian Revolution was in full swing.

These Councils are not to be under estimated. After the first February-March revolution of 1917, in Russia, in which the Czar was overthrown, the capitalists seized power. True. Yet, the power of the capitalists was being challenged, by the power of the Soviets, Councils. These proletarian Councils represent state power!

As Engels stated, ”periods occur when the warring classes are so nearly balanced that the state power, ostensibly appearing as a mediator, acquires for a moment, a certain independence in relation to both”. It was Lenin who pointed out that immediately following that revolution, under the reign of the Kerensky government, the power of the Councils, Soviets, was very nearly the equal of the capitalists!

Incidentally, present day historians are fond of mentioning that the Karensky government agents should have ”arrested” Lenin, as soon as he stepped off the train, upon his return to Saint Petersburg, in April of 1917. To such dedicated flunkies of the capitalists, I can only respond that no doubt, the ”thought crossed their minds”. Yet the power of the working people, as expressed in the Soviets, Councils, prevented them from so doing. (I placed the word Council after Soviet in order to stress the importance)

After the socialist October Revolution of 1917, the working class seized power and established the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. The leaders of that Revolution were well aware that it was necessary to organize the working people, both workers and peasants. As Lenin stated in March, 1919, ”We remembered very well the part the Soviets has played in 1905, and revived them as the most suitable means of uniting the working people in their struggle against the exploiters….We see that the Soviets are gaining popularity in the west, and that the fight for them is going on not only in Europe, but also in America. Soviet type councils are being set up everywhere, and sooner or later they will take power into their own hands. The present situation in America, where such Soviets (Councils) are being set up, is extremely interesting…This form has superseded all other forms of proletarian organization.”

As the Councils are the ”most suitable means of uniting the working people in their struggle against the exploiters”, it is up to Communists to offer them our complete and undivided support. Without doubt, it is just a matter of time before they ”take power into their own hands”.

It is perhaps interesting to note that America has a proud history of Councils, a history which has been carefully concealed, by the capitalists.

He then went on to explain the ”Essence of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat and of Soviet Power”:

”The victory of socialism… over capitalism requires that the proletariat… shall accomplish the following three tasks. First -overthrow the exploiters, and first and foremost the bourgeoisie…utterly rout them; crush their resistance; absolutely preclude any attempt on their part to restore the yoke of capital and wage-slavery. Second-win over and bring under the leadership of the Communist Party, the revolutionary vanguard of the proletariat, not only the entire proletariat, or its vast majority, but all who labour and are exploited by capital; educate, organize, train and discipline them in the actual course of a supremely bold and ruthlessly firm struggle against the capitalists; wrest this vast majority of the population in all the capitalist countries from the dependence on the bourgeoisie; imbue it, through its own practical experience, with confidence in the leading role of the proletariat and of its revolutionary struggle. Third-neutralize, or render harmless the inevitable vacillation between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, between the bourgeois and Soviet Power, to be seen in the class of petty proprietors in agriculture and commerce-a class which is still fairly numerous in nearly all advanced countries, although comprising only a minority of the population-as well as in the stratum of intellectuals, salary earners, etc., which corresponds to this class”.

Clearly, this is well beyond the ability of Councils, which tend to be local in character. It serves to point out the necessity of a true Communist Party, one which recognizes Soviet Power and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

Yet, as many of the members of these Councils are intellectuals, many of them have a middle class background. As such, they are aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. As that is the case, they are duty bound to go beyond the training of workers, and to prepare for the revolution. They have to take the next step, that of taking part in the creation of a truly revolutionary, Marxist-Leninist Communist Party.

THE NECESSITY OF A TRUE COMMUNIST PARTY

The current political situation is similar to the situation in Europe, 1918. Writing in October of that year, Lenin addressed the fact that there were no Communist Parties in Europe: ”Europe’s greatest misfortune and danger is that it has no revolutionary party. It has parties of traitors…and of servile souls like Kautsky. But it has no revolutionary party. Of course, a mighty, popular revolutionary movement may rectify this deficiency, but it is nevertheless a serious misfortune and a grave danger.”(italics by Lenin)

Yet Lenin did more than point out that ”greatest misfortune” and ”grave danger” of ”no revolutionary party”. He went on to give direction to the true revolutionaries: ”That is why we must do our utmost to expose renegades like Kautsky, thereby supporting the revolutionary groups of genuine internationalist workers, who are found in all countries. The proletariat will very soon turn away from the traitors and renegades and follow these groups, drawing and training leaders from their midst. No wonder the bourgeoisie of all countries are howling about ”world Bolshevism”. World Bolshevism will conquer world bourgeoisie”. (italics by Lenin. At that time, Communism was referred to as Bolshevism)

Even though this was written a hundred years ago, it is -unfortunately- still relevant. Lenin refers to Kautsky as a ”renegade”, because that is precisely the case. At one time, Kautsky was a fine Marxist, a leading theoretician. The work which Kautsky did, in his days as a Marxist, was superb. That cannot be denied. Nor can it be denied that at some point, under severe pressure from the capitalists, Kautsky ”turned”. He became a ”renegade”, a ”Benedict Arnold”, a traitor to Marxism, a traitor to the proletariat.

During the time that Kautsky was a Marxist, he did a fine job, in the service of the working people. After he ”turned his coat”, became a renegade, he also did a fine job, but in the service of the bourgeoisie! His distortions of the revolutionary theories of Marx, are a marvel! To this day, the capitalists sing his praises! It is no wonder that Lenin referred to Kautsky as his ”bitterest enemy!”. He went on to say that ”there is no point in fighting with Kautsky. It is simply a matter of exposing his apostasy!” This is to say that Kautsky was simply a traitor, and his treachery had to be documented. That is as true today, as at the time it was first written!

I mention this, because it is of the utmost importance. As the revolutionary motion gains strength, as ever more working people are swept up in the movement, becoming politically active, they will spontaneously gravitate towards socialism. The expression Dictatorship of the Proletariat will soon become common place. The social chauvinists are sure to respond by referring workers to the revisionist works of Kautsky. We, in turn, must respond by referring workers to the book by Lenin, The Proletarian Revolution And the Renegade Kautsky, in which Lenin exposes Kautsky, as the traitor to socialism, that he was. Now to proceed.

Lenin went on to state that once the Communist Party is formed, it is faced with the task of ”intensifying the preparation of the proletariat”. This includes making the working people aware of the true meaning of the terms Soviet (Council) Power, and that of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

At the moment, a ”mighty, popular revolutionary movement” is sweeping the country. No doubt a great many workers will initially be attracted to the political parties which claim to be socialist, the ”traitors and renegades” to socialism, but then become disillusioned and ”walk away”, in turn joining the ”revolutionary groups of international workers”, those ”who are found in all countries”. These groups will be ”drawing and training leaders from their midst”. These groups are referred to as Councils.

It is up to the leaders of these Councils to form a true Communist Party. Of necessity, the membership of the Party must be exclusive, limited to those who are true Marxist-Leninists. The most advanced workers, those who have been trained by the Councils, qualify for membership.

Lenin made clear the importance of Councils, which he of course referred to as Soviets: ”It is only in the Soviets that the exploited masses really begin to learn -not in books, but from their own practical experience -the work of socialist construction, of creating a new social discipline and a free union of free workers.”

Yet the capitalists are determined to not allow the existence of Councils, as they see these as a threat to their authority. The experience of the Seattle Autonomous Zone, which was brutally crushed, proves this, beyond any doubt. These Councils can only thrive under socialism. That requires a revolution, and the subsequent Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

In turn, this can only be accomplished through the leadership of the Communist Party. Only such a Communist Party is able to organize a proper insurrection, overthrow the capitalists, smash the existing state machine, and utterly crush their resistance, through the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Equally without doubt, many will point out that it is not fair to place this burden on the shoulders of a few intellectuals. True. It is not fair. Life is not fair. It is what it is. There are times when it is necessary to take a stand. Now is one of those times.

There is a reason that the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin are known, almost exclusively, to middle class people, petty bourgeois. It is only in universities that these theories are ”taught”, or to state it more accurately, it is only in universities that these revolutionary theories are distorted. As university training is limited, almost entirely, to the bourgeois, very few working class people are aware of these theories.

Yet as so many middle class intellectuals have attended university, they are aware of those revolutionary theories. Which is not to say that all intellectuals embrace those theories! In fact, a great many of them refuse to even acknowledge those theories, unless it is to distort them. This distortion of the theories of Marx and Lenin, is referred to as ”revisionist”. The social chauvinists go to considerable length to revise those revolutionary theories, in order to make them acceptable to their Lords and Masters, the capitalists, the billionaires. Revolution is not acceptable to the bourgeoisie. Social reform is quite acceptable. For that reason, the social chauvinists want to divert the revolutionary motion onto some harmless path of social reform. All of the currently existing ”Leftist” political parties, or at least those which refer to themselves as Marxists, are simply revisionists.

It may be objected that the true ”upper class” people, the bourgeoisie, the billionaires, also generally receive a university education. True. Yet their money allows them to buy any university degree their little hearts desire! They may not even attend any classes! As a result, they may or may not be aware of those revolutionary theories. Either way, such details are a matter of complete indifference to them.

The point being that most intellectuals are middle class, or at least have a middle class background. For many years, such people tended to remain silent, as it was in their best interests to do so. After all, even the accusation of being a Communist could result in career suicide!

Yet lately there has been a ”bit of a change”, to use a British understatement. That has come in the form of the Corona Virus, which has now been raging for two years. During that time, numerous restrictions have been put into place, in terms of gatherings and travel. This has resulted in the closure of countless small businesses. The owners, members of the middle class, petty bourgeois, are being ruined. As well, various intellectuals and salaried employees are also losing their jobs. All are joining the ranks of the proletariat. They bring with them their knowledge of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin.

This has resulted in a growing awareness among the middle class, as well as the intellectuals and the salaried employees, that the current political situation is unacceptable. The capitalists are forcing this awareness upon those people! You could even say that they are doing our work for us! Awfully sweet of them! We really should send them a thank you card! They are doing such a fine job of digging their own graves!

Of course, monopoly capitalism leads to the destruction of all small businesses. As the monopolies become ever stronger, ever more complete, all small businesses are eventually ruined. The Virus has merely served to ”accelerate the course of world history”. Ever more small businesses are being ruined, as a result of the Virus, ever more quickly. As well, the revolutionary motion of the proletariat is also increasing.

As a result of this, we are now blessed with a great many intellectuals, newly minted members of the proletariat. It is up to those intellectuals, either current or former members of the middle class, to put their training and experience to good use. Of course I am referring to the formation of a true Communist Party. Such a Party is needed to lead the working class

No doubt the government is quite well aware that all of the existing Leftist political parties are of no great concern, as all are merely calling for reforms, of one sort or another. That is not a threat to the capitalists. A true Communist Party, one which is based upon the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin, is very much a threat. For that reason, they are monitoring various people, those whom they consider to be a threat. Also, certain government agencies have programmed their computers to tune into the phone calls people make, to ”flag” certain words, and then record the conversations. Feel free to determine those words, and avoid them. As well, there is something referred to as the ”dark net”, which can be used, instead of a phone.

The act of creating a Communist Party will no doubt attract the attention of various government agencies, if they become aware of it, so it is best to use reasonable precautions. There is no longer any need to gather in person, as Lenin did, when he created the Russian League of Struggle For the Emancipation of the Working Class. He was also promptly arrested. Try to avoid that, if for no other reason than that those Communists who are in prison, are of limited usefulness. Besides, there is no shortage of Communist martyrs!

My advice, for these freshly minted intellectual Marxists, is to not only take part in creating a Communist Party, but to change your behaviour. Our goal is to raise the level of awareness of the working class, to prepare them, or at least the most advanced workers, for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. After the revolution, these workers will be placed in key positions of authority.

With that in mind, feel free to ”lose the jargon”, or as the workers put it, ”quit speaking High English!”. Get in the habit of speaking in a more popular manner, so that working people can understand you. All working people have their pride, and do not want to ”look stupid”. For that reason, they tend to remain silent, when they do not understand, and even go to the length of avoiding intellectuals. That is the last thing we want!

Under no circumstances resort to vulgarity! We want to raise the level of awareness of the workers, not to personally sink to a lower level. Feel free to use metaphors, even sports metaphors. Bear in mind that I am well aware of your attitude towards professional sports, as no doubt it matches my own. Put aside those personal prejudices and focus on the bigger picture.

When referring to workers, avoid the use of the word ”backward”. They may get the idea that they are being called stupid or ignorant. It is not their fault that their vocabulary is limited! Instead, use such terms as ”advanced” and ”less advanced”. Bear in mind that with the revolutionary motion growing and spreading, ever more workers are being picked up, joining the movement, blurring the distinction between the advanced and the less advanced.

Also, avoid such words as ”masses”, when referring to the members of the public, as people tend to find it impersonal, even offensive. Instead, use expressions such as ”common people”, or the ”rank and file”. Perhaps ”blue collar” is acceptable, assuming workers know the meaning of the term.

The word ”opportunist” is also common place among Marxists, but most workers are not aware of the meaning. Such terms as ”without principle” is an acceptable alternative. Feel free to call a factory a factory, and not a ”point of production”. The same applies to railroads and shipping lines. And by all means, avoid i.e. Almost no worker knows what it means!

The expression ”third world country” should also be avoided. It was an expression dreamed up by the social chauvinists, in order to revise the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. Bear in mind that Lenin referred to Russia as a ”petty bourgeois” country, as at the time of the revolution, the majority of people were peasants. Perhaps the term ”under developed” country is more acceptable, and a term working people can understand. It is also a fact that Lenin referred to highly industrialized countries as ”cultured” countries, not ”first world”.

It is unfortunate that the expression ”third world country” is now in popular use, so perhaps if it is mentioned, feel free to qualify the remark by an initial ”so called”.

The expression ”Dictatorship of the Proletariat” will soon become very popular. To most working people, this is ”Greek”, a bit of ”High English”. Yet it is one of the expressions the working class is going to have to master, as it is so extremely important.

Do not ”water it down”! Do not refer to this as the ”rule of the working class”, because it is not! As Lenin stated, ”Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary Dictatorship of the Proletariat is rule won and maintained by the use of violence, by the Proletariat, against the bourgeoisie, rule that is unrestricted by any laws.”

The point must be driven home, to all workers, that after the revolution, under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, the capitalists, the billionaires, will not be protected by any laws! They will not be allowed to hide behind a team of lawyers! There will be no lawyers! The capitalists will have no rights! The Proletariat will crush all capitalists, as well as those who challenge the authority of the working class. That includes thieves and killers, rapists and child molesters. Those who do not contribute to society, choose to live as thieves, do not ”pull their own weight”, will soon wish they had! The workers will see to that!

Then again, it is a fact that working people are going to have to become familiar with certain scientifically correct words, such as proletariat and bourgeois. In such cases, when speaking to more advanced workers, feel free to use the scientific term, followed by the common term. When speaking to the less advanced workers, there is no point in using scientific terms. Such workers tend not to pay any great attention to intellectuals. It is the advanced workers to whom they listen.

This may all sound very simple, as it is, but not necessarily easy. Old habits are so hard to break! Yet they must be broken, as there is no other way to gain the trust and respect of the workers.

NAME OF THE PARTY

As the title of this article suggests, my main concern is with maintaining political power, after the revolution. It is one thing to seize political power, to establish the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, and it is quite another to hold onto that power. Of course, I am referring to the Paris Commune, the Soviet Union and Communist China. At one time, they were socialist. But then the capitalists were able to return to power. Clearly, certain mistakes were made, by the leaders. More on that subject, later on in this article.

The fact is that I am quite confident that the next American revolution will take place rather soon, and further, that it will be successful. By that I mean that the working class will rise up, overthrow the existing government, smash the state apparatus which is currently being used to crush the working class, and set up a new working class state apparatus, in the form of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. This has been done before, as previously mentioned. And yet, the capitalists managed to return to power. We have to learn from the mistakes, of previous revolutionaries, in order to avoid repeating them.

I am also confident that a proper American Communist Party is taking shape. By ”proper” I mean one that is based on the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. That certainly includes the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, the ”touchstone” of a true Marxist, according to Lenin.

Incidentally, I managed to get my hands on an English translation of an article, written by Engels, in 1891, of his Introduction to an article written by Karl Marx, titled The Civil War in France. In that article, he refers to the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Capitalization by Engels. As he felt that the theory was so important, he used those capital letters, and I will follow his example.

We have got to distinguish ourselves from the other ”Leftist” political parties, those which are social chauvinists! If there is one thing that unites the chauvinists, perhaps the only thing, it is their opposition to the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. As it is the worst night mare of the bourgeoisie, the chauvinists want nothing to do with it! For that reason, may I suggest that the name of the Party become, American Communist Party, Dictatorship of the Proletariat. ACP,DP.

No doubt, some may object that in March of 1918, Lenin approved the name change of the Party, from the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party of Bolsheviks, to the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks), or RCP(B). That is true. Yet the only reason he placed the word Bolsheviks in brackets, was because it was so meaningless. In fact, it means majority in Russian, as opposed to Menshevik, which means minority.

The term Dictatorship of the Proletariat expresses a fundamental tenet of Marxism. It is anything but meaningless, and should not be placed in brackets, but instead be separated by a comma.

Incidentally, I have abandoned my capitalization of Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, or DOP, in favour of that suggested by Engels. DP it is.

LESSONS FROM PREVIOUS REVOLUTIONS: THE PARIS COMMUNE

The people who took part in previous revolutions made certain mistakes. It is up to us to learn from those mistakes, in order to avoid repeating them. As Lenin put it, ”A mistake remains a mistake, so it is necessary to criticize it, and fight for its rectification”.

This brings me to the first successful attempt, by the proletariat, to seize political power. Of course I am referring to the Paris Commune of 1871, France. The Commune was brief, surviving a mere few weeks, before it was crushed, with the utmost brutality. In fact, it resulted in a ”blood bath of defenceless prisoners”. I mention this for the sake of working people, who are interested in such details.

One of the favourite responses of the social chauvinists is to point out that Marx, who was living in Britain at the time, foresaw that the rebellion was approaching, considered that it was ”desperate folly”, and in the fall of 1870, advised against it. True. Yet the rebellion was forced upon the workers, and they rose to the occasion. As Marx put it, the heroic Communards ”stormed the very gates of heaven”!

Of course there is a reason that the social chauvinists mention this. They are trying to forestall the American revolution! They would have us believe that the approaching socialist revolution is also ”desperate folly”! They will also quite cheerfully point out that the American workers are not prepared to seize political power! That too is true! The capitalists are constantly bombarding the working class with distortions and outright lies, as a means of maintaining control, part of their method of rule. They are making every effort to ensure that the workers are never prepared for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat! It is up to us to educate workers, to prepare the working class for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat! That is our duty!

It is instructive to note that at the time of the Paris Commune, there was a gentleman by the name of Kugelmann, who was also of the opinion that the workers of Paris should never have revolted. Marx wrote to him and expressed his opinion, in terms which left no room for any misunderstanding: ”World history would indeed be very easy to make, if the struggle were taken up only on condition of infallibly favourable chances”. (italics by Lenin)

The point is that the working class is in motion. Revolutionary motion. I refer to this as an Act of God. It is just a matter of time, and probably a short time, before the workers rise up and ”storm the gates of heaven”, so to speak. In other words, take part in a full blown revolution. This insurrection, if successful, will result in the downfall of the current government, and the destruction of the current state apparatus, that which is being used to crush the working class. The only question being: What will replace the current government?

For the benefit of the advanced workers, those who are just now becoming politically active, I will mention that ”mass movements” happen. Common people rise up spontaneously, as for example in America, 1776, or in France several years later. Frequently, these movements have no leaders, although leaders do emerge. The point being that the people who are in motion, frequently by the millions, are not aware of that which they are doing. In fact, they are making history! ThIs is called being spontaneous. Yet it in no way changes the fact- and it is a fundamental tenet of Marxism- that ”the masses are the makers of history!”

As previously mentioned -and I say it again by way of emphasis- the social chauvinists are well aware of this! Their plan is merely to take over the existing state apparatus, at the time of the revolution, and set themselves up as the new rulers! The last thing they want to see, is the destruction of the state apparatus! Perish forbid! There is a method to their madness!

Now to return to the popular insurrection, which is bound to happen. If the uprising is spontaneous, the chances of success are not that great. After all, the capitalists have had a great many years to prepare for such an assault. They are not entirely stupid!

By contrast, if the insurrection is well planned, as was the insurrection in Russia, on November 7, (new style calendar) 1917, then it has every chance of being successful. The events of January 6, 2021, in the capitol of Washington, have served to reveal the weakness of the capitol! And that, in turn, serves to reveal the importance of a Communist Party! Only such a Party can organize a proper insurrection!

To return to the lessons of the Paris Commune. As brief as it was, it provided Marx with the information he needed, and he subjected the Commune to a careful analysis in his book, The Civil War In France. (Bear in mind that the leaders of the Commune were Prondhonists and Blanquists. Neither paid any attention to the advice of Marx)

The Commune did away with the standing army, and armed the whole people. It proclaimed the separation of church and state, abolished state payments to religious bodies, made popular education purely secular. In addition, night work in bakeries was forbidden, and the system of fines was abolished. A decree was issued that all factories and work shops, which had been abandoned or shut down by their owners, were to be turned over to associations of workers, and were to resume production. A second decree was issued, to the effect that the salaries of all administration and government officials, regardless of rank, could not exceed the normal wages of a worker. Further, such officials were subject to recall at any time. Excellent! Yet the Commune made a number of serious mistakes.

Immediately after the workers of Paris rose up and seized power, the former government fled to the neighbouring city of Versailles. The workers of the Commune, the Communards, failed to attack them! No doubt their attitude was one of ”live and let live”. A huge mistake! As Lenin phrased it, ”In rising against the old regime, the proletariat undertook two tasks -one of them national and the other of a class character- the liberation of France from the German invasion and the socialist emancipation of the workers from capitalism. This union of two tasks forms a unique feature of the Commune”. The workers, Communards, were ”blinded by patriotic illusions”. Lenin went on to say: ”Combining contradictory tasks -patriotism and socialism- was the fatal mistake of the French socialists…the task of the proletariat was to fight for the socialist emancipation of labour from the yoke of the bourgeoisie”.

It is safe to say that the Communards went ”half way”. There is some truth to the expression that ”half measures get you nowhere”. The banks were not taken over. The workers attempted to ”exert moral influence” on the government which had fled to Versailles. Fat chance! As a result of these ”half measures”, the government in Versailles was able to gather enough forces to crush the Commune. A fine example of half measures getting somewhere- into an early grave!

The point must be driven home that the working class, the proletariat, must be focused. It must be focused on destroying their class enemies, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. There must be no distractions!

There is one other comment by Marx, which I consider to be of vital importance, especially as it is frequently overlooked: ”Having once got rid of the standing army and the police, the physical force elements of the old government, the Commune was anxious to break the spiritual force of repression, the ‘parson power”’. (my italics)

It is clear that Marx was careful to distinguish between the ”physical force elements of the old government”, which is quite obvious, and the ”spiritual force of repression”, which is far less obvious. Both are part of the state apparatus, which is used to crush the working class, and as such, has to be destroyed. Yet all too often, the spiritual forces of repression are overlooked. We will return to this later.

Perhaps the most important lesson learned from the Commune, is that the proletariat ”cannot simply lay hold of the existing state apparatus and use it for their own purposes”! Instead, the state apparatus, which has been set up by the capitalists, in order to crush and exploit the working class, must be ”smashed, destroyed”, according to Marx. A separate state apparatus must then be set up, in order to ”crush the desperate and determined resistance of the bourgeoisie”, as they ”try to restore their paradise lost”, as per Lenin! This new state apparatus is referred to as the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

RUSSIAN OCTOBER REVOLUTION

The next revolution on our hit parade, is the socialist, October Revolution of 1917 Russia, so called because it took place on October 25, old style calendar, or November 7, new style calendar. It was successful, against all the odds, because it was led by Lenin, and Lenin was careful to follow all the guide lines of Marx.

All historians, including the most devoted servants of the bourgeoisie, are agreed that Lenin had his hands full! At that time, Russia was an underdeveloped country. It was huge, over three times the size of the continental United States, sparsely populated, but with the majority of the people, three quarters in fact, being peasants. Yet there were other classes in the country. These included the nobility, the landlords, the middle class small business owners, or petty bourgeois, the monopoly capitalists, or bourgeoisie, the peasants, whom were in turn divided into poor, middle and rich, and of course the workers, or proletariats.

Naturally, this gave rise to various political parties, each of which claimed to represent the interests of one particular class. Each party had to be taken into account. As well, the country was at war with Germany and the Central Powers. Yet the revolution succeeded!

I mention this for the sake of those who are skeptical, who think that the American revolution cannot possibly succeed, as the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, are too powerful, and the working class in not prepared. Such is not the case! In 1917 Russia, under far more difficult circumstances, a socialist revolution succeeded, but only because of the leadership of Lenin. He relied upon the working class, the proletariat, as well as the vast majority of poor peasants. As long as we have the backing of the common people, the members of the public, the rank and file, the workers, the poor peasants and the proletariat, then we can work miracles. It worked in Russia, it will work here.

The difference is that the current political situation is much simpler, as the capitalists have thoughtfully clarified matters. On the one hand, we have the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, and on the other hand, we have the workers, the proletariat. We have no nobility, and only the remnants of other classes, the peasantry (farmers) and the middle class. Now it is ”us” against ”them”. This can only work to our advantage, because, as Lenin pointed out, ”in every capitalist society, the only decisive forces are the proletariat and the bourgeoisie”. (italics by Lenin) We fully intend to teach the bourgeoisie the meaning of the word ”decisive”!

After the death of Lenin, in 1924, it was Stalin who became the leader of the Soviet Union. He in turn carried to completion the work which Lenin had started. A most backward, under developed, predominantly peasant country, was transformed into a highly industrialized socialist republic. As a result of two Five Year Plans- planned production- the Soviet Union was able to accomplish, in ten years, that which it had taken the capitalist countries, one hundred years! At the time of the revolution, Russia was one hundred years behind America. Yet at the end of the second five year plan, the country had caught up!

This enabled the Soviet Union to withstand the Nazi invasion of 1941, that which the Soviets referred to as the Great Patriotic War. This victory would have been inconceivable without socialist construction in the Soviet Union.

Yet after the death of Stalin, the Russian capitalists were able to return to power. This prompted the Chinese Communists to conduct a criticism of Stalin.

In particular, Chairman Mao tse-tung, on behalf of the Communist Party of China, CPC, wrote an open letter to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, CPSU, in which Stalin was defended. This letter is contained within the Selected Works of Mao, and titled On the Question of Stalin. As it is so vitally important, I have decided to quote it at length. A great revolutionary leader has been terribly slandered, and continues to be slandered. As a matter of principle, he must be defended.

It should be mentioned that, due to the diligent efforts of the bourgeois censures, it is most difficult to obtain a copy of this letter. But as Mao wrote:

”The CPC -Communist Party of China-has always held that when Comrade Khruschev completely negated Stalin, on the pretext of ‘combatting the personality cult’, he was quite wrong and had ulterior motives…this …violates Lenin’s integral teaching on the interrelationship of leaders, Party, class and masses, and undermines the Communist principle of democratic centralism…

”The great Soviet Union was the first state of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. In the beginning, the foremost leader of the Party and Government in this state was Lenin. After Lenin’s death, it was Stalin…

”After Lenin’s death, Stalin became not only the leader of the Party and government of the Soviet Union, but the acknowledged leader of the international Communist movement as well…

”The CPC has consistently maintained that the question of how to evaluate Stalin and what attitude to take towards him is not just one of appraising Stalin himself; more important, it is a question of how to sum up the historical experience of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat and of the International Communist movement since Lenin’s death…

”The CPC insists on an overall, objective and scientific analysis of Stalin’s merits and demerits, by the method of historical materialism and the presentation of history as it actually occurred, and has opposed the subjective, crude and complete negation of Stalin by the method of historical idealism and the willful distortion and alteration of history …

”Stalin did commit errors, which had their ideological as well as social and historical roots. It is necessary to criticize the errors Stalin actually committed, not those groundlessly attributed to him, and to do so from a correct stand, and with correct methods. But we have consistently opposed improper criticism of Stalin, made from a wrong stand and wrong methods….

”Stalin fought czarism and propagated Marxism during Lenin’s lifetime; after he became a member of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, headed by Lenin, he took part in the struggle to pave the way for the 1917 Revolution; after the October Revolution he fought to defend the fruits of the proletarian revolution…

”Stalin led the CPSU -Communist Party of the Soviet Union- and the Soviet people, after Lenin’s death, in resolutely fighting both internal and external foes, and in safe guarding and consolidating the first socialist state in the world…

”Stalin led the CPSU in upholding the line of socialist industrialization and agricultural collectivization and in achieving great successes in socialist transformation and socialist construction …

”Stalin led the CPSU, the Soviet people, and the Soviet army in an arduous and bitter struggle, to the great victory of the anti fascist war….

”Stalin defended and developed Marxism-Leninism in the fight against various kinds of opportunism, against the enemies of Leninism, the Trotskyites, Zinovienites, Bukharinites, and other bourgeois agents…

”Stalin made an indelible contribution to the International Communist movement, in a number of theoretical writings, which are immortal Marxist-Leninist works….

”Stalin led the Soviet Party and Government in pursuing a foreign policy which on the whole was in keeping with proletarian internationalism and in greatly assisting the revolutionary struggles of all peoples, including the Chinese people…

”Stalin stood in the forefront of the tide of history, guiding the struggle, and was an irreconcilable enemy of the imperialists and all reactionaries…

”Stalin’s activities were intimately bound up with the struggles of the great CPSU and the great Soviet people, and inseperable from the revolutionary struggles of the people of the whole world…

”Stalin’s life was that of a great Marxist-Leninist, a great proletarian revolutionary…

”It is true that while he performed meritorious deeds for the Soviet people and the International Communist movement, Stalin, a great Marxist-Leninist and proletarian revolutionary, also made certain mistakes. Some were errors of principle, and some errors were made in the course of practical work; some could have been avoided, and some were scarcely avoidable at a time when the Dictatorship of the Proletariat had no precedent to go by….

”In his way of thinking, Stalin departed from dialectical materialism and fell into metaphysics and subjectivism on certain questions and consequently he was sometimes divorced from reality and from the masses. In struggles inside as well as outside the Party, on certain occasions and on certain questions, he confused two types of contradictions, which are different in nature, contradictions between ourselves and the enemy, and contradictions among the people, and also confused the different methods used in handling them. In the work led by Stalin in suppressing the counter revolutionaries, many of the counter revolutionaries deserving punishment were duly punished, but at the same time, there were innocent people who were wrongly convicted; and in 1937 and 1938 there occurred the error of enlarging the scope of the suppression of counter revolutionaries. In the matter of Party and government organizations, he did not fully apply proletarian democratic centralism and, to some extent, violated it. In handling relations with fraternal Parties and countries, he made some mistakes. He also gave some bad counsel in the international Communist movement. These mistakes caused some losses to the Soviet Union and the International Communist movement….

”Stalin’s merits and mistakes are matters of historical, objective reality. A comparison of the two shows that his merits outweighed his faults. He was primarily correct, and his faults were secondary. In summing up Stalin’s thinking, and his work in their totality, surely every honest Communist with a respect for history will first observe what was primarily in Stalin. Therefore, when Stalin’s errors are being correctly appraised, criticized and overcome, it is necessary to safe guard what was primary in Stalin’s life, to safe guard Marxism-Leninism, which he defended and developed….

”It would be beneficial if the errors of Stalin, which are only secondary, are taken as historical lessons, so that the Communists of the Soviet Union and other countries might take warning and avoid repeating those errors, or commit fewer errors. Both positive and negative historical lessons are beneficial to all Communists, providing they are drawn correctly and conform with, but do not distort historical facts….”

The article goes on to point out that Lenin considered people such as August Bebel and Rosa Luxemburg to be great proletarian revolutionaries, despite their mistakes. As Lenin phrased it, the proper approach is not to conceal those mistakes, but to learn ”how to avoid them and live up to the more rigorous requirements of revolutionary Marxism”.

Mao went on to say: ”The leaders of the CPSU have accused the CPU of ‘defending Stalin’. Yes, we do defend Stalin. When Khruschev distorts history and completely negates Stalin, naturally we have the inescapable duty to come forward and defend him, in the interests of the International Communist movement.

”In defending Stalin, the CPC defends it’s correct side, defends the glorious history of struggle of the first state of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, which was created by the October Revolution; it defends the glorious history of struggle of the CPSU; it defends the prestige of the International Communist movement, among working people through out the world. In brief, it defends the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism. It is not only the Chinese Communists who are doing this; all Communists devoted to Marxism-Leninism, all staunch revolutionaries and all fair minded people have been doing the same thing.

”While defending Stalin, we do not defend his mistakes. Long ago, the Chinese Communists had first hand experience of some of his mistakes. Of the erroneous ”Left” and Right opportunist lines which emerged in the Chinese Communist Party at one time or another. Some arose under the influence of certain mistakes of Stalin’s, in so far as their international sources were concerned. In the late twenties, the thirties and the early and middle forties, the Chinese Marxist-Leninists, represented by Comrades Mao tse-tung and Lin shou-chi, resisted the influence of Stalin’s mistakes; they gradually overcame the erroneous lines of ”Left” and Right opportunism, and finally led the Chinese Revolution to final victory.

”But since some of the wrong ideas put forward by Stalin were accepted and applied by certain Chinese comrades, we Chinese should bear the responsibility. In its struggle against ”Left” and Right opportunism, therefore, our Party criticized only its erring comrades, and never put the blame on Stalin. The purpose of our criticism was to distinguish between right and wrong, learn the appropriate lessons and advance the revolutionary cause. We merely asked the erring comrades that they should correct their mistakes. If they failed to do so, we waited until they were gradually awakened by their own practical experience, provided they did not organize secret groups for clandestine and disruptive activities. Our method was the proper method of inter Party criticism and self criticism; we started from the desire for unity and arrived at a new unity on a new basis through criticism and struggle, and the good results were achieved. We held that these were contradictions among the people, and not between the enemy and ourselves, and that therefore we should use the above method…”

A great revolutionary has been slandered, and continues to be slandered. We will do our best to correct that attack by the capitalists. The fact remains that the capitalists have managed to restore capitalism in Russia, using as an excuse, the mistakes made by Stalin. We are going to have to avoid those mistakes.

CHINESE GREAT PROLETARIAN CULTURAL REVOLUTION

Yet there can be no doubt that the response of the Chinese Communists, to the return to power by the Russian capitalists, was to launch the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. This revolution was truly magnificent, so that countless people rose up and attacked their class enemies, the capitalists, the professional people, those who were working in the field of culture. The police were not allowed to interfere, except in the case of murder, arson or rape. Without doubt, the common people received valuable training, in the class struggle. Yet upon the death of Mao, the capitalists were able to return to power. So what went wrong?

Perhaps we should face the fact that the Cultural Revolution was just that. Cultural. It was not Scientific. I use that word in the loosest possible sense, to include medical and educational. True, the Cultural Revolution touched upon acupuncture, and in fact there were significant advances made in that field. Yet that was an exception.

Without doubt, the capitalists were hiding in various fields of culture. The Cultural Revolution did a fine job of rooting them out! Yet the capitalists were also hiding in various fields of science! They remained hidden, biding their time. Upon the death of Mao, they emerged and managed to seize political power.

This brings me to my previous statement, to the effect that Marx referred to the ”spiritual force of repression”. He made it clear that such a spiritual force was every bit as much a part of the state apparatus, as was the ”police and standing army, the physical force elements of the old government”. As such, both the physical and the spiritual, have to be destroyed. Was the spiritual force of repression destroyed in China?

There are various spiritual forces. In the case of the Paris Commune, Marx referred to the ”parson power”, the spiritual force of the clergy. Other spiritual forces include that of the mobsters, the landlords and the profession people, which includes the intellectuals and scientists. Common people have every reason to be terrified of the mobsters and the landlords. Yet the spiritual power of the professional people, which I refer to as ”Professor Power”, is more subtle.

Without doubt, the spiritual power of the landlords, in China, was broken. Mao made this quite clear in his excellent article, Report On An Investigation Of The Peasant Movement In Hunan. Lessons from this article can be applied to the approaching American Revolution.

One of the tactics the peasants used, to great effect, involved the use of a ”spear corps”. These spears were simple long poles, with metal blades on the end. Very simple and equally effective! The mere sight of a bunch of people, armed with spears, terrified their class enemies!

As that is the case, may I suggest that those same weapons be used, here in America. Numerous Councils have been formed, and they are currently arming, equipping and training workers. That equipment includes shields, night sticks, helmets, bullet proof vests and paint balls. They are also being trained in the use of firearms. Simple pipe wrenches can be used to open the fire hydrants, in order to reduce the water pressure, so as to neutralize the water cannons. Slings are also very handy, with projectiles of marbles, as a means of dealing with the ”cavalry”, the ”cowboys” mounted on horses.

As spears proved to be so effective in China, no doubt they will also serve to create a lasting impression here in America, especially in regard to the ”riot squad”. One of the favourite tactics of the government forces, is to ”lock shields” and advance towards peaceful protesters. They refer to this as ”crowd control”. Yet if that same ”crowd” is armed with spears, they will no doubt have second thoughts on the matter. It is also a fact that should projectiles of marbles, launched from slings, fail to have the desired effect on horses, then rest assured, no horse will charge into a wall of spears.

But now to return to the Chinese Peasant Revolution:

As Mao phrased it, ”The main targets of attack by the peasants are the local tyrants, the evil gentry and the lawless landlords, but in passing (my italics) they also hit out against patriarchal ideas and institutions, against the corrupt officials in the cities and against bad practices in the rural areas….the privileges which the feudal landlords enjoyed for thousands of years are being shattered to pieces. Every bit of the dignity and prestige built up by the landlords is being swept into the dust”.

That which he mentioned ”in passing” is critical. It suggests that he underestimated the importance of smashing the spiritual forces of repression. This helps to explain the fact that the Cultural Revolution was almost entirely limited to culture. It barely touched on science. This was due to the fact that the spiritual power of the professional people, those working in various fields of science, the ”Professor Power”, was not broken.

The ”institutions” to which Mao referred, are part of the ”physical force elements of repression”. As they are part of the state apparatus, the peasants were absolutely correct in destroying them. They were also correct in attacking, or ”hit out”, against ”patriarchal ideas” and ”bad practices”. That is part of the ”spiritual force of repression” which also had to be destroyed. The peasants trusted their class instincts, and acted correctly. The ”spiritual force of the landlords” was smashed.

As the power of the peasant associations grew, the ”top local tyrants and evil gentry” made themselves scarce. They ran to the towns and cities.

Here in America, we have Councils being created. As yet, they are rather weak, but as they grow stronger, and exert ever more influence, we can expect the mobsters, as well as the ”rich and powerful”, to grab as much money as they can get their greedy little paws on, and head for ”parts unknown”.

In China, the peasant movement caused quite an uproar. In fact, the ”gentry” found this to be appalling! Even the most progressive, true revolutionaries, began to use the word ”terrible”. Mind you, the revolutionaries qualified that statement by adding that ”it is inevitable in a revolution”. No one could deny that it was terrible! Yet all were mistaken!

As Mao pointed out, the peasant movement amounted to the ”forces of rural democracy”, which managed to ”overthrow the forces of rural feudalism”. These forces were the ”corner stone of imperialism, warlordism and corrupt officialdom”. They had to be destroyed, and they were destroyed. The only correct revolutionary response is to say ”that is fine!”

AMERICAN REVOLUTION

We can expect a similar response here in America, at the time when the working people, led by the Councils, and hopefully a Communist Party, rises up to challenge the authority of the capitalists, the mobsters, and even the scientists. No doubt, the journalists, the loyal lapdogs of the capitalists, will be roused to a frenzy of ”righteous indignation”! Let them rage! They too will become a target of the revolution!

We can also expect the more ”moderates”, the centrists, to take their own stand. They will play the role of the ”elder statesman”, the ”profound philosopher”, whose ”words of wisdom drip from their lips like drops of precious pearls”. In fact, they are nothing other than loyal servants of the capitalists! Bleeding hearts, one and all! Quite predictable!

These centrists will state that the movement is ”going too far”, that people certainly have ”legitimate grievances”, but that ”everyone should respect the law”. Those who break the law ”should be brought to justice”.

It never crosses the mind of these simple souls that a great many people are about to be ”brought to justice”! Proletarian justice! A revolution is not a tea party! It is first and foremost an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another! It is not to be confused with needle point! The capitalists, the billionaires, have to be overthrown! That requires something more than a stern lecture! At the same time, the mobsters, thieves, sex offenders and assorted lowlife, can and will be held accountable.

These people, the class enemies of the proletariat, will not be allowed to hide behind high priced lawyers. The days of ”pleading the fifth” will soon be over! Instead, they will have to answer to the people, the same people they have crushed and exploited for years! And make no mistake, the people keep track! They know precisely the book makers, the drug dealers, the thieves, the killers, the rapists and child molesters. The people will soon decide those who deserve the most severe punishment, and those who will receive less severe punishment.

It is noteworthy that at one point, Lenin was asked, by a corespondent, a question concerning war criminals. His response was instructive, in that his recommendation was to ”educate them to useful labour and make them break with the shameful, base bloody role of exploiters and instigators of wars for the partition of colonies. War will then soon become absolutely impossible”. Re-education through labour!

Among those who will receive leniency, are the professional people, the scientists, teachers, professors and such. Those are the people who are insisting, to this day, that dinosaurs are extinct, that the mega fauna are extinct, that people are responsible for climate change, in the form of global warming, that all sightings of UFO’s are mere hocus pocus, that all sightings of Sasquatch are the product of overly active imaginations, that Ogopogo and the Loch Ness monster are fairy tales, and so on and so forth. Nonsense! The list is endless. In fact, the science and history books are filled with countless distortions and out right lies. These people will be held to account, but not to the extent of the mobsters, the sex offenders and the capitalists. Yet their spiritual power will be broken.

For the moment, the professional people are able to exercise a certain spiritual power over the common people, which I refer to as ”Professor Power”. It is part of the state apparatus, that which is used to crush the working people, and must be destroyed.

As for those who may suggest that this smacks of terror, I can only respond that you are so right. Bear in mind that there is a big difference between committing acts of terror on innocent citizens, such as the events of nine eleven, and terrorizing the capitalists and lowlifes. The fact is that terror is required to overthrow the class enemies of the proletariat, to crush their resistance. As Mao put it, ”Proper limits have to be exceeded in order to right a wrong, or else the wrong cannot be righted”. This is to say that during a revolution, the normal rules of polite, proper etiquette, do not apply!

We can expect the loudest opposition to be raised by the most patriotic citizens, the middle class, the petty bourgeois. As Lenin pointed out, these people, ”owing to their economic position, are more patriotic than the bourgeoisie or the proletariat.”

A sizeable portion of the petty bourgeois consists of the mobsters, those who are in the ”business” of separating honest people from their money. That makes them middle class, petty bourgeois. They tend to diversify, rather than focus on any one field of endeavour, so that they are less effected by economic downturns. Indeed, they generally are involved in a wide range of businesses, which include dope dealing, boot legging, drug running, theft, gambling, prostitution, extortion, gun running, kidnapping and ”human trafficking”, which is to say the slave trade. They tend to be even more patriotic than most petty bourgeois, with good reason. After all, they will be the first to point out that nowhere else in the world, is it so easy to make a ”dishonest buck”! The Constitution grants them rights, unmatched in any other parts of the world! All sex offenders are also of that opinion! They have every reason to be patriotic, to oppose the revolution!

For our part, we can only do our best, to make sure that their worst nightmares come to pass! Perhaps the sex offenders, those who take great delight in abusing women and children, in private of course, should be allowed to spend a little more ”quality time” with those ladies. One good turn deserves another! May I suggest placing those scum in a room with all of their victims, or the mothers of the children, with whom they had such a great time, and then giving them a little privacy. Under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, there is no statute of limitations!

At the time of the Chinese revolution, during the uprising of the peasants, the ultimate punishment, that of execution, was rare, but it did happen. As Mao put it, ”in the interests of eradicating the remaining evils of feudalism….the only effective way of suppressing the reactionaries is to execute at least a few in each county, who are guilty of the most heinous crimes”.

Naturally, we are not cursed with the ”remaining evils of feudalism”, as the capitalists have eradicated that filth, for their own reasons, many years ago. Yet there is no shortage of reactionaries in the country! All too many of them have committed the most heinous crimes! No doubt a few of them will be executed, as a means of suppressing all other reactionaries. The workers will have a difficult time, trying to decide the chosen few! There are so many who deserve the death penalty! The competition is fierce! Yet once people are dead, they can no longer be the slightest bit useful. So the death penalty must be used sparingly. The remaining reactionaries must be sentenced to a life of manual labour, in remote locations, so that escape is out of the question. In that manner, even the reactionaries can do their part in building socialism!

Those who are guilty of less serious crimes can be sentenced to a term of labour, to be determined by the workers, involved in building socialism. Certainly our railroads have to be repaired and rebuilt. A great deal of work must be done in the country side. Our agricultural base needs a great deal of work, as does our woodlands. Countless areas which have been polluted by the capitalists, must be cleaned up. Who better to clean up the mess, than the people who made the mess?

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

In conclusion, we can say that the heroic Communards of Paris did not smash the existing state apparatus, and further, that they tried to do two things at once. To build socialism, while remaining loyal to their country. A fatal mistake!

In the Soviet Union, Stalin made mistakes, which the capitalists seized upon. Then again, it was up to his closest advisors, the Members of the Central Committee, to offer him advice. We can say that they were negligent in their duty. After all, we are all human, so that we all make mistakes.

In Communist China, the spiritual power of the scientists, the ”Professor Power”, was not crushed. All such spiritual power, which is part of the state apparatus, and used to crush the working people, must be destroyed.

I submit that these are the lessons of previous revolutions. We must be sure not to commit those same mistakes.