World Socialist Revolution

The first Russian Revolution of the twentieth century, referred to as the Revolution of 1905, or simply Oh Five, began on January 22, old style calendar, OSC, or January 9, new style calendar, NSC, of that year. At that time, in the capital city of Saint Petersburg, a priest, by the name of Father Gapon, led a procession of unarmed citizens to the Winter Palace of Czar Nicholas of Russia. As the loyal subjects of His Majesty, their one and only desire was to present to their monarch a petition, with a list of their legitimate grievances. In response, Czar Nicholas turned loose his Imperial Guard. By the end of the day, the streets of Saint Petersburg were littered with the bodies of countless dead and wounded Russian citizens.

This has gone down in Russian history as ”Bloody Sunday”.

Incidentally, at that time, they were using the Old Style Calendar, OSC, as opposed to the New Style Calendar, NSC. For the purposes of this article, I use the abbreviation of OSC and NSC.

Historians consider Bloody Sunday to be the start of the Revolution of 1905. As outrage spread across the country, a series of massive strikes spread across the industrial centres of the Russian Empire. The trains quit running. In outlying areas, the peasants attacked the landlords. Prisons were stormed and the inmates were released. For two years, the Russian Empire was shaken, but it did not collapse. In 1907, the uprising died down, and Czar Nicholas was still in power. There followed several years of reaction.

Not all Revolutions can be assigned a start date.

The European Revolution of 1848 is one such Revolution. Historians are agreed that it started in Sicily, in January of 1848, and spread across much of Europe. These are referred to as ”republic revolts”, in that the citizens rose up against their monarchies. All ended in failure, followed by widespread reaction, as the various monarchs punished the common people, for the terrible sin of challenging their ”betters”, daring to demand democratic rights.

It is significant that this Revolution has characteristics which are common to all modern Revolutions. They tend to spread! Even though it started in Sicily, it did not end there! The industrial Revolution has given rise to communications networks, which were completely unknown to our ancestors. We are now at the point of being made aware of events taking place, around the world, as they happen!

To return to Russia of the early twentieth century, after the Revolution of ”Oh Five”, reaction set in, as it always does, after the suppression of a mass movement. For several years, things ”returned to normal”, in the sense that the trains were running, the factories were producing, the peasants were growing their crops, the nobility was living a life of luxury, and the capitalists were making nothing but money! Life was good! At least for the ”upper classes”! They thought nothing had changed! They could not possibly have been more mistaken! The situation had changed, and changed quite dramatically! They just did not know it!

At the start of the Oh Five Revolution, the ”common people”, by whom I mean the workers and peasants, were the loyal subjects of His Majesty. After the Revolution, they remained the subjects of His Majesty. Just not so loyal.

That Revolution had succeeded in revealing, to common people, the true nature of the nobility! They were concerned only with their power and wealth! Any challenge to their authority was simply not allowed! Their response to the legitimate demands of the common people of Russia, left no room for any doubt!

In scientific jargon, we can say that the ”level of awareness” of the masses had been raised. (I tend to generally avoid the use of the word ”masses”, in reference to people, as it sounds so impersonal. I prefer the expression ”common people”, or ”working people”, or the ”rank and file”, as that is the manner in which they refer to themselves.)

It is also a fact that they were veterans! There is no substitute for experience! Those who took part in the Oh Five Revolution, knew what to expect! What is more, they knew how to respond!

As is well known, after several years of reaction, the Revolutionary motion picked up again. Only this time, it was much stronger! The common people had no illusions! They recognized the Czar as the butcher that he was! Nicholas the Bloody! They were focused on removing him from power, and they did! In February of 1917, he was overthrown. Not that the bourgeois writers state it in those terms. Those writers say that the Czar was forced to ”abdicate the throne”.

For that reason, the second Russian Revolution of the twentieth century became known as the February Revolution. It is one of those Revolutions which has not been given a ”start date”. This is understandable, as a Revolution comes about as the result of a mass movement. Yet some mass movements give rise to Revolutions, while others do not. Frequently, there is no clear distinction between the two. It generally comes down to common usage. As I am not terribly concerned with titles, I consider this to be a matter of indifference.

One such mass movement, of recent times, is that of the Occupy Movement. At no point has anyone referred to it as a Revolution. Be that as it may, it has been assigned a ”start date” of September 17, 2011. On that day, a group of people occupied a park in New York City. The bourgeois press referred to this as the ”’beginning of a populist socio-politico movement”.

It is important to remember that the ”press” is completely owned and operated by the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. Those who work for them, referred to as journalists, are careful to report events precisely in a manner of which the capitalists approve. These journalists are referred to as ”bourgeois”, as they are loyal, devoted servants of their ”lords and masters”, the bourgeoisie. For that reason, it is important to ”read between the lines”, to distinguish between the facts they state, as opposed to their analysis.

The following report is an example:

”The first Occupy protest to receive widespread attention, Occupy Wall Street in Zuccotti Park, Lower Manhattan, began on 17 September 2011. By 9 October, Occupy protests had taken place or were ongoing in over 951 cities across 82 countries, and in over 600 communities in the United States. Although the movement became most active in the United States, by October 2011 Occupy protests and occupations had started in dozens of other countries across every widely inhabited continent. For the first month, overt police repression remained minimal, but this began to change by 25 October 2011, when police first attempted to forcibly remove Occupy Oakland. By the end of 2011 authorities had cleared most of the major camps, with the last remaining high-profile sites – in Washington, D.C. and in London – evicted by February 2012.”

This paragraph is somewhat exceptional, in the sense that it is rather accurate. It merely states the facts, without giving any analysis. The fact is that the Occupy Movement, was a Revolutionary Movement, one which started and spread around the world within a matter of days!

When I say ”around the world”, I am referring mainly to the countries of the world which are industrialized. Sometimes I over simplify, in order to make a point.

The writer is also correct in documenting the fact that the various government agencies wasted no time in crushing that Revolutionary Movement. In that process, the democratic rights of all citizens, in all capitalist countries, to peaceful protest, was disregarded. In each country, the class of people in charge, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, made it abundantly clear, that they will tolerate no challenge to their authority.

In the following paragraph, the writer ”reverted to form” and presented more facts, but complete with a ”proper analysis”, in the sense that it was biased, or ”slanted”, in favour of the capitalists:

”The Occupy movement took inspiration in part from the Arab Spring, from the 2009 Iranian Green Movement, and from the Spanish Indignados Movement, as well as from the overall global wave of anti-austerity protests of 2010 and following. The movement commonly used the slogan “We are the 99%” and the #Occupy hashtag format; it organized through websites such as the now defunct Occupy Together. According to The Washington Post, the movement, which Cornel West described as a “democratic awakening”, is difficult to distill to a few demands. On 12 October 2011, the Los Angeles City Council became one of the first governmental bodies in the United States to adopt a resolution stating its informal support of the Occupy movement. In October 2012, the Executive Director of Financial Stability at the Bank of England stated that the protesters were right to criticise and had persuaded bankers and politicians “to behave in a more moral way”.

It is true that the protesters referred to themselves as the ”99%”, as opposed to the ”1%”. This is a step towards class consciousness, or perhaps it is more accurate to say that it is ”class consciousness in embryonic form”. There was an ”instinctive awareness” on the part of the ”vast majority”, or the ”common people”, or the ”rank and file”, as they refer to themselves. They instinctively distinguished themselves, the 99%, from the ”insignificant minority”, the ”extremely rich”, whom they referred to as the 1%.

All of those protesters were either working class, proletarians, or middle class, petty bourgeois. This calls for a little explanation, which some readers may find to be tiresome. Yet it is important, so bear with me.

Working class people are composed of those who have nothing to sell but their labour power. They sell themselves by the hour, for the fine reason that they have no choice in the matter. It is either that or starvation. Yet the conditions of life of the working class do not lead to the awareness of themselves as a class. The scientific name for this class is that of ”proletariat”.

The middle class people are those who may own a small business. They have something to sell. They are ”small time capitalists”, or ”petty bourgeois”. They are under extreme pressure from the monopoly corporations, as those who own those corporations, the billionaires, or ”bourgeoisie”, take a ”dim view” of competition. In fact, they are determined to wipe out all competition, no matter how minor.

In short, these are the three main classes of people in North America. The bourgeoisie, the proletariat, and the petty bourgeois. The middle class has been decimated, but is still a force. The class of peasants, or farmers, have been all but wiped out. They are ”hanging on by their finger tips”.

In other parts of the world, the peasants are still quite numerous. In certain countries, they make up the majority of the population. The Revolutionaries, in such countries, must take this into account.

The point being that during the Occupy Movement, the class of people known as the proletariat, as well as the class of people known as the petty bourgeois, came together and demanded change. The class of people known as the bourgeoisie, those who are in charge, made it quite clear that they will tolerate no discontent.

Now to return to the second paragraph. Perhaps the most glaring absurdity is the statement that ”the protesters…had persuaded the bankers and politicians to ‘behave in a more moral way”’. Nonsense! The ”bankers and politicians”, to whom the writer of this article refers, are the loyal and devoted servants of the the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie! Such people are not capable of acting ”in a moral way”! They are strangers to morality! They would not know a moral, if they tripped over it! To suggest that such people acted ”in a moral way”! They do not know how!

On the other hand, the journalist comes close to the truth, when he refers to the ”movement” as a ”democratic awakening”, which is ”difficult to distill to a few demands”. In fact, all Revolutions are characterized by the fact that common people get into motion, not aware of that which they are doing. For that reason, their demands were ”difficult to distill”.

The fact of the matter is that the Occupy Movement was absolutely Revolutionary! Countless people, those who were ”formerly apathetic”, become ”politically active”. Or as those who took part in the Occupy Movement phrased it, they ”woke up”.

This is characteristic of all Revolutions. Lenin went into this, in detail, in his excellent article, Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder. That too, is required reading for all Revolutionaries.

To proceed with our analysis of the second paragraph. The reference to the slogan, ”We are the 99%”, is a reference to the fact that the ”lower classes” were beginning to become class conscious! This calls for a little explanation.

It is a fundamental tenet of Marxism, that the working class is not aware of itself as a class! The conditions of life, of the working class, do not lead to that awareness! That awareness, that class consciousness, must be brought to the working class, from an outside source. That outside source is middle class intellectuals, scientific socialists, which is to say, Marx and Lenin.

Marx lived and worked in the mid to late nineteenth century, while capitalism was still in its pre monopoly stage, referred to as competitive capitalism. Through his scientific analysis of capitalism, he proved that it inevitably gave rise to socialism. This is referred to as scientific socialism, which includes the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

By contrast, there are a great many well meaning people who think that socialism is a good idea, even if it is ”not likely”. They are referred to as ”utopian socialists”. They are about to receive a ”rude awakening”!

At the ”turn of the century”, which is to say the end of the nineteenth century, and the beginning of the twentieth century, capitalism reached the stage of monopoly. Monopoly capitalism is technically referred to as ”imperialism”. Naturally, the monopoly capitalists are referred to as ”imperialists”. That merely stands to reason.

Lenin conducted a thorough examination of capitalism, in its monopoly stage, that of imperialism. He found that imperialism has characteristics which are different from capitalism in its early, competitive stage. He documented this in one of his greatest works, titled Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism.

In contrast to competitive capitalism, monopoly capitalism, imperialism, has absolutely no progressive characteristics! As Lenin phrased it, it is ”reaction, right down the line!” That is another book that I consider to be essential, in the development of a proper scientific socialist, a true Communist.

To return to Russia, in early 1917, immediately after the Czar had been overthrown. The capitalists immediately established a democratic republic, under their rule, of course. This is referred to as the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. A fool, by the name of Kerensky, was the ”figure head” they placed in charge. This gave birth to the short lived Kerensky Regime.

For the common people of Russia, the workers and peasants, not a great deal changed. The great slaughter of working people, referred to as the First World War, continued. They remained cold and hungry, used as ”cannon fodder” by the military commanders. The land which was promised to the peasants, remained in the hands of the landlords. The Constituent Assembly was another promise that was never kept.

Under the Kerensky Regime, the Russian people were no longer being crushed and exploited by the Czar and the capitalists. They were ”merely” being crushed and exploited by the capitalists! Not a vast improvement!

That situation is similar to the one we are living in now. Whereas in Russia, the working people were veterans of the Revolution of Oh Five, here in America the working people are veterans of the Occupy Movement.

One important difference is that, in Russia at that time, there was a Communist Party, led by Lenin. The members of the Communist Party were able to explain, to the common people, the fact that the capitalists have to be overthrown. Further, the state apparatus, which has been set up by the capitalists, with the sole purpose of crushing the working people, must be smashed. It must be then replaced with another state apparatus, with the sole purpose of crushing the capitalists. This state apparatus is known as the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

Incidentally, the Dictatorship of the Proletariat is a basic tenet of Marxism. In fact, it is the ”touchstone” of a true Marxist. Only those who embrace the Dictatorship of the Proletariat are Marxists.

Yet the fact that we do not have a proper Communist Party, is no reason for despair. We have a cultured working class, and the Internet. Most working people have computers and know how to use them, or can find someone to help them. (I rely heavily on my grandchildren)

Revolutionary literature can now be downloaded from the Internet. Also, Revolutionary books are readily available, ordered from outlets on the Internet. Now it is a simple matter of reading those Revolutionary works, by Marx and Lenin. In that way, working people can become true Revolutionaries. There is no other way!

It is clear that the Revolutionary motion is once again sweeping the world. The press reports confirm this. Here is a sample, of headlines taken within the last few days, starting with the country of China:

”There are protests and defiance across China, against zero covid policy. There is a heavy police presence. Thousands risk safety protesting over covid lockdown. There is widespread fury and frustration. Shanghai is traumatized. All of China is fed up. There are protests in at least ten cities. Hong Kong is protesting. Chinese police are checking cell phones, in a bid to crush mass protests. Protesters in Guangzhou clash with riot police. The largest cell phone factory in the world is now shut down. The largest chip manufacturing company is now shut down. The riot police are seen across the country. A fire in Xinjang killed ten people, in part because of covid restrictions. The unrest is the worst in thirty years.”

It is perhaps not too surprising that the American press is quite concerned with the ”unrest” in China. After all, the American capitalists have invested a great deal of capital in that country. Even though the press documents the squalid conditions of life within those factories, the journalists are more worried about a possible shortage of cell phones!

The United Nations is also making headlines:

”The United Nations says the cost of living crisis is the worst the world has experienced so far in the twenty first century. An estimated seventy one million more people are now living in poverty. There is no clear solution. There is civil unrest around the world.”

The United Nations is correct when they say that the ”cost of living is the worst the world has experienced in the twenty first century”. They are also correct when they refer to ”civil unrest around the world”. They are careful to not mention the dreaded ”R word”, that of Revolution!

On the other hand, they are absolutely mistaken when they state that ”There is no clear solution”. There is a ”clear solution”. That clear solution is scientific socialism! That is only possible through Revolution, the overthrow of the capitalists, and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat! But then, they are also careful to not mention the word ”capitalism”!

Then there are the headlines which refer to the strike movement:

”Strikes are becoming ever more common, from truck drivers in Chile and South Korea, to rail workers and nurses in the United Kingdom. Industrial unrest is spreading across large areas of the world. A global cost of living crisis is pushing workers to go on strike. The unions in South Korea are excessively strong, so the government is determined to break the truckers strike. The striking truckers in Chile are holding their ground. The truckers in Chile walked out of talks.”

Please note that here too, the term ”industrial unrest” is used, instead of Revolution! The bourgeois journalists have so many creative ways of avoiding the word Revolution!

”The rising cost of living is leading to global unrest. Economies barely recovering from the pandemic are now facing more hardship. The war in Ukraine, climate crisis, cost of fuel, food and fertilizer, have pushed several countries beyond their ability to cope. Farmers and truck drivers are feeling the impact. Around the world, workers are demanding better pay and working conditions.”

Now we can add the term ”global unrest” to our list of expressions the bourgeois journalists use, instead of Revolution!

”In London, the scale of unrest is mounting. No one has seen anything like it. Teachers, postal workers, and others are going on strike. A winter of discontent is predicted. They are no closer to a solution.”

This writer ”hit the nail right on the head”! It is true when he says, they are ”no closer to a solution”. Because there is no solution! Not under capitalism! Socialism is required, but then that requires a Revolution! Followed by the Dictatorship of the Proletariat!

It seems clear that the Revolutionary Movement is now raging around the world. Just as the Occupy Movement quickly spread around the world, in a matter of days, so too this current Revolution is spreading, almost as quickly. It has very likely already ”touched down on the shores” of America. The Truckers Protest of several months ago, may well be regarded as the beginning of the American Socialist Revolution.

That is a mere selection of the topics that are being reported, mainly on foreign news outlets. There are numerous others, all concerning Revolutionary motion, in various countries. The American press tends to ignore such topics.

It is very likely that this will end up being a World Socialist Revolution. The Revolution is raging in so many highly industrialized countries! As well as a number of countries which are not so highly industrialized!

It is not by chance that the press is reporting so many strikes by truckers and railroads. Most Revolutions start in the transportation industry!

Now on the ”home front”, a possible railroad strike could happen very soon. In response, President Biden, a self declared ”friend of the Unions”, has just declared an ”imposed labour agreement”. He proposed a law, passed by both Houses of Congress, which forces the Railroad Unions to accept the contract, which they voted down! Some friend of the Unions!

It remains to be seen if the railroad workers will stay on the job, or defy the government order to keep working.

The Revolutionary motion is becoming ever stronger, in ever more countries of the world, on a daily basis. Yet the American journalists remain quite complacent. Perhaps that is a reflection of the attitude of the politicians. It is entirely possible that they are oblivious to the Revolutionary storm that is about to wash over the country.

There is an expression to the effect that ”Nero fiddled while Rome burned”. If there was ever an occasion when that was applicable, it is now. It is quite possible that the trains will soon quit moving. If that happens, it is very likely that the truckers will join them. Also the airline workers. For a start. Revolution!

So what are the politicians concerned with? The next Speaker of the House! The 2024 presidential election, still two years away! Volcano in Hawaii! Madness!

Yet this is perhaps typical. Immediately before the common people of France broke down the walls of the castles of the Nobility, the nobles were squabbling among themselves, gossiping and planning their next balls. The Revolution caught them completely unaware! Even though it had been building up for many years!

Perhaps the American billionaires are similar to the French nobility. They may be unable to even imagine a world in which they are not the rulers! It is entirely possible, that they cannot imagine the idea of losing their wealth and power! The idea of a Socialist American Revolution, of being crushed under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, may never have crossed their minds!

A more recent Revolution, one that is more pertinent, was the third Russian Revolution of the twentieth century, on October 25, OSC, or November 7, NSC. It was led by Lenin and the Bolsheviks, as that was the name by which they referred to themselves. It was well organized and almost bloodless. The Kerensky Regime was overthrown. The state apparatus was smashed. It was replaced by the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. The first Soviet Socialist Republic was born.

The next American Socialist Revolution should follow the example of that October Revolution. But then that is true for most of the highly industrialized countries of the world. Yet each country is different, so that the Revolutionary leaders of each country will have to devise an appropriate course of action.

The next few weeks should prove to be critical for the World Socialist Revolution. Events are happening at breakneck speed. Revolution could take place in any number of countries, giving rise to Socialist Republics.

I can once again stress the importance of becoming familiar with Revolutionary literature. If nothing else, by all means study State and Revolution. Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. What Is To Be Done? and Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder. All written by Lenin. All supremely relevant. I can think of no better way to prepare for the Revolution.

It is entirely possible that we may soon be facing that which Lenin foresaw:

World Socialist Republic