World Socialist Republic

On September 16, 2022, Mahsa Amini, a twenty two year old Iranian woman, died while in the hospital, as a result of head injuries. This young lady was first arrested, by the ”morality police”, for the terrible ”crime” of not wearing her head scarf (hajib) properly. Part of her hair was still visible! She was then taken to jail, beaten and died of her wounds.

It is entirely possible that this day will go down in history, as the beginning of the World Socialist Revolution.

Almost immediately, protests erupted and quickly spread all across Iran. Women of all ages began to burn their head scarfs and cut their hair. As well, marches and demonstrations have taken place, across the country. The police have tried very hard to quell the protests, with a great many protesters being arrested, while others have been killed, but to no avail. Instead, these protests have spread around the world. Even the journalists are now referring to this as a full scale Revolution.

Comparisons with the first Russian Revolution of 1917, referred to as the February Revolution, come to mind. The similarities are striking. For one thing, Iran is a big country, and while it is no where near the size of Russia, it is still about three times the size of France. As well, the current government of Iran states that ”Irans Republican and Islamic foundations are inextricably linked together Constitutionally”.

The implication is that there are two sets of laws, which are ”inextricably linked together”. On the one hand, there are the laws of the Republic of Iran, the ”laws of man”, and on the other hand, there are the Islamic Foundation laws, the ”Laws of God”! In other words, the ”laws of man” are ”inextricable linked together” with the ”laws of God”! Those two laws were never meant to be ”linked together”!

Under a democratic republic, no monarch is recognized, and citizens have certain democratic rights. One of those democratic rights is that of worshiping the God of our understanding, as we see fit. No one, and certainly no government, has any right to impose their beliefs on any citizen! Yet by ”linking together” the laws of the Republic with the Islamic Foundation laws, that is precisely what is happening!

The people of Iran are going to have to separate the two! No doubt the Revolutionary uprising is determined to separate the laws of the Islamic Foundation, from the laws of the Republic of Iran.

By comparison with Russia in early 1917, the common people of Russia were being crushed by the nobility and the capitalists. By the ”common people” I am referring to the workers and the peasants. The power of the Czar was almost absolute, while the conditions of life for the working class people was deplorable. The peasants in turn were also exploited by the landlords. All were cold, hungry and being used as ”cannon fodder” in the war with Germany and the Central Powers. They wanted nothing so much as bread, peace and land. The Czar and the capitalists had no intention of giving them any of that. I should add that by ”capitalists”, I am referring to the monopoly capitalists, at that time referred to as millionaires, not those who own a small business.

Yet as is well known, the Revolution became so strong that in February of 1917, Czar Nicholas was overthrown. The three hundred year long reign of the Romanovs was finished! The common people of Russia had accomplished the impossible! No one thought this was possible! The power of Revolution!

Now it is up to the common people of Iran, the workers and peasants, to also overturn the laws of the Islamic Foundation. By that, I mean to get the clergy out of the business of governing! Religion has no place in politics! The Iranian Republic must separate from the Islamic Foundation!

Assuming that takes place, then the situation will be similar to that which existed in Russia, after the Czar was overthrown. A Russian democratic republic was established, with the class of capitalists in power. At that time, the capitalists placed a self proclaimed socialist, a fool by the name of Kerensky, as the figure head leader, a mere puppet of the capitalists. The land remained in the hands of the landlords, the war continued, the promised Constituent Assembly was delayed, and all the common people, both workers and peasants, remained as cold and hungry as ever, still used as cannon fodder, all truly desperate.

Yet the Czar was no longer in power, and that was a step in the right direction. The next step, that of overthrowing the capitalists, required the direction of scientific socialists. The common people had gone as far as they could. The hated Czar was overthrown. By themselves, they could do no more. They needed a leader.

In April of that year, their leader returned from exile. His name was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, commonly known as Lenin.

It was Lenin who explained to the common people the necessity of Revolution. He pointed out that the class of people who were running the country, the capitalists, technically known as the bourgeoisie, had to be overthrown. They are concerned only with their profit. Just as a Revolution was required, to overthrow the Czar, so too another Revolution was required, to overthrow the capitalists.

The Russian working class was not aware of this, for good reason. The working class, the proletariat, is not aware of itself, as a class. The conditions of life, of the proletariat, do not lead to this awareness. That awareness must be brought to the working class, from an outside source. That outside source is middle class intellectuals. Make no mistake, Marx and Lenin were middle class intellectuals.

Lenin worked all his life to raise the level of awareness of the working class, to make them ”class conscious”. There is a reason for this. It is the working class, the proletariat, that is a truly Revolutionary class. Even though in Russia, at that time, they were in a minority, it was up to them to lead the Revolution, against the capitalists, to victory. This they accomplished, in magnificent style, in October of 1917.

Now a similar situation exists, and not just in Iran, but around the world. Just as the working class of Russia was not aware of itself as a class, with its own class interests, so too the working class, the proletariat, of other countries of today, are not class conscious.

In Russia, in 1917, Lenin and other Communists, provided the working people of Russia with the class consciousness they so desperately needed. Now it is up to middle class intellectuals of today, to provide the working class Revolutionaries, of all countries of the world, with that class consciousness.

There are a few important differences between Russia of 1917, and the present. Not the least of which is the fact that currently, we have no true Communist Party. Or at least, none of which I am aware. Certainly there is no Communist Party in any highly industrialized country of the world. Bear in mind that a true Communist Party embraces the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, the ”touchstone” of a true Marxist, according to Lenin.

Mind you, there is no shortage of Parties which claim to be Marxist. Social chauvinists, one and all, those who are socialists in words, chauvinists in deeds. They are all ”revisionists”, those who try to ”revise” the Revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. They are among the most dedicated, devoted servants of the billionaires, the capitalists. Belly crawling boot lickers, one and all.

Then too, we have the self described Democratic Socialists, those who are fighting for democracy and socialism. We have no quarrel with these people, as they make no claim to be Marxists. These are our friends and allies.

The point being that it is now up to people who are aware of the Revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin, to raise the level of awareness of the common people. Further, not just in America, but around the world. As the fires of Revolution are raging, in perhaps all of the industrialized countries of the world, the need is immediate and urgent.

All working people, and especially the proletariat, must be made aware of themselves as a class, with their own class interests. The class of people in charge, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, must be overthrown. This can only happen through Revolution. Further, the state apparatus, which has been set up to crush the working people, must be smashed. It must then be replaced with a different state apparatus, one which is designed to crush the capitalists, as they try desperately to restore their ”paradise lost”. This working class state apparatus is known as the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

Lenin explained this supremely well in his excellent article, State and Revolution. That is required reading for all Revolutionaries.

With respect to the current Revolution taking place in Iran, as well as in other countries of the world, may I suggest that we learn from the experience of previous Revolutions. In particular, the Russian Revolutions, as they so closely resemble our own. We can learn from their successes, as well as their mistakes.

At the time of the Russian Revolution, about three quarters of the people were peasants. The conditions of life, of the peasants, do not lead to the awareness of the necessity of Revolution. It is also very likely that few of them could read. Yet the situation was desperate, and under the leadership of the working class, the proletariat, a great many peasants became Revolutionary. That is especially true of the poor peasants.

As previously mentioned, at that time, Russia was blessed with a true Communist Party. The members of this Party were most valuable in raising the level of awareness of the common people, both workers and peasants.

Another important difference of today, which can work in our favour, is the fact that the working people of Iran are now quite ”cultured”. According to the Internet, in this country of possibly 85 million people, around 80 percent of the men, and 65 percent of the women, are literate. Excellent! No doubt many of those people have digital devices of some sort, generally referred to as computers. These can be used to download Revolutionary literature from the Internet.

That is also very likely the case in various other countries of the world, where Revolution is raging, especially in the most highly industrialized countries.

There is currently wide spread support, in various countries of the world, especially concerning the Revolution in Iran. No doubt the people of Iran speak various languages, although Farsi is predominant. So I suggest that people in other countries support these Revolutionaries, by sending Revolutionary literature in their own language. State and Revolution is absolutely critical. Other important works of Lenin include What Is To Be Done?, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, and Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder.

It is significant that the Iranian Revolution is being led by women and students. In North America, the women and students are also playing a key role. No doubt many women, and almost all students, are familiar with the Revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. Equally without doubt, all are determined to ”make a difference”. Now is your chance! Get together with people from Iran, or of Iranian descent, and make contact with the Revolutionaries in Iran, through the Internet, of course. Support them in any way possible, especially with Revolutionary literature, in a language they understand.

The Revolutionaries of Iran are in the forefront of the Revolutionary Movement, soon to become part of a World Socialist Revolution. They are not the only ones! China is also in ”turmoil”, to use the expression of the bourgeois. The Chinese censors are doing their best to keep all reports on the protests, secret from the world, but the occasional email does get through. There are also wide spread protests in Russia. As I write this, Peru is ”in the news”. Apparently the whole country is in a ”state of anarchy”.

Clearly, the Revolution is spreading around the world. The Revolutionaries of all those countries need our help, and not just those in Iran. Very soon the Revolution will touch down on the shores of North America. It is about to become part of a World Socialist Revolution!

The fact of the matter is that the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are supremely well aware of this. They are an exceptionally class conscious group of people! They recognize this Revolutionary Movement, while carefully avoiding the word Revolution. At the same time, they go to great lengths, resort to verbal gymnastics, in an effort to avoid the use of the word ”Revolution”, as well as the word ”capitalism”!

We are currently experiencing a ”crisis in capitalism”, and the capitalists admit that they ”have no solutions”. Yet the Obama duo have recently set up the ”Obama Foundation”, with the goal of ”finding a cure”. We can only marvel at such starry eyed optimism! They honestly think that they can ”fix” capitalism!

Having said that, allow me to add that I believe in ”giving credit where credit is due”. I have to say that the Obama Foundation certainly has a done a fine job of pointing out the problem, as well as the solution! At the same time, they were careful to make no mention of Revolution! For that matter, they made no mention of classes!

In fact, they ”hit the nail on the head”, with this statement: ”ordinary people working together can change history”! True! In fact it is a fundamental tenet of Marxism that ”the masses are the makers of history”!

It gets even better when they go on to say: ”Our mission is to inspire those people to take action, empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone”!

Outstanding! To think that the Obama Foundation is encouraging people to do precisely the same thing that I am recommending! By all means, get together and change the world! Take action! Unite with Revolutionaries in other parts of the world! The one and only way the world can be changed for the better, is by overthrowing international capital! Take to heart the immortal words of Marx, and Unite With the Workers of the World!

Here in North America, the capitalists are trying desperately to ”hold it together”. Inflation is out of control, gun violence is widespread, drug overdoses are common place, the number of homeless are increasing, the food banks are running out of food, the trains may quit running, and the country may soon shut down, possibly facing bankruptcy. So what is the response of the politicians in Washington? They are in gridlock, fighting among themselves! Rather than face the problems of today, they are focused on the federal election of two years hence!

For the benefit of those who are just now becoming politically active, may I point out that this is merely capitalism, in a state of crisis. The finest bourgeois economists admit that they cannot see any solution. But then they cannot imagine a world of socialism. Yet they are able to describe it!

In fact, one of the finest of the bourgeois economists, a man who was formerly the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors under President Obama, stated the problem quite clearly, while working for the Obama Foundation. His ”solution”, to the current crisis in capitalism, was to suggest ”approaches and solutions that are responsive to citizens and create inclusive and equitable economic realities for everyone”.

To think that one of the finest bourgeois economists suggested ”inclusive and equitable economic realities for everyone”! To put this in simple terms, that is called Socialism! He just made the argument for Socialism, without realizing this! In fact, he refers to this as ”inclusive capitalism”! Reality check, dear fellow! Socialism is just that! Socialism! Referring to this as ”inclusive capitalism” does not change the fact that it is Socialism!

As strange as this may seem, it is quite common! In his article, Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder, Lenin quoted a statement by the British Prime Minister, Lloyd George. That statement, by the Prime Minister, made absolutely no sense! As Lenin then stated, ”this argument shows in particular how muddled even the most intelligent members of the bourgeoisie have become, and how they cannot help committing irreparable blunders. That, in fact, is what will bring about the downfall of the bourgeoisie.”

That explains the ”peculiar behaviour” of this highly respected bourgeois economist! Even though he is one of the ”most intelligent” of the lot, he is truly ”muddled”.

Perhaps someone should explain to this simple soul, this top bourgeois economist, that he is misguided! The Fundamental Law of Capitalism -assuming such a law exists- is that sentiment has no monetary value! All billionaires are supremely well aware of this! All attempts to ”tug on their heart strings” are futile, as they do not have any! Each and every one of them is a highly successful psycho path!

It is significant that another name for ”inclusive capitalism” is ”woke capitalism”. Apparently the word ”woke” is a reference to the idea that capitalists ”have a conscience”. Nonsense! Capitalists have about as much conscience as snakes have feathers!

It is significant that certain journalists, those who are the strongest supporters of capitalism, and in particular those of Fox News, ridicule the idea of ”woke corporations” and ”woke capitalism”. Properly so! The sole purpose of capitalism is to make a profit! They refer to this as their ”bottom line”! Conscience be damned! Whatever it takes to ”make a buck”!

Yet even though capitalism has reached a state of crisis, around the world, the system will not collapse, under its own weight. It has to be smashed!

With that in mind, the fact is that Councils, otherwise known as Soviets, appear spontaneously, or ”pop up”, during a time of Revolution. By all means, become involved with those Councils. Take part in training people for the approaching Insurrection. Organize study groups with Marxist literature. Make such literature widely available. Use the Internet and social media to carry the message. In America, join the two mainstream political parties, Democrat and Republican, as card carrying members. Coordinate Revolutionary actions with other Councils, and with Revolutionaries of other countries. Those who are familiar with the Revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin can work towards forming a Communist Party, one which calls for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. We can expect the most advanced workers to also take part in creating a true Communist Party, in various countries of the world, as they become aware of those Revolutionary theories.

The fact of the matter is that most of the people who are leading this World Socialist Revolution, at least in Iran and in America, are women and students. That is very likely also the case in other countries of the world. That places a huge burden on their shoulders. That is not the way it should be. The men should be leading the Revolution. No doubt as the Revolution grows in strength, countless men will become active. Until then, it is up to women and students to ”blaze the trail”. I deeply regret that. Yet there is no other way! But then, quite recently, it was women and students who proved to be excellent organizers. For that reason, I have complete confidence in them.

As for those who think that perhaps I am overstating the case, bear in mind that Revolutions tend to spread, and rapidly. That which the press is referring to as ”social upheaval” is Revolution, happening now, in various parts of the world. I consider this to be the beginning of a full scale World Socialist Revolution. I fully expect it to spread across the world. A World Socialist Revolution, which will in turn give rise to a World Socialist Republic.

No doubt, some may argue that the Revolution may not be Socialist. To such people, I can only respond that we live in a class society. We live under the rule of the capitalists. The capitalists are in charge. This is referred to as the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. The one and only alternative is Socialism, the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. There is no middle course. No one in his right mind wants to continue to live under capitalism. Aside from the billionaires, of course. And they are not about to take part in any Revolution!

We will know that we are successful, when the term Dictatorship of the Proletariat is common place, when common people are openly calling for a Communist Party, for Socialism, and an end to capitalism.

May I suggest to the people who are now protesting, that they become more creative. Feel free to harass the capitalists, and their political servants, in various ways. Make their lives as miserable as possible. Create disturbances at their homes and businesses. Go to their restaurants and disrupt their fancy meals. Hound them at their vacation resorts. Sing to them the Internationale! Give them no peace! Protesters who have experience in entertainment, can no doubt devise methods of protest which are not only annoying, but also entertaining. Such events tend to make the evening news! Perhaps even the late night entertainment shows! In this way, the bourgeois journalists will assist us in spreading the message. Ever more working people will become politically aware. Bear in mind, that the best way to educate, is by entertaining, at the same time!

Make sure that banners and signs are placed in public locations, for all to see. These may read:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Dictatorship of the Proletariat!

Soviet Power!

Scientific Socialism!

World Socialist Republic!