Author: Gerald Mcisaac

In the year 1898, in Czarist Russia, a small group of young, middle class intellectuals, Marxist revolutionaries, one and all, got together and formed the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, the RSDLP. One of those people was a fellow by the name of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, later to become famous under the name of Lenin.

It is safe to say that at that time, no one paid a great deal of attention to this assortment of young revolutionaries. The only exception was the secret police of the Czar, and they promptly rounded up the whole lot and threw them in jail. Lenin, among others, was sent to Siberia, and the secret police thought that was the end of the matter. They could not possibly have been more mistaken.

In 1902, the members of the Party came together once again and produced the political platform of the RSDLP. This was mainly written by Lenin, and of course was concerned with the situation which existed in Russia at that time. Parts of that document can be used as a basis for the creation of a Communist Party of America.

For the benefit of those who have only recently become politically active, I should mention that the RSDLP later changed its name to Bolshevik and then Communist.

There are several key passages within the Draft Program of the RSDLP which are just as important now as at the time they were written:

VII The emancipation of the workers must be the act of the working class itself.

VIII This proletarian revolution will completely abolish the division of society into classes and consequently any and all political inequality arising from that division.

IX To effect this social revolution the proletariat must win political power, which will make it master of the situation and enable it to remove all obstacles along the road to its great goal. In this sense the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat is an essential political condition of the social revolution.

These passages are just as valid today as at the time they were first written, and are just as completely unacceptable to the bourgeoisie. We can use these passages to assist in the formation of a political platform of a new Communist Party of America. We can also expect the supporters of the bourgeoisie, belly crawling boot lickers, including those who claim to be Marxists, to oppose these key passages. By contrast, those who are true Marxists, and not mere revisionists or social reformers, will embrace such passages.

I say that we can expect this because the capitalists are quite predictable. We can expect them to attempt that which they have attempted before. One of their favourite tricks is to send their agents into a revolutionary Communist party and to divert their policy onto a harmless policy of revision, of social reform. Such reforms are no threat to the rule of the bourgeoisie and are quite acceptable.

It was precisely on such differences that the RSDLP broke into two factions, a majority, or Bolshevik, led by Lenin, and a minority, or Menshevik, revisionist faction. The Mensheviks were in favour of social reform, of patching up capitalism, of working within the system, of ”changing it from within”. They denied the necessity of revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. They claimed to be Marxists while at the same time maintaining that the theories of Marx had to be revised.

Lenin waged a merciless struggle against these revisionists, whom he referred to as Economists or Trade Unionists. He dealt with them at length in his excellent book, What Is To Be Done? Yet to this day there are people who peddle this same rubbish, and in the name of Marx and Lenin, no less!

One of the more clear cut examples is that of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist – Leninist) or CPC (ML). In their latest weekly newspaper, dated January 19, 2019, the headlines proclaim:

In 2019, Let Everyone Take Up Politics of Social Responsibility and Speak in Their Own Name

All Out to Humanize the Social and Natural Environment!

Affirm the Rights of All!

Make Canada a Zone for Peace!

It is only natural to wonder just what they mean by this, and in fact the lead article takes up the ”politics of social responsibility and speak in their own name…this includes first and foremost the work for political renewal which will focus on defining the modern democratic personality and politics of social responsibility. It includes the work to make sure the working people are able to speak in their own name and do not get silenced or criminalized by the measures put in place to marginalize and dismiss their concerns. The Party also joins efforts which contribute to humanizing the social and natural environment…”

It is difficult to imagine terms which are more vague than ”social responsibility”, ”political renewal”, ”modern democratic personality”, ”humanizing the social and natural environment”, ”working people are able to speak in their own name”. This is nothing more that a miscellaneous assortment of words, random verbiage which is grouped together so that they have absolutely no meaning, sheer gobbledegook. Yet this gibberish is put forward in the name of Marx and Lenin!

This stands in stark contrast to the political platform put forward by Lenin, in which he refers to proletarian revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

The rest of the newspaper is put forward in the same manner. The capitalist class is not even referred to as the bourgeoise, but as the ”ruling elites”. Class conflict is glossed over. There is no mention of revolution or of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

I have deliberately chosen this newspaper as it is a very clear cut example of a party which claims to be Communist and Marxist Leninist and yet is merely straight forward revisionist. There are other parties which claim to be socialist but have a less clearly defined ideology, assuming they have any ideology at all.

This is a rather serious matter. As a result of the revolutionary movement, a great many people, mainly working class but also middle class, are now politically active. Most of them have previously been apathetic, and are now fed up with the main stream political parties and are looking for a socialist alternative. It is only natural that they should approach a Communist Party and very quickly become very confused. It may take them a while to realize that the only difference between the main stream parties and the leftist parties is that one is more hypocritical than the other. Sadly, it is those who claim to be Communist who are more hypocritical.

The natural result of this is to divert the revolutionary movement onto some harmless path of social reform, as the bourgeois ideology reasserts itself. This must be opposed, and that is where a true Communist Party comes into play. We must first form and then stress that we are a revolutionary Communist Party, dedicated to the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. We must educate workers to the existence of classes, raise their level of awareness using such terms as proletariat and bourgeoisie. These words must be explained, sometimes in very popular literature, for the sake of workers who are somewhat less advanced. For those who are more advanced, less popular literature can be used. Repetition is also useful, as we all learned the alphabet through repetition. We must drive home the point that our class interests are diametrically opposed, the proletariat versus the bourgeoisie, using examples of current events, such as the lies and deception of Trump, the government shutdown and the national debt ceiling. From such examples, which we can use as mere particulars, we can move onto the general point of class conflict, of the necessity of revolution and the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Otherwise we run the risk of becoming mere babblers.

That is our task, the task of conscious people, those of us who are well aware of that which is happening. This stands in stark contrast to the working people who are taking part in the revolution, even though they are not aware of their actions. They need direction, their level of awareness must be raised, to the level of Marxists. At least, the most advanced workers must become revolutionary Marxists, aware of the necessity of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. The less advanced will follow the more advanced workers.

That is where we come in. It is up to us, conscious people, Marxists, to provide the working people with that level of awareness, to lead the revolutionary movement onto a proper path of scientific socialism. Otherwise, the bourgeoisie will divert it onto some path of harmless social reform.

That is the reason we need a party, in order to give that direction. It must be a proper Communist Party, which is the reason I suggest the name of American Communist Party, Dictatorship of the Proletariat, or ACP,DOP.

The need for a revolutionary Communist Party is urgent, as time is not on our side. The revolution is not about to wait for us. That is the reason I call upon conscious people, Marxists, to come together to form a proper Communist Party.

In that spirit, I can once again stress the need to provide the rudiments of class consciousness to all working people, in the form of slogans:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Scientific Socialism!

Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!

The partial American government shutdown is finally over, but it is very likely that a new one will soon begin. Trump and the Speaker of the House, the Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, have come to an agreement. The deal is to allow the government workers to return to work, with pay, at least until February 15. It is significant that Trump did not get one dime for his precious border wall.

As for the workers who were forced to work without pay, throughout the shut down, Trump swears they will be paid for the days they worked, very soon. As Trump is a habitual liar, it is very likely they will never get paid, at least if Trump has his way.

It is now up to conscious people, Marxists, Communists, to explain to the working people that we have just won our first big battle with Trump and the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. Trump did not get any money for his wall with Mexico, and was forced to ”blink”, to back down. Not that he has given up, but this proves that Trump and the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, can be beaten. This should serve as an inspiration for all working people.

Now Trump and Pelosi have just under three weeks to come to an agreement on ”border security”, as they now refer to it. If an agreement cannot be reached, then Trump is threatening to once again shut down the government or declare a state of national emergency. Trump is still determined to secure money for his border wall and raise the national debt, while Pelosi is equally determined not to give money for the border wall or raise the national debt.

At least, that is very likely the case, for if she gives in to Trump on either issue, she may face a revolt within the Democratic Party and lose her position as Speaker of the House. The new members of the House are determined to enact change, and that includes standing up to Trump and ensuring fiscal responsibility. In other words, no money for the wall and no increase to the national debt.

The agreement to negotiate until February 15 may sound a little strange, as it was announced that the government was expected to run out of money on February 8, 2019. That was first postponed until March 1, and now the officials of the Treasury Department think they can drag it out until September, using ”cash on hand and extraordinary measures”. Those officials are doing everything they can to avoid asking the Congress, which is to say the House of Representatives, to raise the national debt ceiling.

In fact, this is just one more example of the executive branch of the government, led by President Trump, of taking over the duties performed by the legislative branch of the government, which is to say the Senate and the House of Representatives.

For example, the constitution makes it quite clear that only the Senate can declare war. Yet, the last time the Senate declared war was back in 1941. Since that time, America has gone to war on numerous occasions, strictly at the discretion of the president. At no time has the Senate held the president accountable. In effect, the Senate has abdicated their authority.

By the same token, Congress controls the money. Only the Congress can raise the national debt limit, and only the Congress can decide where the money is spent. That is spelled out quite clearly in the constitution. And yet, since the end of the second world war, the executive branch of the government, which is to say the president and his ”administration”, have been allowed to spend tax payer money as they see fit. They have also been allowed to raise the debt limit to the huge levels that it is now, so that a great deal of tax payer money merely goes towards the interest payments. Further, if Trump has his way, the debt ceiling will be raised much higher.

But now the situation has changed dramatically, as a result of the working class revolutionary movement. There are a great many new members of Congress, commonly referred to as ”freshmen”, or ”back benchers”. Until very recently, they were expected to sit quietly and do as they were told. The party bosses issued the orders, and the new ”recruits” voted precisely the way they were told. In turn, those who were solid, reliable, faithful servants were allowed to gather seniority and were rewarded with more important posts. This is referred to as ”climbing the ladder of success”.

That was then and this is now, and those ”good old days” are a dim and distant memory, at least from the standpoint of the capitalists. Many of the ”old guard” have given up, or been forced from their posts, told by their lords and masters, the billionaires, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, to walk away. As they can no longer control the legislative branch of government, the Senate and House of Representatives, the bourgeoisie will just have to determine a different method of rule.

Now we have several new members of the Senate, and a great many new members of the House. For the most part, these new members are a mixture of people who are rather young, progressive, female and members of minority groups. There are already cracks appearing in the Senate. In a recent vote, six members of the Republican party broke ranks and voted with the democrats on a particular bill. As there are only one hundred members of the Senate, and as it is was formerly unheard of for any Republican to defy the party bosses, this is significant.

The new members of the House have already made an impression. They first voted in Nancy Pelosi as their leader, the new Speaker of the House. She in turn refused to back down from Trump and the partial government shut down ended without any money allocated for his precious border wall. Negotiations are proceeding for the next couple of weeks, between Trump and the Democrats, but it is doubtful that Trump will get what he wants.

It is important to remember that Trump wants more than just money for his border wall. He also wants to dramatically raise the national debt. He is equally determined to ensure that the members of his class, the bourgeoisie, continue to pay almost no taxes. He is well aware that the new members of Congress are opposed to an increase to the national debt and favour an increase to the tax rate of billionaires and corporations. Trump would sooner crawl on his belly over broken glass, rather that consent to an increase to the tax rate of members of his class.

This is the reason that Trump and his belly crawling boot lickers, the so called members of his administration, have decided upon a policy of spending ”cash on hand and extraordinary measures”, instead of getting the approval of Congress. It is an attempt to circumvent the constitution, to bypass the House, raise the national debt and spend taxpayer money as they see fit. It remains to be seen if the House will allow them to do this, as past members of the House have done so.

Trump may yet declare a state of emergency, which is a form of martial law, appropriate tax payer money which has been set aside by congress for national emergencies, such as forest fire or floods, and use that money to build his border wall.

It is clear that the bourgeoisie can no longer rule in the old way and have to change their method of rule. It is not clear just what shape that new method of rule will become. We just know that it will not be progressive, for as Lenin states, ”imperialism is reaction right down the line”.

It is our duty, as Communists, to raise the level of awareness of the working class to that of Marxists. The best way to do this is to use current events as examples, such as the fact that our democratic rights are being trampled, not so much by Trump but by members of his class, the bourgeoisie. We can also point out that the new Democratic members of Congress are opposing this, and we should support them in this noble pursuit. At the same time we should point out that Trump is not the problem, merely the most visible member of his class, the bourgeoisie. It is that class of capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, which has to be overthrown. That can only be accomplished through revolution, and then their resistance – which will be increased ten fold after they lose power – must be crushed through the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

That is our task, the task of Communists, and that task is largely being ignored. I have scoured the newspapers and party platforms of numerous organizations which claim to be Communist or Socialist or Marxist Leninist and have found only one which advocates the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, and that one is in Burkina Faso.

The current situation is explosive and in fact a revolution could break out any day. The working class is not about to wait until we are prepared, and the bourgeoisie could force the workers to revolt, especially if they declare martial law.

With that in mind, I think it best to give the advice of Lenin, as expressed in Left Wing Communism, an Infantile Disorder:

”The fundamental law of revolution, which has been confirmed by all revolutions and especially by all three Russian revolutions in the twentieth century, is as follows: for a revolution to take place it is not enough for the exploited and oppressed masses to realize the impossibility of living in the old way, and demand changes; for a revolution to take place it is essential that the exploiters should not be able to live and rule in the old way. It is only when the ‘lower classes’ do not want to live in the old way and the ‘upper classes’ cannot carry on in the old way that the revolution can triumph. This truth can be expressed in other words: revolution is impossible without a nation – wide crisis (affecting both the exploited and the exploiters). It follows that, for a revolution to take place, it is essential, first, that a majority of the workers ( or at least a majority of the class-conscious, thinking, and politically active workers) should fully realize that revolution is necessary, and that they should be prepared to die for it; second, that the ruling classes should be going through a governmental crisis, which draws even the most backward masses into politics (symptomatic of every 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), weakens the government and makes it possible for the revolutionaries to rapidly overthrow it.” (all italics and parenthesis by Lenin)

I have quoted this paragraph in full because it is of such importance. The article was written in 1920, and Lenin gave particular attention to the revolutionary situation which at that time existed in Britain. He made reference to Henderson and Snowden, members of the Labor Party, and Churchill and Lloyd George, members of the Liberal Party. In modern terms, it may help to think of the Labor Party as the equivalent of the Democratic Party, and Churchill and Lloyd George as the equivalent of the Republican Party. At least, when I read the following paragraphs with that in mind, the article made complete sense. So for what it is worth, with name changes in parenthesis which are mine; all other parentheses and italics are by Lenin:

”Both conditions for a successful proletarian revolution are clearly maturing in (America). The errors of the Left Communists are particularly dangerous at present, because revolutionaries are not displaying a sufficiently thoughtful, sufficiently attentive, sufficiently intelligent and sufficiently shrewd attitude toward each of these conditions. If we are the party of the revolutionary class, and not merely a revolutionary group, and if we want the masses to follow us (and unless we achieve that, we stand the risk of remaining mere wind bags), we must first help the  (Democrats) to defeat the (Republicans) or rather compel the (Democrats) to defeat the (Republicans), because the (Democrats) are afraid of their victory!); second, we must help the majority of the working people to be convinced by their own experience that we are right, that is, the (Democrats) are absolutely good for nothing, that they are petty bourgeois and treacherous by nature, and that their bankruptcy is inevitable; third, we must bring forward the moment when, on the basis of the disappointment of most of the workers in the (Democrats), it will be possible, with serious chance of success, to overthrow the government of the (Democrats) at once; because if the most astute and solid (Trump), that big and not petty bourgeois, is displaying consternation and is more and more weakening himself (and the bourgeoisie as a whole) by his ”friction” with the (Democrats), how much greater will be the consternation of a (Democratic) government!”

It is clear that these conditions exist and equally clear that conscious people, Communists, are not rising to the occasion. We are not explaining to the working people that revolution is necessary and about to happen, that the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat is also necessary. Until the revolution takes place, it is necessary to support the newly elected progressive Democratic members of Congress, so that the workers will learn from their own experience that the Democrats also are loyal servants of the bourgeoisie. Even if a few members try to change the system, the bourgeoise will remain in charge. Nothing of substance will change.

I can also suggest that all Americans be encouraged to join the two mainstream political parties, Democratic and Republican, as card carrying members, and not just as registered members. As party bosses, they will determine the candidates to run for any and all political offices. That includes the presidency.

I can only hope that this little article inspires people to read that magnificent article by Lenin:

Left Wing Communism, an Infantile Disorder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the third year in a row, women are once again marching in Washington and around the world. Apparently, the day of January 20, 2017, the day Donald Trump took the oath of office to become president of the United States, is now a day of mourning, at least for so many women of the world.

The first march of 2017 was largely spontaneous, and the turnout was huge, with millions marching around the world. Most of the people taking part in those marches were women, and most of those women were wearing pink knitted hats, referred to as ”pussy hats”, for reasons which I will not elaborate. Let us just say that it is a none too subtle reference to the male chauvinist sentiments expressed by Trump.

The latest march, that of January 2019, was far less impressive. There have been suggestions of anti semitism within the organization. Numerous local groups have disbanded or are working with varying degrees of activity. Others hold ”activism fairs and town halls engaging in electoral work”.

According to their Mission Statement of Women’s March, it is to ”harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change…committed to dismantling the system of oppression through non violent resistance”.

There are various pacifist religious groups which could most emphatically agree with this. It is not clear whether this organization is vying for membership in the Democratic party or the Peace Corp.

The goal of the annual marches is to ”advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women’s rights, immigration reform, reproductive rights, the environment, LGBTQ rights, racial inequality, freedom of religion, workers rights and tolerance”.

Then there is the Power to the Polls rally, which aims to ”launch a national voter registration and mobilization tour. The goal is to register more women to vote, and to elect more women and progressive candidates to office”.

Such starry eyed optimism is deeply touching. Faced with this sort of tender sentimental persuasion, no doubt the imperialists will shed tears of remorse and mend their ways. Ha!

It should be noted that each and every one of these statements is absolutely acceptable to the bourgeoisie. There is nothing revolutionary here, no threat to their power. Their class is in power and they fully intend to remain in power. We live under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, and it is clear that the people who are in charge of these organizations find that quite acceptable.

Without doubt there are a great many people who took part in the marches of 2017 and are now disenchanted with the organization, as it is now little more than an appendage of the Democratic Party. They very likely feel betrayed. We must reach out to these people and offer them an alternative to imperialism, which is the highest stage of capitalism. Such people can well assist us in setting up a Communist Party, based on the revolutionary doctrine of Marx and Lenin, including the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

We must stress to such people that no change of faces, no matter how sincere, whether in the Senate, House of Representatives, White House, any state or local government agency, will change the fact that the bourgeoisie are in charge and fully intend to remain in charge.

It is clear that the original march of 2017 was quite spontaneous, predominantly female and left leaning. Since that time several of the lead organizers have created a Women’s March Inc., which is to say they have created a corporation. If there is one thing for which people on the left have absolutely no use, it is a corporation. By the same token, if there is one thing for which capitalists have absolutely no use, it is a Communist and the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

As I have maintained for quite some time now, it is clear that the Americans are in the vanguard of the world revolutionary working class movement, and in particular by American women. It is also clear that the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, agree with that assessment. They have therefore decided to hijack the current women’s revolutionary movement and bring it under the wing of the capitalists, to divert that revolutionary movement onto some harmless path of social reform.

Not only have they decided to hijack the movement, they have also decided to make some money off of it. That is the reason for the creation of a corporation. So now women can pay for the honour and privilege of marching for and demanding social reform. No doubt they expect all local groups to contribute to their cause, which includes making a profit, as that is the reason for the existence of a corporation.

Among the people who have been taking part in that movement, there are many well meaning individuals. They are trying to get some of their own people elected to office, and to an extent, are succeeding. The best these elected leaders can hope to achieve is a few paltry reforms.  American workers are not satisfied with this and demand more. They are demanding political power, and that can only be achieved through the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. It is worth noting that such a dictatorship is the worst nightmare of every billionaire.

There are various splinter groups which have broken off from the original organization. I am sure Communists can support at least some of these groups, even encouraging people to vote for the candidates they put forward, while at the same time expressing our scientific belief that the only real way forward is through revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Assuming the best case scenario, sincere candidates will run for office, be elected, and be unable to enact any meaningful change. In this way working people will be convinced, through their own experience.

At the same time that we support these candidates for office, we must make it clear that it is a class struggle, the working class, the proletariat, against the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. It is not a gender struggle, as to replace male capitalists with female capitalists will achieve nothing. If anything, female capitalists tend to be more cunning.

Just as the female demonstrators tend to wear pink ”pussy hats”, we can suggest the males wear red neck scarves, so as to be identified with the revolution. It would be even better if everyone wore red, so as to let the capitalists know that the workers are united, men and women, in a common goal of revolution and the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

These are mere suggestions, and it remains to be seen if working people choose to take such advice.

In this way, the revolutionary motion of 2017 will flare up once again, but this time finer and stronger. We will know we are getting our message through to the working class when the banners proclaim:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Scientific Socialism!

Dictatorship of the Proletariat!

At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, capitalism reached the stage of monopoly, as was predicted by Marx. The capitalists of the day, as well as the bourgeois economists, were aware that the situation had changed, and began to refer to the new situation as imperialism. It was Lenin who conducted a detailed analysis of capitalism in its new monopoly stage, using facts and figures of the capitalists themselves, and in 1916 wrote a book, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism.

The statistics make it quite clear that size matters, and in fact it matters a great deal. One huge factory can produce far more than a great many small factories. As Lenin phrased it, ”at a certain stage of its development, concentration itself, as it were, leads straight to monopoly…This transformation of competition into monopoly is one of the most important – if not the most important -phenomenon of modern capitalist economy”.

Lenin goes on to speak of cartels, which he refers to as ”one of the foundations of the whole of economic life. Capitalism had been transformed into imperialism.” Thus Lenin says that the transition from capitalism to imperialism is marked by the formation of cartels, a natural result of the creation of monopolies.

These new creations have certain characteristics, are created by the capitalists in order to ensure maximum profits. In short, ”Cartels come to agreement on the conditions of sale, terms of payment, etc. They divide the markets among themselves. They fix the quantity of goods to be produced. They fix prices. They divide the profits among the various enterprises”, as per Lenin.

We may add that the most famous cartel is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.

In America, we have a similar situation, in that we have trusts instead of cartels. Whereas the goal of cartels is to generate maximum profit by selling at a particular price, perhaps by limiting the production of a particular product, say oil, the goal of trusts is to  generate maximum profit by any and all means that come to hand. What ever it takes to eliminate the competition. American capitalists tend to be more focused than their counterparts in other parts of the world.

The bourgeois economist have documented the methods the capitalists use to better ”organize” their businesses. These admissions, by the capitalists themselves, which were no doubt written for the benefit of other capitalists, have been documented by Lenin, and these admissions he refers to as ”edifying”, as indeed they are. He lists them in the following order:

1: Stopping supplies of raw materials

2: Stopping the supply of labor with the use of unions

3: Cutting off deliveries

4: Closing of trade outlets

5: Agreement with the buyers

6: Lowering of prices, even selling at a loss, in order to ruin the competition

7: Stopping credits, in that the bank cuts off a line of credit to the competition

8: Boycott

These are the weapons which the monopolies, corporations, cartels or trusts, use to drive the competition, the small business, into bankruptcy. The mere threat of such attention from a corporation is frequently enough to force such a small business to shut down or at least submit, perhaps becoming a division of a corporation.

The capitalists who set up and run these monopolies, or corporations as they are frequently referred to in North America, do so with the goal of ensuring a steady supply of profit, of eliminating crises in capitalism. Frequently, they end up assuring precisely the opposite. As Lenin phrased it, ”when monopolies appear in certain branches of industry it increases and intensifies the anarchy in capitalist production, as a whole.” italics by Lenin

Our bourgeois economists, belly crawling boot lickers, one and all, assure us that the way to prevent crises in capitalism is through the creation of ever bigger, more complete, more powerful corporations, those which are currently referred to as Too Big To Fail. Those same belly crawlers do not mention the fact that the rest of us are Too Small To Succeed.

In fact, these ever larger, more complete monopolies merely intensifies the crises. These crises ”in their turn increase very considerably the tendency towards concentration and monopoly”, as Lenin phrased it.

Under imperialism, monopolies are not limited to corporations, trusts and cartels. Lenin: ”Large scale enterprises, especially the banks, not only completely absorb small ones, but also ‘join’ them to themselves, subordinate them, bring them into their ‘own’ group, or ‘concern’…by having ‘holdings’ in their capital, by purchasing or exchanging shares, by controlling them through a system of credits…Scattered capitalists are transformed into a single collective capitalist”.

In effect, the banks possess an accurate picture of the universal book keeping of the whole capitalist class, the small business men, office clerks, and even of the upper stratum of the working class. No doubt they find this information to be quite useful.

Lenin goes on to speak of the export of capital. He explains that ”Under the old type of capitalism, when free competition prevailed, the export of goods was the most typical feature. Under modern capitalism, when monopolies prevail, the export of capital has become the typical feature.” italics by Lenin.

As we live under ”modern capitalism” and without doubt ”monopolies prevail”, it is up to Marxists to explain to the working people that it is only natural for the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, to export their capital, even in the form of factories, to other countries. It does not matter how many well meaning members of Congress are sent to Washington, the export of capital will continue. It is up to Marxists to drive that point home to the working class.

At the same time, we should encourage Americans to become card carrying members of the two mainstream political parties, Democratic and Republican. As such, these ”party bosses” can then decide the individual to run for any and all political office, on behalf of both parties. The idea is that we can then flood Washington with not only social Democrats, but also social Republicans.

This will not result in a peaceful transition to socialism, as many utopian socialists and revisionist Marxists maintain, but will lead to an increase in the level of awareness of the working people. They will soon realize, from their own bitter experience, that nothing will change. Even if Washington is swamped with such socialist, or Leftist people, capital will continue to leave the country, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, will remain in charge, and nothing substantial will change. That may be just what it takes to convince working people.

Indeed, imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalism. This means that, as Lenin says.  ”surplus capital…will be used for the purpose of increasing those profits by exporting capital abroad…in these backward countries, profits usually are high, for capital is scarce, the price of land is relatively low, wages are low, raw materials are cheap.” It is facts such as this which must be stressed to the working class, time and time again.

Marxists should also encourage the members of the working class, or at least the most advanced workers, to read this book by Lenin. It is the most advanced workers who lead, as the less advanced pay strict attention to the more advanced.

As I write this, the government shut down is now into its fifth week. The main stream press, that which Trump refers to as the ”fake news”, is doing a fine job of exposing the lies and deception of Trump. This is to their credit, and as the news outlets are owned and operated by the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, it shows that those same owners have turned against Trump. Even though he is one of their own, a fellow billionaire capitalist, they have likely decided that he is too independent, too unpredictable, and has to go.

With that in mind, they are planning something, and do not want any publicity. So the journalists who work for them have been instructed to make no further mention of the White House Resistance or of the fact that the government is scheduled to run out of money in less that three weeks, on February 8.

Thieves love darkness, and the bourgeoisie are planning something more than simple theft. That which they have in mind falls more under the heading of treason. Talk of the lies of Trump, of the former stooges of Trump, many of whom are on their way to jail, of the politicians who have recently been elected to Congress, and of the upcoming 2020 election, are nothing more than a diversion, a smoke screen.

Bear in mind that, as Lenin phrases it, ”the political features of imperialism are reaction all along the line”. What ever the imperialists are planning, it is not in the interests of the working class. We had best be prepared.

It is my hope that this little article inspires working people to study carefully this work of Lenin. I also hope that it inspires Marxists to prepare for the approaching revolution, which is very likely any day now.

Workers, of the World, Unite!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The government shutdown enters its fifth week with no end in sight, so that the crisis in capitalism continues to intensify. Trump continues to insist the crisis is at the southern border, despite all evidence to the contrary. The press must be given credit for pointing out his lies and hypocrisy.

It is also reported that the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, suggested that Trump postpone his State of the Union report, possibly because she is concerned that the Secret Service, the personal body guard of the president, may not be able to provide adequate protection. After all, they are working without pay, some are having a difficult time even paying for gasoline to get to work, and no doubt their enthusiasm for the job, that of protecting the man responsible for this hardship, is somewhat lacking.

Trump has responded by denying Pelosi the use of military aircraft for government business. She had planned a trip to Europe, in complete secrecy of course, but at the last minute Trump torpedoed her trip, at the same time letting the American enemies know of that trip. To say that such behaviour is not professional is an understatement. To say that such behaviour is typical of Trump, is an accurate statement.

At the same time, the press also reports that the wife of Trump is flying to Florida on a government plane, allegedly at tax payer expense. That too is typical of Trump.

One of the journalists, a true wit, has compared this feud, between Trump and Pelosi, as a battle of King Kong versus Godzilla. A great many journalists agree that Trump has met his match. The only source of disagreement is the identity of King Kong as opposed to Godzilla.

The latest news, which is a bomb shell even by the standards of the day, is that it is alleged that Trump ordered his former personal lawyer, Cohen, to lie, under oath, to Congress. This is referred to as suborning perjury, and certainly rises to the level of ”high crimes and misdemeanors”, as is required by the constitution, in order to remove a president from office. If this can be proven to be true, then the lawyers of Trump will certainly have their hands full, earning their pay.

If such little details worry Trump, he is doing a fine job of concealing his concern. Instead, he is focused on the future, or at least his future, and wants to change the law so that he can serve more than a mere two terms as president. Perhaps he thinks that is the least he can do for the American people. He may even pull a Napoleon and crown himself emperor. I would not put it past him.

That man is far removed from reality, which is that the government is paralyzed. Trump is determined to get the money for his wall, and Pelosi is equally determined that the wall is not about to happen. Not that she has much choice in the matter, as even to attempt to provide that money would likely trigger a rebellion within the Congress, and she would almost certainly lose her position as Speaker of the House. The situation has changed dramatically, the revolutionary movement has resulted in a great many new members of Congress, and they are determined to make a change.

As for those who consider that these well meaning new members of Congress can enact significant change, perhaps even a peaceful transition to socialism, Lenin has a few choice words. ”A democratic republic is the best possible political shell for capitalism, and therefore once capital has gained control of this very best shell….it establishes its position so securely, so firmly, that no change, either of persons, of institutions, or of parties in the bourgeois democratic republic, can shake it”.(italics by Lenin)

It is up to Marxists to let the members of the public, the working class, the proletariat, know that the system cannot be changed ”from within”, regardless of how sincerely the newly elected members of Congress make a supreme effort. The capitalists, the bourgeoisie, are in charge, and they fully intend to remain in charge.

This is to say that the revolutionary situation is similar to Russia, in 1917. At that time, after three years of the great imperialist slaughter to divide and redivide the world, the working people of Russia decided they had enough. They spontaneously rose up and overthrew Czar Nicholas of Russia. Three centuries of Romanov rule came to an end. We can learn from the Russian revolution, as the situation is quite similar.

The capitalists of Russia, the bourgeoisie, were rather pleased to see the Czar vacate the throne. They determined to set up a democratic republic, which is the ideal political shell for capitalism. With that in mind, they promised land to the peasants, an end to the war, the establishment of a Constituent Assembly, and many other things. Of course, as all capitalists are liars, every word was a lie. The war continued, the peasants received no land, the opening of the Constituent Assembly was postponed, and so on.

At that time Russia was one huge, primarily underdeveloped country. Most of the population, three quarters of them, were peasants. It was unofficially classified as a backward country, one which few people took seriously. On the other hand, it had one asset which was grossly under estimated. That asset was the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, the RSDLP, led by none other than Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, otherwise known as Lenin.

In early 1917, Lenin was in Switzerland. As for those who think it strange that the leader of the RSDLP should be out of the country, it was only because years earlier he had first been thrown in jail, for his revolutionary work, then exiled to Siberia and finally allowed to leave the country. The Russian officials were glad to see him go. They thought that was the last they would see of young Ulyanov. They could not possibly have been more mistaken.

Even though Lenin was out of the country, he continued to do his revolutionary work. He stayed in touch with other revolutionaries, members of the RSDLP, inside and outside of Russia. He kept track of the revolutionary movement of the Russian working class and offered advice from afar. Lenin was a Marxist, and applied the theories of Marx to monopoly capitalism, technically referred to as imperialism.

In 1917, Lenin was anxious to return to Russia, as the revolution was taking place. The Czar had been overthrown by a spontaneous uprising of the people, and it was necessary to carry the revolution through to its logical conclusion, that of scientific socialism. The only way in which that could happen was by raising the level of awareness of the people, both workers and peasants, to that of Marxists. His presence was urgently required.

The trouble was that Lenin was a Russian citizen and Russia was at war with the Central Powers, including Germany. To return to Russia, it was necessary to pass through Germany.

Ordinarily, this was out of the question, but the situation was anything but ordinary. The German High Command was well aware that Lenin was the worst enemy of the deposed Czar and the Russian Provisional Government, then taking shape, which became known as the Kerensky regime. They were of the opinion that ”the enemy of my enemy is my friend”, and decided to make an exception for their new friend, which was Lenin.

Accordingly, Lenin was placed on a sealed train and allowed to pass through Germany and into Russia. He arrived in Saint Petersburg in April of 1917 and promptly went into hiding, with the assistance of Stalin, as the police of the newly created provisional government were hunting for him. The provisional government agreed with the German High Command that Lenin was their worst enemy. In this, they were absolutely correct.

As Lenin saw it, the overthrow of the Czar was merely the first step on the road to socialism. The second step was to overthrow the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, whom had seized power. The details of this socialist revolution had to be worked out, and Lenin wrote that which is widely considered to be one if his greatest works, State and Revolution. This book is every bit as relevant now as it was in 1917. It deserves careful study.

Just as Lenin wrote that book in great haste, as he knew the revolution was taking place, so too we must study that book, with a sense of urgency, as our revolution is also imminent. It may help to think of the revolution as a force of nature, an act of God, as that is precisely what it is. Just as a hurricane does not wait until people are prepared, so too the revolution will not wait until we are prepared.

As Lenin phrased it, ”it is clear that the liberation of the oppressed class is impossible, not only without violent revolution, but also without the destruction of the apparatus of state power which was created by the ruling class”. (italics by Lenin)

This begs the question, what is the apparatus of state power? Lenin makes it clear that he is referring to the ”bureaucracy and the standing army”  which are a ”parasite on the body of society” one which ”chokes all its pores of life”. That is pretty clear, and explains the reason it must be destroyed.

In response to the revolutionary movement, we can expect the bourgeoisie to ”increase their repressive measures against the revolutionary proletariat, to strengthen the apparatus of the state machine” which ”compels the revolution to concentrate all its forces of destruction against the state power, and to regard the problem, not as one of perfecting the state machine, but of one of smashing and destroying it”. (italics by Lenin)

One possible way the capitalists can ”increase their repressive measures” is by declaring a state of national emergency, which would very likely amount to a state of martial law. Rest assured, the capitalists are determined to find some way to crush the revolution, possibly to  ”strengthen the apparatus of the state machine”. It is just a matter of time, and very likely a short time.

Our response is quite clear. We must ”concentrate all of our forces of destruction against the state power”, as it must be ”smashed and destroyed”.

It is up to Marxists to let the working class, the proletariat, know just what is expected, and what is required, in response to this anticipated attack on the working class.  Further, the proletariat also has to be made aware that a different sort of state apparatus must be established, after the successful overthrow of the capitalists, as Lenin makes abundantly clear.

As Lenin phrases it, ”A Marxist is one who extends the acceptance of the class struggle to the acceptance of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat”. (italics by Lenin)

Under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, the bureaucracy and the standing army will be abolished. All officials will be elected and subject to recall, at any time. Such officials will be working at the wages of working men. The vast majority of working people will take part in crushing the desperate and determined resistance of the capitalists, the former billionaires who can be counted upon to resort to any subterfuge to regain their ”paradise lost”.

Lenin goes on to say that the workers ”will organize large scale production on the basis of what capitalism has already created; we shall rely upon our own experience as workers, we shall establish strict, iron discipline supported by the state power of the armed workers, we shall reduce the role of the state officials to that of simply carrying out our instructions as responsible, revocable, managers (of course with the aid of technicians of all sorts, types and degrees.) This is our proletarian task, this is what we can and must start with in carrying out the proletarian revolution.” (italics by Lenin)

I have merely touched upon a few of the main points which Lenin addressed in State and Revolution. It is my most sincere hope that this will inspire people to study this most essential work of Lenin. As for those who are skeptical concerning the theories of Marx and Lenin, may I suggest that the Russian revolution was successful. If not for the leadership of Lenin, it is doubtful that a socialist society could have been created. It is very likely that the 1917 revolution would have ended with the overthrow of the Czar.

The fact that the Russian capitalists were able to restore capitalism does not reduce the accomplishment of the Russian proletariat. We just have to make sure we do not repeat their mistake. After the successful American socialist revolution, we will have to make sure that we exercise complete and total dictatorship over the bourgeoisie. Any and all attempts to restore capitalism can and must be precluded. If there is any one slogan which must be driven home to the American workers, that one slogan must be:

Dictatorship of the Proletariat!