126 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
126 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
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Keywords Revolution, Cuba, Nicaragua,
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ANARCHISTS SAY that capitalism can not be reformed away. We
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say it must be overthrown through a revolution. Many people
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however believe that the failure of the Russian revolution of
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1917 shows revolutions just replace one set of rulers with
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another. The failures of the revolutions in Nicaragua, Iran and
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Cuba to fundamentally change life for the workers of these
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countries seems to point to the same thing. So why all this talk
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of revolution?
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A revolution essentially is a sudden upheaval in society which
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fundamentally alters the way that society operates or who that
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society is run by. It occurs when the mass of the people desire
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change that their rulers are unwilling or unable to grant.
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It can not be the result of the action of a small group of
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plotters.
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History is full of revolutions. Capitalism gained dominance
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over feudalism through revolutions, particularly the French
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revolution of 1789. Revolutions in countries like Cuba, Nicaragua
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and Iran since the second world war have had major effects on a
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global scale.
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Of course none of these were anarchist revolutions. They all
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resulted in the substitution of one ruling class for another.
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They failed to bring about classless societies.
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MISSING FACTOR
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What was missing was an independent working class fighting for
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its own class interests. Instead working class militancy was
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harnessed by radical nationalists in a fight for 'national
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liberation'. In power these radical nationalists crushed the
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working class at home while seeking terms with imperialism abroad.
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In the case of Nicaragua and Cuba at least the radical nationalists
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in power used socialist jargon as a cover for their policies. Cuba
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went so far as to nationalise the economy. A successful socialist
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revolution however involves more than nationalisation and left
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wing jargon.
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In the course of a revolution the working class spontaneously
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throws up organs through which it tries to re-organise society.
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These organs however are normally made subservient to the new
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state within a short period of time. Normally there is some
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resistance to this but such resistance is brutally crushed.
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In 1917 the Bolshevik state apparatus crushed the Soviets and
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factory committees, in Iran the radical nationalists around Khomeini
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performed the same function.
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SMASH THE STATE
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This could only occur because the vast majority of the workers
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accepted the necessity of state rule. This is why anarchists
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emphasise the importance of smashing the state rather then using
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it's apparatus to introduce socialism. There is no more utopian
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idea then the idea of a minority introducing socialism through
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the state apparatus.
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Anarchists believe that a successful revolution which introduces
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socialism must for the first time in history involve a huge
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subjective factor. This subjective factor is a large proportion
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of the working class holding anarchist politics. This does not mean
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the WSM must be the largest faction or even that anarchist groups
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must be the largest faction. It does mean that workers must see
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the introduction of socialism as something that is their task, and
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that the state has only a counter-revolutionary role to play.
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BATTLE OF IDEAS
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This will not just happen spontaneously. Some anarchists make
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the mistake of thinking politics will become irrelevant once
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workers seize the factories. They think that the various
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Leninist and reformist left theories will become instantly irrelevant.
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In actual fact this is the period when politics will become
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relevant as never before. It is a period where millions of
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workers will be looking for a political direction.
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In the past revolutions have been led to disaster because the
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ideas that led the working class were reformist or
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authoritarian. Once in power such parties
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brutally crushed working class activity. This is as true of
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the reformists in the German revolution of 1919 as it is of the
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Bolsheviks in 1917-21. Anarchist organisation must be capable of
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debating and defeating such ideas as they arise.
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CRYSTAL BALL
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Not being crystal ball gazers we can not predict when the next
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opportunity for revolution will occur. In Ireland at least it
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would appear to be many years away. We do know such opportunities
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will arise however, they are a product of the inability of
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capitalism to meet the needs of all the people. Capitalism may
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have changed and developed over the years but this has not changed.
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This does not mean we do nothing until such an opportunity arises.
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Now is the time for us to develop and spread anarchist ideas.
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We need to build strong anarchist organisation(s), not just in Ireland
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but internationally. Indeed it is likely that revolution
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will arrive on the agenda in Ireland due to the success of
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revolutions elsewhere. We ensure the continued relevancy of our ideas by
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involvement in the struggles of fellow workers and demonstrating the
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usefulness of anarchist politics and tactics.
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This is the purpose of the WSM. We are in the process of building an
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organisation capable of asserting anarchist ideas. We are
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developing these ideas while being involved in struggles at all
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levels of society. We are building
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international links with anarchists in other countries.
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If you too wish to see this rotten system smashed and replaced
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with anarchism then get in contact and get involved.
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Joe Black
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This article originally appeared in the Irish anarchist magazine
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Workers Solidarity. For more information on the Workers
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Solidarity Movement contact
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WSM
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PO BOX 1528
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Dublin 8
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Ireland
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