Revolutionary Optimism and Proletarian Spirit
05/02/2022
Nick Harper
Statistics would be hard to find, but it is safe to say most people believe that all hope for a proletarian revolution has been lost. By revolution, Marxists mean the seizure of state power by the workers and their collective ownership and control of the means of production. Most people are convinced the movement for such radical change has been defeated; that revolution is a thing of the past and that the current economic system is the final stage in history for Australia and other capitalist societies.
Marxist-Leninists won’t be surprised at such a development. Revolutionary ideas set down roots in Australia and made significant gains on behalf of the working class thanks to the Communist movement but fell way short of the goal of socialist revolution. Fortunes have been channelled into consolidating the notion that parliamentary “democracy” and market economies are the most effective ways to run a society. Anti-Communism has been a top priority for every single pillar of the capitalist state and it has not slipped off the agenda with the temporary defeat of the world socialist system with the Soviet Union at its core. We are said to be living at the “end of history” and universal acceptance of the TINA principle (There Is No Alternative).
There is a widespread, mistaken belief that reform is the only path for change and that the workers of Australia will never regain momentum for the sort of socialist transformation that was witnessed in other parts of the globe. This is the current consensus among liberals, reformists and others distraught by the current capitalist reality. These ideas have been skilfully sown by our bourgeois class enemy and even found its way into organisations once committed to Marxism-Leninism and socialist revolution.
Indoctrination was unavoidable. From a young age, we learned of the “dangers of Communism” and how “capitalism is the only viable economic system”. We constantly hear in the news of the supposed deprivations of life in socialist countries like Cuba, the “greatness” of the current system we live in, the magic worked by the invisible hand of the market, and so on. This most insidious indoctrination comes in the form of reformism and parliamentarism. They are a virus in the modern working class movement. They feed off the workers’ movement and pretend to advance its interests in order to seem righteous, but in reality they do nothing but harm for the proletariat.
The Australian state has confused the working class and made participation in electoral “democracy” appear to be action for change. Cynicism about the antics of politicians and bureaucrats is widespread but, in the end, many sincere but misguided people still believe a vote will change the course of history, or even the functioning of the system itself. This illusion forfeits workers’ collective power to the capitalist state and must never be entertained by any comrade committed to the interests of the working class movement.
History has provided countless examples to show that the electoral system will never fundamentally benefit the working class. Major parties and their would-be replacements give in to corporate interest and fight to uphold capitalism and private property. Those that don’t, such as the governments of Allende in Chile, Arbenz in Guatemala and Mosaddegh in Iran are quickly swept away by forces loyal to the international capital.
As far as any Marxist-Leninist is concerned, working through electoral means and collaboration with capitalist parties is nothing but an aid to imperialism, capital and oppression of all forms
As Marxist-Leninists, we understand that revolution and a fight for concrete change is the only way to emancipate the Australian working class. This fight will not arise from the utopian dream of participation in electoral liberal democracy; it can only come about with the fight for socialism and working class revolution.
Reformism in modern Australia
Reformism in the trade unions and “Labor” party have been dominant forces from the early days of the organised workers’ movement in Australia. Today, there are several parties that claim to be valiantly fighting for the battlers in society, not through revolution, but through collaboration with the state and reform through electoralism. The pipe-dream of creating socialism, or some other more palatable situation under capitalism through a left wing coalition with the Greens and the Labor party via electoral means is nothing but utopian idiocy. The Greens and Labor may have many sincere and well-motivated members but their parties are not working in the people's interests. As far as any Marxist-Leninist is concerned, working through electoral means and collaboration with capitalist parties is nothing but an aid to imperialism, capital and oppression of all forms. Reformism does not aim to achieve the emancipation of the working class. It instead meekly begs the ruling class for larger scraps without challenging their right to rule.
Pessimism
The pessimist mindset is this: “There is no revolutionary hope for the world, neo-liberal capitalism will destroy any left wing movement, climate change will destroy us before the revolution will come around, dystopia is our future”. With this mindset, pessimists do nothing of value; they sit back, relax and watch the working class crumble. This attitude is incredibly dangerous and, obviously, has no place in the revolutionary movement of the working class. Yes, it is true that humanity faces an existential threat. However, in any revolutionary optimist’s mind this is what we must deal with and overcome. Revolution has become an even more urgent necessity.
How will any change come about by sitting back and relaxing? As Marxist-Leninists, our actions must be directed at improving the material conditions of the working class, building proletarian spirit and class consciousness among the working class. No change will occur by sitting idly by and letting our class get trampled. We must work with our communities and organise. Otherwise, there is no hope. We must put an end to the capitalist epoch we live in. We must continuously fight for the people and our analysis must be scientific, i.e. dialectical.
Pessimism flows from the present material conditions of the working class and must be fought vigorously. Pessimism is the ill of the people, and without revolutionary optimism, it will remain uncured. Pessimists and others alike are not to be looked down upon, but to be seen as a product of capitalism. It would be a subjective approach to blame the individual for their feelings of hurt, suffering and defeatism.
This system has torn our humanity away and kept us miserable. There is reason to be optimistic, however. People are protesting for a better future, they are organising their workplaces and fighting for a sustainable future. This struggle is not going to be won through electoral means or reformism; it will be won through work carried out with revolutionary optimism and proletarian spirit.
What is Revolutionary Optimism?
Revolutionary optimism is working with confidence towards our ultimate victory in bringing about the overthrow of capitalism and the creation of a socialist society free from exploitation. Revolutionary optimism is a rejection of the complacency, reformism, fatalism, pessimism, alienation and defeatism that is bred under capitalism. Revolutionary optimists hold the conviction that the revolution will be achieved, the working class will be emancipated and that a better future is possible.
It is clear to any revolutionary optimist that, to achieve this goal, work must be done consistently in our communities. Solidarity must be built and our workplaces organised to break this system. This is no easy task and, when faced with the full force of the system, nothing seems more impossible. However, we are optimistic about our future. Marxist-Leninist movements continuously shake the global capitalist structure, from Lenin's Russia to Mao’s China, from Thomas Sankara's Burkina Faso to Castro's Cuba and many more revolutions across the world. If revolution was achieved in the worst of situations, it can be achieved in the capitalist countries of the west.
There is no clearer example of how victory can be achieved when all seems lost than The Long March, led by Mao, which saved the Chinese Communist Party from total destruction.
Another important factor in maintaining revolutionary optimism is independent study and Party education in Marxist-Leninist theory. The founders of our movement, Marx, Engels and Lenin, demonstrated scientifically that capitalism is not the end of the historical road. Unless capitalism destroys the planet and its human population first, socialism will present itself as the only option for survival. The party’s role is to make this alternative known and to organise the masses of workers and their allies to achieve it.
Bulgarian hero Georgi Dimitrov was the secretary of the Communist International at the time of the spread of fascism across Europe. His report to the VII World Congress in 1935 advocated what turned out to be flawed tactics for Communists in their fight against fascism and capitalism [1]. This reorientation of the movement was towards a “Popular Front”. Nevertheless, there is some sound advice in the address about education and revolutionary optimism:
“Comrades, we Communists are people of action. Ours is the problem of practical struggle against the offensive of capital, against fascism and the threat of imperialist war, the struggle for the overthrow of capitalism. It is precisely this practical task that obliges Communist cadres to equip themselves with revolutionary theory, for theory gives those engaged in practical work the power of orientation, clarity of vision, assurance in work, belief in the triumph of our cause ...
“It is not pedants, moralisers or adepts at quoting that our schools must train. No. It is practical front rank fighters in the cause of the working class that should graduate from there, people who are front-rank fighters not only because of their boldness and readiness for self-sacrifice, but also because they see further than rank-and-file workers and know better than they the path that leads to the emancipation of the working people. All sections of the Communist International must without any dilly-dallying seriously take up the question of the proper organisation of Party schools, in order to turn them into smithies where these fighting cadres are forged” [2].
We know capitalism will not fall on its own. To believe it will is a dogmatic, deterministic and non-Marxist approach. We know we must work our hardest and revolutionary optimism is essential if we are to succeed in breaking our chains. There is nothing more dangerous to the Communist movement than a defeatist or pessimistic narrative. Such narratives limit progress and indoctrinate others into the same dead-end mentality.
The 21st century has so much revolutionary potential. Revolution has never been more of a necessity for the world. There is no doubt in any revolutionary optimist’s mind, that the Communist movement is on the rise once again, coming back stronger, full of youth yet more advanced, having learned from the mistakes of the past. In recent years, capitalism has, as it always has, widened the gap between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat in terms of income and prospects for a fulfilling life. Over the current pandemic (COVID-19), US billionaires have got about $1.2 trillion richer and Australia's billionaires became 50% richer [3]. This is just further expanding pre-existing inequality at the expense of the working class.
Even broader left-wing movements, such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the climate change movement, have drawn significant media coverage and public support. This provided an opportunity for more people to be brought further along the path to class consciousness and the Communist movement. If we do nothing to bring more people into the struggle for socialism, the movement truly will be lost. The odds are on our side, and this is what keeps us optimistic. This is what drives us day and night, working countless hours for our people and the fight for a better future.
The mass mobilisation and support of the Black Lives Matter protests during 2020 shows that there is a huge movement of people who may potentially turn to socialism if we seize the opportunity.
References:
[1] https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/dimitrov/works/1935/unity.htm
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2021/04/30/american-billionaires-have-gotten-12-trillion-richer-during-the-pandemic/
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/dec/29/australias-billionaires-became-50-richer-during-pandemic