US Capitalist Crisis: Masses Need Communist Revolution, Not Capitalist Democracy

Russian Revolution here ♩ US Democracy: Death of an Illusion here ♩

“COMMUNISM”

Learn from the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia

This issue of Red Flag marks the anniversary of the 1917 communist-led revolution in Russia (October 25 Old Style/November 7 New Style).

As we said in Mobilize the Masses for Communism, it was the second great victory for our class after the Paris Commune of 1871.  The Bolsheviks mobilized masses of workers and soldiers to overthrow the liberal Kerensky government. They established the Soviet republic. However, they retreated from the goal of building communism. Instead, they built a socialist society with wages, money, and markets.

We have so much to learn from its successes, its shortcomings, and its fatal errors. Articles we published for the centennial of the Bolshevik Revolution are available at this link:

History of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917

US Democracy:  Death of an Illusion

Masses Everywhere Need Communist Workers’ Power

October 21— “Why is the Pax Americana in decline?” asked US capitalist pundit Paul Krugman a few days ago. “The world no longer trusts US promises, and perhaps no longer fears US threats, the way it used to.”

Krugman blames the Republican Party, which blames Democratic President Biden for everything. He’s partly right. As we’ve said before, Trump and his openly fascist supporters are both a symptom and a further cause of the US decline.

The Israel/Palestine crisis could explode into regional war at any moment. Together with Ukraine, even into world war. And the US Congress has been paralyzed since October 4. Why? Because the fractured Republican Party can’t agree on a House Speaker.

It can’t approve funds for its Israeli partners. Or for Ukraine. Or even keep the government open past November 17 unless something changes fast.

“To many watching at home and abroad, the American way no longer seems to offer

a case study in effective representative democracy,” wrote New York Times columnist Peter Baker. “Instead, it has become an example of disarray and discord.

The US capitalist rulers aren’t the only ones in trouble. The Council of Europe met in May to discuss “Elections in Times of Crisis.”  Europe is in disarray, and China is making huge gains there.

The leading capitalist party in Israel picked a fight with a key centrist party over the role of the judiciary and the occupation of the West Bank. Mass protests exploded for months—including among military reservists. Hamas saw and seized its opportunity.

Joe Biden’s embrace of Bibi Netanyahu was a watershed moment. After Modi snubbed Biden publicly at the G20 meeting in India, the US is doubling down on its few loyal allies. Its global isolation is in full view.

We could go on. Pakistan. Ecuador. Iran. Niger. And more.

Workers worldwide must see and seize these capitalist crises as opportunities for communist revolution.

Democracy:  Not As Advertised

Democracy is supposed to mean “popular rule” or “people power.”  We’re told, “Your vote is your voice.”    Well, very few of us have any voice on how our workplace runs!

As for government, a September Pew Research study documented that most people in the US think that big donors, lobbyists, and large companies have “too much” influence on Congress. They think that “people in their district” have “too little” influence. No kidding! Over a quarter have no use for either party.

Reformers call US democracy “imperfect.”  They want us to make “our government” better. This is a dangerous illusion.

It’s not “our” government. The ancient Greek enslavers invented democracy to manage their system that exploited masses of slaves. It oppressed “free” people (including almost all women). The US “founding fathers” adopted this democracy to manage their system that
… did the same!

Protest marchers chant “This is what democracy looks like!” They are right, but not in the way they mean. We get to yell in the streets (sometimes) while the capitalists and their politicians make decisions from their corner offices high above us (always).

In class societies, there is no “the people.”  There are exploiters and exploited. Either the exploiters hold power, or the exploited make a revolution to take it away from them. That’s what we’re preparing to do.

Communist workers’ power won’t be a “better democracy.” 

Instead, the International Communist Workers’ Party will mobilize masses in workplaces, neighborhoods, and everywhere else into decision-making collectives. For local matters, we’ll use our voices directly. We’ll debate and decide what to do to meet the masses’ needs, and how. We’ll carry out and later evaluate those decisions.

But these collectives can’t be “autonomous” when it comes to big issues like water and food supplies or the environmental crisis. We need to communicate with each other through the Party center. That way, decisions can respond to the short-term and long-term needs of the masses everywhere. We work to spread revolution and abolish borders.

We prepare for communist workers’ power by building the ICWP today. Party members must be immersed among the masses. That way, we can respond to their material and political needs. We must participate actively in our ICWP collectives.

If you’re sick of capitalist politics – if you are a communist or like communist ideas – please talk to us about joining or building an ICWP collective wherever you are.

Front page of this issue