Workers Ponder Path to Revolution
SEATTLE (USA), December 7—Last Friday, workers around the world were watching the events of Paris. Boeing workers gathered around the shop desktops to watch videos of the Paris “yellow vest” rebellion. Normally, these computers are used to track production. Not surprisingly, we were more interested in the demonstrations than the progress of production.
Comrades and friends spread the discussion personally and via text messages. A central theme emerged. Was this a revolutionary situation? Is it even possible to build for a revolutionary situation today?
The key to communist revolution is the development of a mass party, willing and able to mobilize for communism. This analysis led to discussion about the obstacles to ICWP’s growth. …and how we can overcome those obstacles.
Industrial Workers Have a Wealth of Experience and Knowledge
Most in our base are keenly aware that racism, xenophobia and nationalism can quickly turn even the most militant fightback (like the yellow vest rebellion) into its opposite. It’s a big obstacle to building a communist movement.
“History tells us that divisions amongst us create [a] divide which would empower the haves … who control a lot of folks’ destinies,” texted a friend.
More than one commented about the importance of our struggles at work and in the streets around family separations and the caravan. It helped give us confidence that we can destroy the “walls between us” as we build a communist world without borders.
A close friend was a teenager during the 1967 Detroit rebellion. We found it useful to compare this outbreak with that revolt.
The first thing that came up was the role of the bosses’ armed forces. An immigrant worker was fully aware of the U.S. Army’s role in imperialist conquest. She came from one of the occupied countries.
She didn’t know that this same army was sent into Detroit to put down the rebellion. The media makes a big deal of the phony debate about what the law allows the armed forces to do on U.S. soil. Nobody was buying it. We all agreed that when push comes to shove, the bosses’ army is there to preserve the power of the capitalists.
At the same time, this army contains the seeds of communist revolution. Ever since the Vietnam war, it has become clear that rank-and-file U.S. soldiers can turn the guns on the capitalists, making revolution possible.
The comparisons to Detroit continued. The picture of the working-class students outside Paris kneeling before riot cops sparked infuriating memories for our comrade. So, too, the crashing barricades, tear gas, and baton-wielding cops!
On the other hand, the Detroit rebellion was overtly anti-racist and involved more industrial workers from the onset.
Key Element of Revolutionary Situation
Despite these differences, one glaring similarity remained. Both rebellions lack [or lacked] the key ingredient necessary for communist revolution: a mass ICWP with an even more mass base among industrial workers, soldiers and students.
“It will only get worse,” commented another immigrant machinist. The capitalist crisis is intensifying, and rebellions will only get more frequent. But we can’t wait for big rebellions to activate communist organizers. We must enter every struggle, big or small, with communist politics upfront.
It was only a few months ago that some comrades and friends thought the French were hoodwinked by Macron’s liberalism: that not much progress was possible.
It was interesting to watch Boeing workers glued to the computers watching the yellow vest demonstrations. Now our job is to get out from behind these computers into communist discussion and debate.
More are reading Red Flag. Now it is our job to get more to distribute and write for the paper.
More are considering communism. Our job now is to get them to raise these communist ideas with their friends and to join the party. This is what we have to concentrate on now to create revolutionary communist situations in the future.
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