(Dual) Power to the People!
As we near the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, it seems clear that the world has changed immensely in the 100 years since 1917. Technological and political developments have radically changed the world. Capitalist nations have been challenged, and have adapted to consume the challenges and challengers that faced them. No longer, it seems, are vast popular uprisings feasible in these countries. Indeed, the power of the State and of corporations has been consolidated into a seemingly impervious hegemony. Russia in 1917 was weak, crippled by the devastation of World War One. Modern capitalist states, however, have technologically advanced military and police forces that a group of disorderly rebels would not likely be able to overcome. In order to overcome capitalist hegemony, therefore, the question must be asked: What can be done?
Our future requires the subversion of the status quo. Alternative institutions must be created that can challenge the hegemony of the state. We must challenge capitalism by undermining its’ domination over people’s lives. This technique is not without precedent. In 1969, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover said that the Black Panther Party “without question, represents the greatest threat to the internal security of the country”. The reason they were considered to be such a threat to the capitalist order was not their militancy or belief in self-defense, rather, their Free Breakfast Program which provided free food for many impoverished young children. The power of these alternatives is immense. By providing services through principles of mutual aid that the State and capitalist class would have provided for profit, we can undermine the power and influence that those hegemonies have over the lives of everyday people.
The importance of “alternative institutions” is to provide services to communities, building a network of mutual aid that fosters solidarity and cooperation. It is to mold the world of the future. It is to take back the power that has been consolidated by capitalist class. When we organize, we take important steps towards the creation of a new world. It is time to declare our intentions to capitalist society. It is right to feed those who are hungry, shelter those who are cold, and defend those who are defenseless. As well, capitalism’s weakness lies in the centralization of wealth and property. Capitalism requires the constant motion of Capital, and for that, it requires logistics. If we were able to exert control over key means of distribution and logistics, we hold an immense power over the capitalist system. By crippling these logistically important places, we could bring the whole system grinding to a halt.
It is important to remember that Alternative Institutions are not simply a method of recruitment. To prioritize recruiting over the improvement of the lives of the people will gain nothing in the long run. We must focus on promoting subversive Counter-Institutions that can supplant those of the state, and encouraging the reading of Theory. Through the concept of the “Mass Line” where socialists engage with members of the proletariat, learning from them as they learn from us. If there is to be a revolutionary party, it is through the Mass Line that the proletariat can directly influence the direction that the party will take. Therefore, we can synthesize the strong organizational and directional capabilities of Marxist-Leninist and MLM groups with the democratic and accountable tendencies of anarchists and Left-Communists.
The world around is chaotic. We clearly cannot afford to wait for a revolution. We cannot revolt without a structure to build upon. Without sufficient organization, our revolutions will not succeed. The era of spontaneous revolutions, such as the Paris Commune, is over. We must build the world we want from the ground up. To move beyond capitalism, we must become autonomous.
