AnarchismBourgeoisieCapitalismCommunismDemocracySocialismStrikeSyndicalismTerrorismWorking Class

to act to 14 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE July 12, 1919 tariat before Socialism can be established, the ing through organized and unorganized to and temporarily succeeding in softening construction of a general industrial organiz workers acting instinctively under the pres antagonisms, actually and fundamentally mulstion that may seize and operate industry. In sure of events and in disregard of bureau tiplies the antagonisms and contradictions interi. vf infinity, it may be conceivable that cratic discipline. The great expressions of herent in Capitalism. These antagonisms some day, some how, the majority of the pro mass action in recent years, the New Zealand assume a violent form, equally between naletariat, or an overwhelming minority, may General Strike, the Lawrence strike, the great tions, and between the proletariat and the become organized into industrial unions un strike of the British miners under which cap bourgeoisie. This crisis in antagonisms conder Capitalism. In terms of actual practice, italist society reeled on the verge of collapse, stitutes the social revolutionary era, in which this is inconceivable. The proletariat of un. all were mass actions organized and carried the proletariat is driven to violent struggles skilled labor, which alone may accept indus through in spite of the passive and active against Capitalism through mass action. The trial unionism, is a class difficult to organize; hostility of the dominant Socialist and labor social revolutionary era finds its expression its conditions of labor discouragę organiz organization. Under the impulse of mass and its tactic in mass action: this is the great ation and make it move and act under the im action, the industrial proletariat senses its fact of contemporary proletarian development.
pulse of mass action. The conditions of Cap own power and acquires the force The process of revolution consists in italism, its violent upheavals and stress of equally against Capitalism and the conserv weakening of the class power of the bourstruggle, exclude the probability of an all atism of organizations. Indeed, a vital fea geoisie as against a strengthening of the class inclusive proletarian organization; moreover, ture of mass action is precisely that it places power of the proletariat. The class power of should we hesitate to act until this general in the hands of the proletariat the power to the proletariat arises out of the intensity of organization materializes. Capitalism may overcome the fetters of these organizations, its struggles and revolutionary energy. It turn in on itself and establish a new forin of to act in spite of their conservatism, and consists, moreover, of undermining the bases slavery. In its dogmatic expression, indus through proletarian mass action emphasize of the power and morale of the capitalist trial unionism has mych in coinmon with the antagonisms between workers and capitalists, state, a process that requires extra parliaparliamentary Socialist conception of the and conquer power. determining phase of mentary activity through mass action. Cap.
peaceful growing into. Socialism; it evades the proletarian revolution in Russia was its italism trembles when it meets the impact of the dynamic problems of the Revolution, sub acting against the dominant Socialist organ a strike in a basic industry; Capitalism will stituting theory for reality and formula for ization, sweeping these aside through its mass more than tremble, it will actually verge on action. It is fantastic as a general proposi action before it could seize social supremacy. a collapse, when it meets the impact of a gention, it is particularly fantastic considering And the great strikes and demonstrations in eral mass action involving a number of correthe period of violent upheavals and struggle Germany and Austria during February, 1918, lated industries, and developing into revoluinto which the world is now emerging, to potentially revolutionary in character, were a tionary mass action against the whole capconsider that the proletariat under Capitalism form of mass action that broke loose against italist regime. The value of this mass action can through industrialism organize the struc the open opposition of the dominant Socialist is that it shows the proletariat its power, ture of the new society. The structure of in and union organizations, and that were crush weakens Capitalism, and compels the state dustrialism, the form of the new Cominunist ed by this opposition. Mass action is the pro largely to depend upon the use of brutal force society, can be organized only during the letariat itself in action, dispensing with bu in the struggle, either the physical force of transition period from Capitalis cial reaucrats and intellectuals acting through its the military or the force of legal terrorism; ism acting through the dictatorship of the own initiative; and it is precisely this circum this emphasizes antagonisms between proletaproletariat; all that can be done in the mean stance that horrifies the soul of petty bourgeois rian and capitalist, widening the scope and while is to develop a measure of industrial Socialism. The masses are to act upon their deepening the intensity of the proletarian organization and its ideology of the indus own initiative and the impulse of their own struggle against Capitalism. General mass trial state, which may constitute the starting struggles. it is the function of the revolution action, moreover, a product of the industrial point for a proletarian dictatorship in its task ary Socialist to provide the program and the proletariat, will, by the impulse and psychoof introducing the industrial state of Com course for this elemental action, to adapt him logy of events and the emphasizing of antamunist Socialism.
self to the new proletarian modes of struggle. gonisms, draw within the orbit of the strugThe supremacy of the proletariat is deter Mass action organizes and develops into gle workers still under the control of the craft mined by its action, and not by its organiz the political strike and denonstration, in unions. Mass action, being the proletariat itation. The proletariat acts even where there which a general political issue is the source of self in action, loosens its energy, develops is no organization, through mass action; the action. Pohtical mass action is determined enthusiasm, and unifies the action of the organization is a, means to action, and not a not by the struggle for wages, but by general workers to its utmost measure.
substitute for action. The function of an issues of prime political importance, in which It is this concentration of proletarian forces organization, in the revolutionary sense, is the proletariat centralizes and integrates its that makes mass action the method of the that it may serve as the centre for action of forces, in which organized and unorganized proletarian revolution. It is this dynamic the unorganized proletarian masses, rally and workers may act together in a general strug quality of mass action that makes it the exintegrate the general mass action of the pro gle against Capitalism. This concentration of pression of an era in which the proletariat letariat, organizing and directing it for the forces through mass action is indispensable throws itself in violent struggles against Capconquest of power, Socialism hastens the to the revolutionary struggles to come. italism. The proletarian revolution is a test overthrow of Capitalism through revolution Mass action may consist of a spontaneous of power, a process of forcible struggles, an ary action.
In this sense, parliamentarism strike of organized workers in revolt against epoch in which the proletariat requires a and industrial unionism become integral the union bureaucracy; or, as is most usually flexible method of action, a method of action phases of nass action.
the case, of the strikes and action of unorg that will not only concentrate all its availMass action is not a form of action as much anized, unskilled workers. These are primi able forces, but which will develop its initiaas it is a process and synthesis of action. It tive forms of mass action, although they con tive and consciousness, allowing it to seize is the unity of all forms of proletarian action, stitute the genesis of the general mass action and use any particular means of struggle in a means of throwing the proletariat, organiz which may include workers, organized and accord with a prevailing situation and necesed and unorganized, in a general struggle unorganized, in various industrial groupings, sary under the conditions.
against Capitalism and the capitalist state in a sweeping struggle against Capitalism on Moreover, mass action means the repudiIt is the sharp, definite expression of the re general class issues. An important fact, a ation of bourgeois democracy. Socialism will volt of the workers under the impact of the fact that disposes of the cheap sneers of petty come not through the peaceful, democratic antagonisms and repressions of Capitalism, bourgeois Socialism stigmatizing these mani parliamentary conquest of the state, but of the recurring crises and revolutionary situ festations as anarchistic and slum prole through the determined and revolutionary ations produced by the violent era of Imperial tarian, is that these mass actions are an ex mass action of a proletarian minority. The ism. Mass action is the instinctive action of pression of the industrial proletariat against fetish of democracy is a fetter upon the prothe proletariat, gradually developing more the centralized industry of dominant Capital letarian revolution; mass action smashes the conscious and organized forms and definite ism. The mass that functions through mass fetish, emphasizing that the proletariat recogpurposes. It is extra parliamentary in me action is the industrial proletarian mass, the nizes no limits to its action except the limits thod, although political in purpose and result, cohesive action of which may attract other of its own power. The proletariat will never may develop into and be itself developed by social groups to the general struggle. conquer unless it proceeds to struggle after the parliamentary struggle.
As an historic process, mass action is an struggle; its power is developed and Organizations, political and economic, have expression and recognition of the fact that energy let loose only through action. Parliaa tendency to become conservative; a tend the new era is an era of violent struggles, of mentarism, in and of itself, fetters proletarian ency emphasized, moreover, by the fact an acute crisis of antagonisms, of the impact action; organizations are often equally fetters they largely represent the favored of the proletariat in a revolutionary situa upon action; the proletariat must act and algroups of workers. These organizations tion against Capitalisin for the definite rev ways act: through action it conquers. The must be swept out of their conservatism by olutionary conquest of power, great merit and necessity of mass action is the elemental impact of mass action, function Imperialistic State Capitalism, while trying (Continued on page 1)
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