The prospect of “revolution” is a scary idea to some, even to self-proclaimed socialists. However, it is the only practical approach to ending capitalism. This article will be concerned with why a revolutionary position, rather than a gradual, reformist position, is not only justifiable but necessary to defeat capitalism.
Let us first establish the revolutionary socialist position on violence. We do not wish to see violence. We are not eagerly awaiting a civil war between capitalists and socialists. If a peaceful overthrow of capitalism and existing class relations can occur then we’d be all for it. However, we acknowledge that violence itself is inherent to capitalism, and that any movement that threatens the system will be a primary target for violent repression. The 1917 October Revolution in Russia, the first socialist revolution of the 20th century, is a prime example. The Tsar (king) and the liberal-capitalist Provisional Government of 1917 had been more than willing to repeatedly fire into crowds of pro-labor protesters at rallies and strikes. Many well-known Bolshevik organizers and other revolutionaries were jailed, tortured, or exiled. After the revolution, monarchists, old generals, landlords, wealthy classes, and other reactionary parties compiled whatever resources and manpower they had left to try and bring down the Bolshevik government, waging a brutal 6-year war that killed millions and committing numerous massacres of peasants and workers that supported the revolution. The most notable feature of the Bolshevik Revolution however, is that it was almost completely non-violent. That is, the day the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government, hardly any shots were fired and nearly all Russian Imperial troops surrendered or deserted their posts. Even if any socialist movement is peaceful, the bourgeoisie *will* commit any and all kinds of violence to prevent their own overthrow.
COMMUNISTFTW 