To make a revolution!

Bickford world is on fire,
and there are evil clouds over the country!
“Adaptatsiya”

Those of us who understand revolution as something real, as something that will inavoidably occur in foreseeable future, face a number of painful contradictions. Sometimes it seems that there is a whole gulf between revolution and our reality.

History gives us a consolation. It teaches us that even the darkest eras, when society is enmeshed in reactionary obscurantism, passivity and indifference, can suddenly be replaced by a tremendous liberation movement in a very short time.

Perhaps, we are spectators of the first signs of awakening. The period of total loyalty to the regime and system, the peak of whick fell in 2014, seems to be almost a thing of past. And it is not about current pension reform. The matter is that the oppressive, totally unfair nature of the current government is not a propaganda motto, but the real truth. And no matter what tricks the rulers go to obscure the awareness of this fact, it becomes more and more clear for lots of people.

Reflecting on the revolution today, we come up against “truism”. One of them says: a revolution cannot be “done” — objective conditions must ripen for it. The search for objective conditions for the liberation revolution is especially fascinated by the comrades of the Marxist orientation. However, so far no one has succeeded in defining these necessary objective conditions. Even the famous Leninist formula “the tops cannot, and the lower classes do not want to live as before” as long as the other similar verions are rather remote degree of approximation, than a detailed picture of “objective conditions”.

Traditionally, we try to define necessary conditions for revolution relying on the experience of previous revolutions. And even define. But invariably in a retrospective way, after the fact. Such kind of analysis has never given a chance to predict future revolutions.

So, we are to conclude that:

1. There are no standards of objective conditions for revolution but there are countless specific historical situations and circumstances.

2. We can not say for sure whether our current objective conditions is suitable for revolution or not, as our objective conditions is a combination of many factors. So, our duty is to consider it as a suitable for revolutionary transformations since we are not sure in opposite. And we are to look for ways to implement these transformations into life by all means.

Some anarchist comrades often repeat deeply hated thesis that anarchist ideals can be realized in practice only in the distant future which is still hidden behind the far horizon. In fact, this opinion is similar to the idea of “objective conditions”. Behind this opinion lies defeatism and disbelief in man. But the main thing that such an opinion doesn’t rely on reasonable argumentation.

The speed and strength of social transformations in the modern world is such that very significant changes in the public consciousness and social structure can be expected in a very short time. And not a single insurmountable obstacle is visible in order for these changes to be libertarian. And there is no insurmountable obstacle for us to make these changes libertarian.

Both in anarchist and in marxist circles is popular the opinion according to which “making a revolution” — is for avant-garde and the real revolutionary initiative can come only from the depth of people masses. This statement is dangerous as every half-truth.

In fact, a deliberate revolutionary project is always initiated by a limited group. And only due to such projects the spontaneous uplift of masses acquires the features of a deliberate liberation movement. And nontrivial task is to ensure that this limited group doesn’t build its relations with society relying on the principle of power, but on the contrary, seeks to develop independence and initiative in society.

So the revolution is possible. And besides objective factors, there are no less important — subjective ones. They are the scope of our efforts. And they depend not on unknown historical forces, but on our actions. The scope for initiative, creativity and conscious struggle form our opportunity to make revolution in a contemporary historical context.

So, what steps should we take? We will write lots pages about it. But a couple of common contours must be outlined now: it is necessary to organize, discipline ourselves, and to build a struggle not as a hobby, but as a matter of life. We should formulate strong ideas and tirelessly translate them to the public. We should in a organized way proceed to revolutionary resistance and understand it as a militant collective practice.

Famous revolutionary Carlos Marigella wrote: “The duty of a revolutionary is to make a revolution at any cost!” It’s time to listen to older comrades...

Freedom or death!
Long live revolution!