You can't kill a revolution

"You can kill a revolutionary but you can't kill revolution...you can jail a liberator but you can't jail liberation." - Fred Hampton (1948-69), Black Panther

Why is the socialist movement so small and so clearly wanting in numbers and influence? This is a crucial question. One answer, of course was that for many people for a long time, the old Soviet Union model regarded nationalised property and the 5–Year State Plans, under the control of the “vanguard” Party, as socialism,(or at least stepping stones) to socialism. The words ‘socialism’ and ‘socialist’ are odious to many people chiefly on account of principles and practices of political parties prominent in the history in certain countries with whom we have no sympathy at all with. Why then do we continue to use these terms, which must confuse us with them in popular opinion? Would it not be good policy to drop these terms, and to substitute others less obnoxious to popular prejudice? Nothing would be finally gained by such a policy. "Speak the truth and shame the Devil" is a good maxim. The truth is, we really are socialists; we support the socialist idea and we strive for the day socialism is accepted by mankind. We remain convinced its day is coming; and it is not an aim that for honest men and women to be ashamed of. As to justice from the critics and opposition, no revolutionary ever received it.  Reformers only betray their cause in the end when they resort to a timid, evasive policy. No matter how determined and principled, the few socialists are, they are drowned out by the power and pervasiveness of the dominant ruling class and their control of information by a manipulated media and biased education system. Socialist websites on  the internet may have opened a window to reaching mass audiences but (even if one is successful in locating them) cannot substitute for the indispensable work of organisational outreach, of people making direct contact with others, of physical face-to-face debate and discussion, and of well-orchestrated, highly visible mass action.

Socialism in its essence is a society in which all people work cooperatively as equals for the common good of all. In recent times people who hold this principle have been describing this principle as democratic socialism, to distinguish the principle from authoritarian and undemocratic states which have wrongly described themselves as socialist in character. This label is used to distinguish democratic socialists from people who improperly call themselves socialist and do not support the values of both equality and democracy. Certain societies have sometimes disguised themselves by using the term socialism. "National socialism" advocates a one-party dictatorial society. "Communism" has frequently been used by political parties advocating and implementing a one-party society with very limited democratic practices. However, a truly communal society would be very democratic.

Capitalism describes a state of society which accepts and encourages private ownership of the means of production. Capitalism exalts the selfish individual. In capitalism regulation of self-interest is discouraged as a hindrance to the operation of the market. At the moment, production in every enterprise is conducted by individual capitalists on their own initiative. What -- and in which way -- is to be produced, where, when and how the produced goods are to be sold is determined by the industrialist. The workers do not see to all this, they are just living machines who have to carry out their work. In a socialist economy this must be completely different! The private employer will disappear. Then no longer production is aimed towards the enrichment of one individual, but of delivering to the public at large the means of satisfying all its needs. Socialism is that social system under which the necessaries of production are owned, controlled and administered by the people, for the people, and under which, accordingly, the cause of political and economic despotism having been abolished, class rule is at an end. That is socialism; nothing short of that.

In socialism no person can exploit any other person. Natural resources will not be wasted. Changes in society should be made by freely and openly. Thus, socialism ought to be achieved democratically through the ballot box. Socialism is the radical idea that people should live and work cooperatively in a democratic society. A socialist society will provide for each individual's basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and health. Above all, it will have to take the control of industry and of all branches of production out of the hands of mutually competing individuals, and instead institute a system in which all these branches of production are operated by society as a whole -- that is, for the common account, according to a common plan, and with the participation of all members of society. It will, in other words, abolish competition and replace it with association. In a socialist society, the employer with his stick and carrot ceases to exist. The workers are free and equal human beings, who work for their own well-being and benefit.

We are living in times of unprecedented possibility and also in a period that threatens humanity’s very existence, dominated by a ruling class hell-bent on the unfettered extraction of natural resources. In response, all around the world, people are in search of genuine solutions. The nature of this historical moment makes fundamental change possible, though not inevitable. We aim to rekindle a radical and grounded world socialist movement capable of confronting the challenges and opportunities of today, based on popular participation in politics seeking to establish democratically-planned production for use that is in balance with the planet’s sustainable regenerative capacity. While we are informed by the lessons and struggles of those who have come before us, we live in unique conditions, and our struggles must be rooted in a sober assessment of our specific time, place, and conditions. The Socialist Party does not seek to replace or control the work of existing campaigns. We believe that social movements should be independent and authentic. We reject the vanguardism and the associated ‘entryist’ practices of operating within organizations, trying to control them; creating front groups; or being opportunist and leeching off social activism. Our contribution which we believe is both possible and necessary is maintaining the focus upon our goal – socialism and encouraging strategies to achieve that aim. The Socialist Party hopes to build a new type of workers’ movement with a transformative and liberatory vision that connects all the grassroots struggles to win freedom for all people and safe-guard the planet.

"We got to face some facts. That the masses are poor, that the masses belong to what you call the lower class, and when I talk about the masses, I'm talking about the white masses, I'm talking about the black masses, and the brown masses, and the yellow masses, too. We've got to face the fact that some people say you fight fire best with fire, but we say you put fire out best with water. We say you don't fight racism with racism. We're gonna fight racism with solidarity. We say you don't fight capitalism with no black capitalism; you fight capitalism with socialism.”- Fred Hampton