By Kelly O'Connell ——Bio and Archives--June 23, 2014
Cover Story | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
For Marx was before all else a revolutionist. His real mission in life was to contribute, in one way or another, to the overthrow of capitalist society and of the state institutions which it had brought into being, to contribute to the liberation of the modern proletariat...
In depicting the most general phases of the development of the proletariat (wage-workers), we traced the more or less veiled civil war, raging within existing society, up to the point where that war breaks out into open revolution, and where the violent overthrow of the bourgeoisie (middle class) lays the foundation for the sway of the proletariat (wage-workers).And he famously ended the Manifesto with this observation:
Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians (wage-workers) have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!
And in Marx's opinion the birthpangs of Communism could, and should, be shortened. And so, though there were one or two occasions when he said that Communism could be achieved without a Revolution, on the whole his writings support the view that a Revolution was essential.Alfred G. Mere, in Marxism, The Unity of Theory and Practice, writes, "On the eve of the revolution, Marx, in his Theses on Feurebach, had bid goodbye to philosophy and intimated that revolutionary action was required to solve philosophical problems..."
Lenin was preoccupied, in fact, with violent revolution. The society of the future did not particularly interest him. He was infatuated with revolution as a purpose of struggle and conflict. Within this dedication, his chief interest centered on violence and the "black arts."Lenin did not shy away from extolling revolution, writing:
Marxists have never forgotten that violence will be an inevitable accompaniment of the collapse of capitalism on its full scale and of the birth of a socialist society. And this violence will cover a historical period, a whole era of wars of the most varied kinds: imperialist wars; civil wars within the country, the interweaving of the former with the latter; national wars; the emancipation of the nationalities crushed by the imperialists and by various combinations of imperialist powers which will inevitably form various alliances with each other in the era of vast state-capitalist and military trusts and syndicates. This is an era of tremendous collapses, of wholesale military decisions of a violent nature, of crises. It has already begun, we see it clearly -- it is only the beginning.2. Lenin's Obsessive and Paranoid Nature, Echoed in Barack? Possony explains Lenin traits, some of which seeming similar to Barack's character. Both wore a placid exterior which obscured an ideological and obdurate mindset. Lenin had an inflexible mind interested in few topics, constrained in a "mental straight jacket." He had evolved into believing he was always right, and so he disliked skepticism and opposed open minds. Lenin was prone to paranoia, and his prison time seems to have caused him to over-value his core ideas. This results in a monomania leading to confirmation bias, or seeing the entire world as only reinforcing the ideas. Lenin displayed psycho-pathological traits which led him to disregard the past or future, and just focus on the present. Possony describes Lenin as,
Self-righteous, rude, demanding, ruthless, despotic, formalistic, bureaucratic, disciplined, cunning, intolerant, stubborn, one-sided, suspicious, distant, asocial, cold-blooded, ambitious, purposive, vindictive, spiteful, a grudge-holder, and a coward...Lenin appeared to be unpretentious and soft-spoken. His enormous willpower was hidden behind a facade of modesty. His personality was basically cold, yet he gave the impression of warmth.
Classical Marxism projected the communist revolution as a universal phenomenon. The goal it foresaw for Weltgeschichte (world history) was a planetary communist society wherein man everywhere would realize his essential creative nature, having overcome by the socialization of private property the alienation endured in the course of history.Further, the communist revolution was supposed to occur in the most advanced nations, and flash into existence globally, at the same time. This would sweep the globe with enlightenment and material progress. So anyone who believes in socialist and communist Marxism thinks they are fighting for a government revolution, leading to global transformation to liberate all humans. In this sense, Barack undoubtedly believes he is fighting to save the globe, and all humans.
View Comments
Kelly O’Connell is an author and attorney. He was born on the West Coast, raised in Las Vegas, and matriculated from the University of Oregon. After laboring for the Reformed Church in Galway, Ireland, he returned to America and attended law school in Virginia, where he earned a JD and a Master’s degree in Government. He spent a stint working as a researcher and writer of academic articles at a Miami law school, focusing on ancient law and society. He has also been employed as a university Speech & Debate professor. He then returned West and worked as an assistant district attorney. Kelly is now is a private practitioner with a small law practice in New Mexico.