Stages of crisis and resistance summed-up

Stages of Revolution

Caleb Maupiun

1. An Extreme Economic Crisis – The economy fails to work. People aren’t eating. The living standards people grew accustomed to, drop rapidly and don’t look to improve anytime soon. As a result, crime increases, radicals become popular, labor unrest breaks out.

2. A Political Crisis – The ruling class fights among itself about what to do. No matter what is done, nothing seems to solve the economic problems, so the fighting grows more intense. The ruling class divides into factions, and the infighting among them grows more and more intense.

3. One Section of the Ruling Class Makes A Temporary Alliance With The Lower Class – In desperation, amid the fighting inside the ruling class, one section calls for back-up, and allies itself with the lower class. This surge from inside the ruling structures leads protests, strikes, and social unrest to new heats, as they have “approval” among certain sections of the ruling elite.

4. The Vanguard Breaks The Alliance – After the alliance between the lower class and section of the upper class causes a general social crisis, a section of the lower class seeks to break the alliance. Instead of fighting on behalf of the ruling class, the lower class, now led by the vanguard, fights against the entire upper class.

5. New Power Structures Are Created – The police suddenly lose their ability to enforce the laws. New police forces set up by the lower classes start enforcing the laws. Dual governmental structures are forged, which disregard and disobey the previous governmental structures.

6. Old Power Structures Are Destroyed – The old power structures are broken up and smashed as the uprisings continue. The new power structures lead this effort, encouraging and directing it.

7. The New Power Structure Becomes Official – The old power structure is made illegal. New constitutions are written. Economics change rapidly. Soon, religion, art, and culture all reflect the new social order. The revolution is victorious.

Historical Examples –

FRANCE

Stage 1 – Famine as feudalist subsistence farming can no longer support the population.

Stage 2 – Nobles Blame the King. King blames the nobles. Conflicts erupt among aristrocracy.

Stage 3 – Some nobles, viewing the king as an embarrassment and cause of the economic problems make an alliance with the merchants and other figures in the “Third Estate.” As a mass uprising pushes forward, the section of nobles in alliance with the third estate hope to use in their struggle with the kind, and give it permission to grow.

Stage 4 – The Jacobins and other radical factions convert the struggle against the King into a general struggle against feudalism. “Down with the King” is replaced with “Liberty. Equality. Fraternity.”

Stage 5 – The Tennis Court Oath, The National Assembly, and numerous other institutions among the French merchants and capitalists grow. They embrace the revolution and direct its effort.

Stage 6 – The King is executed. The National Assembly assumes power. Nobles are arrested and stripped of their titles.

Stage 7 – The Republic is declared. The estates and broken up and land is redistributed. A reign of terror is waged to purge society of the anyone suspect of being part of the nobility.

RUSSIA

Stage 1 – A global economic crisis makes the poorest industrialized capitalist country even worse off. A world war erupts, and the country continues to be humiliated by military defeats.

Stage 2 – Some capitalists rally behind the Czar and traditional Russian nationalism, carrying out pogroms against Jews and other minorities. Other sections blame the Czar for the hardships and war loses. They seek to establish a more democratic form of government.

Stage 3 – The capitalists who oppose the King do not oppose a general strike in Saint Petersburg. Instead of sending the Cossacks out to attack, they instead send them to support the uprising. Soon the whole country is up in arms screaming “down with the Czar!” The Czar abdicates the thrown.

Stage 4 – The “Provisional Government” is formed. It is dominated by the “Constitutional Democrats” or “Cadets.” The proclaim the revolution is over, now that the Czar is gone. However, the Bolsheviks and other sections such as the “Left Social-Revolutionaries” push for the revolt to continue. The slogan “Peace, Bread, and Land” re-alligns class forces. The struggle is no longer a struggle between the Czar and dissident capitalists, but a struggle between two distinct class camps.

Stage 5 – Amidst the uprising against the Czar, Soviets are formed. These are popular councils of workers and soldiers. They refuse to dissolve. They have their own militias, police, and newspapers.

Stage 6 – Under the slogan “All Power to the Soviets”, the Provisional government is smashed and the Soviets replace them.

Stage 7 – A new constitution is written. The banks, factories, etc. are seized. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ends the war.

CHINA

Stage 1 – A global depression takes place. The semi-feudal economy of the countryside lays the basis for mass starvation and misery. The capitalist economy of the few industrial centers collapses.

Stage 2 – Japan invades China. Some of the capitalists support Japan in the hopes of suppressing the growing internal problems. Others oppose Japan on a nationalistic basis.

Stage 3 - The Anti-Japanese Nationalists align with the Communist Party, Trade Unions, and Peasant Associations.

Stage 4 – After Japan is defeated, the Communist Party is barred from participating in the Chinese Republic. In response, they call a general strike, and refuse to disband their armies which rebel against the Republic demanding “democratic rights.”

Stage 5 – Peasant Associations, Labor Unions, and the Communist Party push the Republic out of entire areas of the country, replacing it the authority.

Stage 6 – The Republic is overthrown. The Nationalists flee to Taiwan.

Stage 7 – The “People’s Republic of China” is declared. Mass land redistribution is carried out. All industries and finance are seized by the state. The Communist Party rules in alliance with a few smaller parties. A new constitution is written. Mass Soviet Aid Rebuilds The Economy.

CUBA

Stage 1 – Cuba remains in economic misery. A pro-Fascist government is replaced by Fulgencio Batista, who continues to permit economic domination by the west, despite promises of being a “progressive” before his coup d’etat. The economic effects of being dominated by U.S. imperialism continue.

Stage 2 – Fulgencio Batista is opposed by many capitalists due to his failure to improve the economy. Capitalist opponents of Batista are jailed and repressed.

Stage 3 - Fidel Castro lands in Cuba with Che Guevara and others. They officially call themselves “Jeffersonian Democrats.” Some anti-Batista capitalists in the U.S. and Cuba support the “democratic uprising.”

Stage 4 – Batista is overthrown. The Popular Socialist Party and Che Guevara begin to agitate that only socialism will break Cuba from its economic domination by foreign powers.

Stage 5 – In the course of the uprisings, Peasant Associations, Labor Unions, the Communist Party, and Committees to Defend the Revolution are formed.

Stage 6 – Mass public trials and executions of figures in the Batista regime are carried out.

Stage 7 – Inside the revolutionary government, a clear majority embraces socialism. Land is redistributed. Factories are seized. The three major political parties merge to form the Communist Party.

EGYPT

Stage 1 - Capitalist Economic Crisis

Stage 2 - Mubbarack brutally represses nationalist and anti-Zionist sections of the capitalist class.

Stage 3 - Leading military figures and nationalists ally with Labor Unions and impoverished workers who rise up in a mass insurrection.

Stage 4 - The Communist Party and the numerous secular society groups form an electoral coalition, and call for the overturn of capitalism.

Stage 5 - A network of Soviets and Popular Councils are formed in factories.

TO BE CONTINUED....

UNITED STATES

Stage 1 - Huge economic crisis and meltdown.

Stage 2 - First Black President faces racist onslaught of Tea Party Racism. Economy gets worse, despite numerous bail-outs.

Stage 3 - Democratic Party and Labor Bureaucrats begin mouthing support for mass demonstrations against Banks and Wall Street, and for Union Rights in Wisconsin.

Stage 4 - Workers World Party calls to "Abolish Capitalism and fight for Socialism!"

TO BE CONTINUED...