There’s a weird misunderstanding of what a “vanguard” is, in both left anti-communist and communist circles.
A vanguard is not a self-defined group that rules over the proles and directs them towards a revolution and governs once it’s won.
Vanguards are not things that exist in the present. Vanguard is just a term to help understand a revolution after it happens.
When a revolution happens, the most politically advanced (in class consciousness and left theory) individuals and groups that participate will steer the people towards socialism. They will lead, by example, on who to fight, how and why.
During the revolution, they aren’t called anything and specially not by themselves.
But after the revolution, when analyzing it, those people are then called the vanguard of the revolution.
Any communist that says they want to “form and participate in a vanguard party” has no understanding of revolutions and left theory.
Any left anti-communist that derides vanguards for being authoritarian and “replicating state oppression” also have no understanding of revolutions or left theory.
Honestly we would all be better off just not using the term vanguard at all anymore.
Hm, so if you don’t want to use the term vanguard anymore, how are you going to talk about the seizing of power by a small authoritarian group during a revolution? And what would be your solution to prevent this from happening?
Any left anti-communist that derides vanguards for being authoritarian and “replicating state oppression” also have no understanding of revolutions or left theory.
You know, you can be anti-authoritarian and still be a communist. Anarcho-Communism is a real thing.
You might be surprised how many m/l communists actually aspire to be the vangaurd and call themselves as such.it is very sus. Reads as power hungry to me. Lile, it gives “volunteers for ice” kind of vibes but from the other side. I dont trust people like that to let go of power once they have it
There’s a weird misunderstanding of what a “vanguard” is, in both left anti-communist and communist circles.
A vanguard is not a self-defined group that rules over the proles and directs them towards a revolution and governs once it’s won.
Vanguards are not things that exist in the present. Vanguard is just a term to help understand a revolution after it happens.
When a revolution happens, the most politically advanced (in class consciousness and left theory) individuals and groups that participate will steer the people towards socialism. They will lead, by example, on who to fight, how and why.
During the revolution, they aren’t called anything and specially not by themselves.
But after the revolution, when analyzing it, those people are then called the vanguard of the revolution.
Any communist that says they want to “form and participate in a vanguard party” has no understanding of revolutions and left theory.
Any left anti-communist that derides vanguards for being authoritarian and “replicating state oppression” also have no understanding of revolutions or left theory.
Honestly we would all be better off just not using the term vanguard at all anymore.
Hm, so if you don’t want to use the term vanguard anymore, how are you going to talk about the seizing of power by a small authoritarian group during a revolution? And what would be your solution to prevent this from happening?
That doesn’t happen though. What we saw were rightwing counterrevolutionaries taking over the USSR, China etc.
But historically it’s a great mischaracterization of all socialist revolutions to say they were “overtaken by authoritarians”.
All revolutions are “authoritarian”.
You know, you can be anti-authoritarian and still be a communist. Anarcho-Communism is a real thing.
The means and the ends should be in alignment.
Idk man, if you are against all communist movements in history you’re an anti-communist to me 🤷♂️
No! Real communism is when you theorize and speculate on the internet! China, USSR, Cuba, Vietnam, etc. those countries were fake communism!
You might be surprised how many m/l communists actually aspire to be the vangaurd and call themselves as such.it is very sus. Reads as power hungry to me. Lile, it gives “volunteers for ice” kind of vibes but from the other side. I dont trust people like that to let go of power once they have it
Idk man I think there’s as many people like that as “anarchists” who live under bridges and dump dive.
It’s just that libs and left anti-communists usually see any type of real actual action and revolutionary practice as “evil”.
So, did Soviets get the concept wrong? It’s often claimed dictatorship of the proletariat doesn’t mean an actual dictator, yet there it was.
What do we call the Soviet concept of vanguard if not vanguardism?
They didn’t end up building a utopia, so must have made some kind of a mistake along the way.