Chapter III: The Revolution Tears Through the Fabric of Time
Alexander Deyneka, Textile Workers (1927)
In the 20th century, revolutionary movements from Petrograd to Yan’an to the Sierra Maestra rose up to liberate their people from the scourges of capitalism, imperialism and feudalism. In the process, the built societies that were qualitatively different than those of the old capitalist and colonial world.
Vladimir Lenin understood that socialism is built “not with abstract human material, or with material specially prepared by us, but with human material bequeathed to us by capitalism”.
Socialism, in other words, is not a package of perfectly-formed policy proposals dropped from above. It is, foremost, a process through which the workers gain the upper hand in society to build the institutions, structures, and policies that allow them to live in dignity. It is formed through the exercise of collective power and reflects the imperatives of the masses.
What were the great revolutionary processes of the 20th century? How did they come about? What can we learn from them today?
In this Chapter:
- Unit 1: October and the Meaning of Revolution
- Unit 2: Counterrevolution at the Doorstep
- Unit 3: Building Socialism
- Unit 4: Rights Under Socialism