Even where there is no prospect of achieving their election the workers must put up their own candidates to preserve their independence, to gauge their own strength and to bring their revolutionary position and party standpoint to public attention. They must not be led astray by the empty phrases of the democrats, who will maintain that the workers’ candidates will split the democratic party and offer the forces of reaction the chance of victory. All such talk means, in the final analysis, that the proletariat is to be swindled. The progress which the proletarian party will make by operating independently in this way is infinitely more important than the disadvantages resulting from the presence of a few reactionaries in the representative body. If the forces of democracy take decisive, terroristic action against the reaction from the very beginning, the reactionary influence in the election will already have been destroyed.
Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, Address of the Central Comittee to the Communist League, 1850
Yeah and I think 1) that was 175 years ago 2) that while a brilliant thinker on the subject of structures and inevitabilities, Marx was pretty naïve when it came to implementation.
Lenin’s push for participation in elections was due to the Duma which kept getting dissolved by the Czar for becoming increasingly anti monarchy. Between 1906 and 1917 several had been dissolved due to growing constitutional monarchy among the peasants.
Without historical context it sounds like lenin advocated participating in all bourgeoisie elections.
Uh, no. The context is very clear, he offers it himself. He’s talking about movements in other countries, where class consciousness isn’t sufficient for more direct alternatives, specifically Germany. He didn’t mention the Czar or the Duma once in this text.
You should really just read it, it’s pretty short.
Karl Marx on liberal ‘lesser evil’
Yeah and I think 1) that was 175 years ago 2) that while a brilliant thinker on the subject of structures and inevitabilities, Marx was pretty naïve when it came to implementation.
Lenin’s push for participation in elections was due to the Duma which kept getting dissolved by the Czar for becoming increasingly anti monarchy. Between 1906 and 1917 several had been dissolved due to growing constitutional monarchy among the peasants.
Without historical context it sounds like lenin advocated participating in all bourgeoisie elections.
Uh, no. The context is very clear, he offers it himself. He’s talking about movements in other countries, where class consciousness isn’t sufficient for more direct alternatives, specifically Germany. He didn’t mention the Czar or the Duma once in this text.
You should really just read it, it’s pretty short.
How dare you be reasonable and actually try and solve problems instead of just complaining and demonizing anyone who’s not left enough!
They did no such thing. They used a typical liberal approach by finding something that they think aligns with their ideology and claims ‘gotcha’
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