Afternoon Comrades.
The title refers to the infamous quote by Lenin: “Sometimes-History, needs a push” - and it is all I kept thinking about since last night - as if the last 4-5 years weren’t tumultuous enough, these last few days are once again making my head spin. Before I get into it though, the word “tumultuous” in a sense does imply that the current events that are unrolling themselves are of a spontaneous nature, by accident, “chaos theory” in praxis and they are none of these.
The superficial contradictions in the supposed linear progression of western liberalism, both in thought and material reality, have never been linear.
Again, these so perceived curveballs are at the core of reality and most excellently explained by Marx - again, something we will tap into later.
The world feels as if its on the brink - to be more precise, our perception of the western imposed order that governs our blissfully ignorant existence under a dictatorial consumption fetish, is blowing up, finally. This, logically, has a lot of people here in xanax induced cushy non-reality shook to their core and yes, the pre-conditioned response will be an embrace of fascism, the rule by the perceived mighty over the perceived non-mighty and as always, it’s going to blow up in their faces. To come back to my thought process, and this is not necessarily in chronological order, the Iranian President died yesterday in a helicopter crash, Israel and the West is continuing their 21st Century Holocaust in Gaza, the Slovakian President was almost assassinated last week, the Sahel Region of West Africa is working double time on removing French and US control over their lands, France is actively working towards a Civil War in New Caladonia, the CIA with the help Mossad tried a coup in Congo- noteworthy is France’s involvement here due to the massively vested interests in Congo raw materials that France desperately relies on for its national arms industry, the ruling classes of the collective west are working as hard as ever to impose a cultural hegemony by any means necessary - I could go on. There is a lot happening and none of it is by accident and yes, all of it is connected.
To put Lenin’s quote into context: it encapsulates a revolutionary ethos that has resonated through various periods of societal transformation. Lenin believed that active intervention was necessary to accelerate historical processes towards a more just and equitable society in a rare departure from Marx & Engel’s thoughts on revolutionary progress, but we will get back to that shortly.
The early 20th century was marked by profound social and economic disparities, political corruption, and the devastation of World War I. Russia, an autocratic empire, was particularly ripe for revolution. The proletariat and peasantry suffered under oppressive conditions, while a small elite enjoyed immense wealth and power.
The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, led by Lenin and his comrades, sought to overthrow the existing capitalist and feudal structures and replace them with a socialist system that aimed to eliminate class distinctions and promote collective ownership of the means of production. Lenin believed that history was not a passive process but required decisive action to propel society forward. This push, he argued, was essential to break the inertia of entrenched power structures and to initiate radical change.
The Push in Historical Context
Lenin's call for a "push" can be understood as a strategic necessity in a Marxist framework. Marxist theory posits that historical progress is driven by class struggle, yet the ruling class rarely relinquishes power voluntarily. Therefore, Lenin and the Bolsheviks felt compelled to act decisively to catalyze the transition from capitalism to socialism. The October Revolution was this push, a direct intervention to realign the historical trajectory towards what they saw as a more equitable future.
The success of the Bolshevik Revolution, despite the ensuing civil war and foreign intervention, demonstrated the potency of Lenin’s idea. It underscored the belief that with sufficient organization, leadership, and a clear vision, revolutionary forces could overcome formidable obstacles and reshape society.
Today, Western societies face a constellation of challenges that parallel, though in different forms, the conditions Lenin sought to address. Economic inequality, political polarization, systemic racism, climate change, and the erosion of democratic norms are pressing issues that demand urgent attention. Applying Lenin’s concept of giving history a push can provide a framework for understanding and addressing these contemporary problems.
And that is where we are today. I don’t really any evidence to suggest so other than a gut feeling that is based on “pushing” for the last 30 years. For all the mistakes “we” made here in the West during this time and there are many, the current situation is for one not separated from these last 30 years and more importantly “feel” immensely more powerful.
The ruling class wasn’t as afraid of us when I was young as they are now. That’s a fact. The global realities of Western Hegemony have never been this fragile, resulting equally from the ruling classes immense case of ignorance, greed and hubris as well as our work - as disconnected and small as it may seem under a microscope, 30 years of tiny cuts around the world have made an impact.
The point is, as “unsettling” as it all may seem these days, now is the time. You decide how and where to push, but push we must. Not as a singular, in reference to Lenin’s example, but as inherent collective, made up of millions of cells that are becoming un-indoctrinated and responding to their bullshit, appropriately. Their fear is palatable and it is time to push.
Yours, warmly.
V.