Welcome one and all to the weekly discussion thread, the time tested and honored tradition of our group. I am sorry however due to renovations on the GZD cabin, we must hold this discussion thread outside, I sincerely hope this does not cause anyone an inconvenience
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What about “parallel” organizing? There are other means of building political power the party could focus on or support. Union organizing, tenants unions, strikes, protests, etc. Building power outside the government could help create the pressure needed to push changes within it.
Indeed, I think a party should have both a parliamentary and an extraparliamentary wing that can strengthen and control eachother. As long as the party is involved in the streets revisionism at the parliamentary level is less likely. Just look at Graz in Austria, where the communist party is governing together with Greens and SocDems and they still have a lot of support and still stay true to their ideals.
Sure, and I hope a thing like that will happen. I guess every communist party at one point has to ask themselves these questions when they have a chance of getting in power. But at the same time being pragmatic should only go to a certain length before you start dropping your ideals and I hope we can prevent that.
There’s a book I just learned of from the Rev Left podcast called: “Lenin’s Electoral Strategy from Marx and Engels through the Revolution of 1905: The Ballot, the Streets - or Both” by August Nimtz, that you might be interested in. It discusses Lenin’s feelings on parlimentarianism, I haven’t got a chance to read through it yet, but it sounds like it addresses the same concerns you’re stating.
Here’s the preface: http://www2.hhh.umn.edu/uthinkcache/gpa/globalnotes/Nimtz - Lenin-Preface Vol. 1.pdf
And here’s a link to the book itself:https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1385-the-ballot-the-streets-or-both
I don’t know the policy here on ‘high seas’ material, but I can PM you a link to a digital copy if you want ;)
