But there is an extremely important sense in which it is almost tautological to claim that "action is the most important thing of all," the sense in which the *Communist Manifesto* (and even *Poverty of Philosophy* and the *Grundrisse*) is a sort of summary of the practice of the European working classes from the conspiracy of Babeuf to the great uprisings of the 1840s. And this is the sense in which, even within a rigidly leninist perspective, it is necessary to grant a certain kind of spontaneity priority to the theory (and the relevance of revolutionary parties).
I have mislaid around the house somewhere Volume 8 of Lenin, which contains a superb 2 page piece by him taking issue with Trotsky's remarks on Father Gapon (?). So I will have to paraphrase from memory a passage which seems immensely relevant to this discussion. (Aren't *all* marxist discussions debate over the precise relationship between action and that moment of action we call theory?) Trotsky had argued that there would be no more Father Gapons, and that the RSDLP had itself to plan to fulfill that role in future struggles. Lenin replied somewhat as follows: Why does Trotsky say that there will be no more Gapons. He says there will be no more because he is a blowhard. There will be thousands and thousands of Father Gapons, there must be thousands and thousands, for otherwise there will be no revolution.
Which brings us back to those Korean workers (as well as to Mark's decidely intemperate remarks on why people must, *now* join us because it is the right thing to do). Most of the people who make revolutions (and die in making them) are not "revolutionaries," and even fewer are members of revolutionary parties. And that is not an attack on revolutionary parties or on joining them. It is merely a starting point for developing and understanding the absolute need for revolutionary parties.
There is a certain feeling which always exists in a random selection of humanity, and sometimes grows to inform millions or 10s of millions, which can be expressed in the words, "I can not do otherwise!" I suspect it is something like that now moving the Hyundai workers and the Russian miners. I hope there are among them, among the South Korean population as a whole, those who can create the revolutionary party which will be needed to build on what those workers and their families have started. But such parties are private debating groups without the thousands on thousands of Father Gapons and the peasants or workers who on their own, at unexpected times and places, "Cannot do otherwise." Then follows all the endlessly repeated (but for all that quite accurate and needing to be repeated) cliches and slogans on the relationsship of theory and practice in the workers movment.
Sensible people never start a revolution, or for that matter rise up against an imperialist war in Vietnam or Iraq, unless they know in advance that they can win. It's good that we have some millions of quite unsensible people around. There must be a goodly scattering of people on this list who more or less casually, without even quite knowing they were doing it, sabotaged or threw away their "career" or their job or their social respectability.
Carrol
Mark Jones wrote:
>
> Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> > No they're certainly not wrong to fight for their jobs. What I'm
> > questioning is the attitude that action is the most important thing of all.
> > If the actions aren't part of an analysis and strategy, and if the actors
> > aren't linked to other actors outside the factory, then they're likely to
> > flame out. Wouldn't Lenin agree?
>
> Doug,
> I was a little intemperate, hope I didn't singe your coat tails. OK, then, so
> what strategy? What should the workers by hand and brain DO?
>
> Mark