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LOCAL Announcement :: Miscellaneous

Just because we need leadership doesn't mean we need to end up with some BS

Join us for dinner and discussion on dictatorship and democracy:

Friday December 19th at Revolution Books
1103 N. Ashland
773-489-0930
6:30 - 9:00 pm
Some say "Power corrupts."

This is supposed to be the answer behind the problems that have arisen during the attempts at real revolutionary change through socialism (such as China and the Soviet Union). Is it that simple?

It would be one thing to neglect all the real gains towards actual classless society that were made (and eventually lost) in the Soviet and China, and conclude that leadership, by it's very position as leadership, is doomed to betray the people.

But for those who see that leadership is objectively necessary: that revolution will not be made without leadership, how is the real contradiction between leaders and led to be dealt with?

In Part 4: Overcoming the Contradiction Between the Leadership and the Led, Bob Avakian criticizes a line that holds: "'Well, there's no contradiction. We have the party that represents the proletariat. It leads the masses and the masses are the masters in socialist society. End of discussion. No contradiction.'" He goes on to say, "But historical experience has demonstrated very graphically that there is a real contradiction here, which can even become an antagonism, between having such a core of leadership-in particular the vanguard party, and in turn the leading levels of that vanguard party, and the recognition and institutionalization of that leadership-and on the other hand giving increasing _expression and scope to the conscious participation of the broad masses in ruling and transforming society. This is a real, objective contradiction. It can be characterized simply as the leadership/led contradiction."

Rather than just saying, "yeah, that's a motherfucker," or "we will simply deal with that contradiction by overcoming it with correct political lines,"what are the ways and means that it can be overcome (including the forms as well as principles)? And how is this dealt with today, before the institutionalization of the leadership of the party is even close to being a question?

Join us Friday, December 19th at 6:30 for discussion of this and pizza! This will be the last discussion of the series for the year...

Currently discussing:
On Proletarian Democracy and Proletarian Dictatorship - A Radically Different View of Leading Society: From "Getting Over the Two Great Humps: Further Thoughts on Conquering the World

Part 4: Overcoming the Contradiction Between the
Leadership and the Led
www.rwor.org/a/1217/badem4.htm
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Friday Nights at Revolution Books:

Do you wish there was a place where you could feel sane in an insane world of unjust war, censorship, patriotic hype and lies? This fall, we'll be alternating discussions with movie showings every Friday night, to provide a space for people to kick back and do just that.

for news and analysis: rwor.org

Directions: Just south of the intersection of Milwaukee, Division and Ashland, the bookstore can be reached by any of those bus lines, or the nearby Blue Line 'Division' stop. Just walk two blocks south on Ashland from Division.
 
 

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