From Russia with revolutionary greetings

Dear comrades!

We are activists of social-revolutionary group in Russia, Alliance of Revolutionary Socialists (ARS). Recently we had organized our conference, where adopted our program declaration, “Who are we (Thesis of ARS)” . It seems, it is the most consequent social-revolutionary document of such kind in ex-USSR.

Modern Russia is a country, where decadence and decay of capitalism is in the sharpest form, country of total economic degradation, political reaction and spiritual idiotism. Revolutionary proletarian traditions was destroyed by Stalinist terror, proletarian class was atomized by it. In 1990-s years between protesting proletarian and semi-proletarian elements had dominate Stalinist organizations. Today they are in situation of semi-collapse. Now different Trots are active and trying to work – in reality, to work as supporters of bureaucracy of small trade-unions. Most of so called anarchists aren’t anarchists of class struggle, they deeply sank in swamp of counter-culture, and for them the question is “how to defend animal rights in courts”…

In such situation to struggle for total social revolution, for destruction of state and capital, for revolutionary power of general assemblies of laborers – is quite difficult thing. But we try to do it.
In reality we are quite small group, and our main work is propaganda work. Recently we had publish first number of our magazine “Maximalist” with some our articles about economic crisis and proletarian struggle in ex-USSR plus translations from Canne-Meyer, Ruhle and Pannekoek.

We are glad to have contacts with revolutionary groups abroad, who are stands upon positions of revolutionary struggle of the proletarian class. If somebody in social-revolutionary milieu abroad know Russian and can translate some our works into other languages, it will be excellent. We, in our turn, can translate some works into Russian.

Our site is <a href="www.revolt.anho.org">www.revolt.anho.org</a> (almost all – in Russian). At libcom.org you can see article of one our activist “Three stages of the proletarian struggle” and short note of other our comrade Kotob - http://libcom.org/forums/news/ukrainian-factory-occupied-12022009

Last article on our site (“Requiem for a nationalization”) is about workers protest at Kherson Machine-building plant (Ukraine) and against slogan of nationalization, all Russian and Ukrainian Trots now hate us for it. If some comrade can translate it, it will be very useful.

Bienvenidos compañeros de ARS, nos complace mucho saber de la existencia de vuestra organización y nos sentimos honrados de ser objeto de vuestro interés, estoy seguro de que los compañeros angloparlantes se pondrán desde aquí en contacto con vosotros. Un saludo francamente solidario desde Sevilla (España) JM Delgado.

Greeting from Spain, comrades.
As I said to you, I answer some political questions here, for the debate. Sorry for my english. I don´t know if in this Forum there are who understand Russian. The Forum is multilingual, but...

On Parliamentiarism and possibility of electoral activity, in the ILN there isn´t an only position. This question is a tactic question. We are revolutionaries, we don´t think that the parliamentiarism can be "the solution". But in each situation, the tactics can be differents. Also, we are democratics. For us, the democracy and the socialism-communism are inseparable. Not the bourgueoise democracy, but proletarian democracy. But this is the democracy of all the proletariat, not of one party or vanguard. We aren´t bolsheviks. We reject the bolshevism in all its forms. And the proletariat will be who decide, in every situation, the way, the tactics and the strategy.
We are few and this question can be raised (seriously) only with more members. But there are comrades in favor (by example, the portuguese comrades, who are members of the Bloco too), others at first in agaisnt, and others, like me, that we haven´t a defined option, because this isn´t a "real" (actual, current) question to us.

We don´t organizational fetichism. Neither parliaments, nor councils or other forms. All the organizations (our organization too) are simply tools. But all the organizations which want be socialists, they have to be democratics. This is why we support assemblies as the more basic ways. And this is why we don´t support ¿democratic? centralism or another undemocratic forms. We support the freedom of expresion, and the freedom of action (experimentation) too. Because the proletariat is diverse and its organizations have to be the same.

In concrete questions, we collaborate with all the proletarians. We are accustomed in our jobs, cities,... But in the general questions, we think that it´s good that different organizations exist.

On unions, the question is similar. There are comrades, by example in Spain, in CNT and CGT (2 anarcho-sindicalists organizations). And others don´t be in any union. I was a militant of the CGT years ago. Now I think that the unions, in my sector (education, I am a teacher), aren´t an useful tool. But in other sectors I think that the situation is different. This is a tactic question too. In the place where I live, I think that perhaps it could be useful an unitary union (not a sector union) like a tool against the crisis (it is a small town), specially for the more precarious sectors. But this kind of union don´t exist here.

The unions fight for reforms, sure. But the relation between reform and revolution is inseparable. As you know, like luxemburgists, we defend the real process of struggles. And in the History, these process are like the analysis of Rosa Luxemburg in Mass Strike: the fight for reforms and the fight for the revolution they mix, they change their positions. One revolutionary struggle can finish in nothing revolutionary. And one protest or reformism struggle can finish in a struggle for all, in a revolutionary struggle. We can´t know these questions in advance.

On the CNT. I never have been a militant of this organization, but I don´t think that it is a oportunist organization. Like all the anarchists organizations, I think that they have mistakes. But the oportunism not. Their militants fight all they can. Even more.

We continue the debate.
Greetings
SALUD

Great to hear from Russia, Spain, and other parts.

The decadence and ignorance in the USA is quite saddening, not only as it relates to the prospects for our youth and our children, but as it relates to the fierce idiocy in which the US Government and Military act in the "defense" of such. (As you know, it is really imperialist hegemony and aggression).

I also have many essays, on my web log www.peoplesequityunion.blogspot.com , that I invite others to translate and disseminate freely and widely.

We have such a huge task in a world gone wrong, but I believe that we are emanating from a set of intentions, values, and principles that are most correct.

As the Society of Friends say, "I will act as if what I do makes a difference".

Mir
Paz
Peace
etc.


Mike Morin

Thank you for your answer. Lets exchange with information etc.

It's a pity, but we can't join your Network now because we are against paliamentarism and trade-unionism (in tradition of Communist Left, KAPD,AAUD-E etc).

ARS

I speak some Russian, I could try to translate. If someone needs articles, etc, translated. But it will take some time, and I'm not familiar with all of the slangs. In other words, I can translate formal Russian.

So I'll be happy to help, but I can only translate into English and Norwegian/Scandinavian