The Partisan Editorial Board introduce Partisan! #13.
Much debate is had across the Left over electoralism and the viability of the ballot box. This is a historical debate that goes as far back as the time of Marx and Engels. This debate was one of many that would cause a near irreparable split between the reformist socialists (social democrats) and the revolutionary socialists (and communists). That, and the former’s wishy-washy support for imperialism abroad.
Can the working class take power by the ballot box? Sure they can – but history has shown that these parties soon collapse the workers movement in pursuit of coalitions with the bourgeois and liberal/conservative parties. While they can usher in sweeping reforms, their long term viability is questionable at best. Either these parties burn out quickly, losing to their conservative counterparts, or they collapse into becoming another liberal reformist party (see: PODEMOS or Syriza).
In the historical case of Chile, where a reformist socialist won power through elections, the socialist and workers movements were smashed by reactionaries in the armed forces. Allende’s short tenure as President of Chile provides many lessons for the contemporary Left: that taking power too early is a path to disaster, that trying to form coalitions with bourgeois parties is a path to disaster, that trying to recuperate the bourgeois class while leading as ostensibly workers government is a path to disaster, and that not abolishing the armed forces is a path to disaster. Many paths to disaster.
Allende brought about many positive reforms, such as welfare programs for the workers and toilers of Chile. But he also made numerous fatal political mistakes: he did not arm the working class against the (now obvious) threat of a coup by the army, he attempted to make peace with the capitalist class (who opposed him), and he believed that the institutions of liberal democracy would be on his side.
11th September 1973 shattered any and all illusions that the bourgeois class would sit idly and allow Allende to continue running the country. A coup was spearheded by Augusto Pinochet, who had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean army by Allende himself. This coup smashed the workers movement in Chile, and ushered in a military dictatorship lasting almost seventeen years. Thousands of workers, socialists and militants were executed – tens of thousands more were tortured and interned in detention centres. To this day, Chile continues to suffer the indignity of Pinochet’s disastrous economic reforms, and conservative constitution.
This issue of Partisan addresses the “parliamentary road”, which we describe as a “road to nowhere”. We (as always) put forward our perspective: that only a mass party armed with a communist program can lead the working class to power. This road, the revolutionary road, is the road to emancipation – only by overcoming the bourgeois state and the capitalist class can the working class free itself.
We continue to encourage comrades and militants to join The Socialists in their state, as part of the fight for workers power.
After the horrifying events of August 31st, the need for a mass party of the working class is greater than ever.
In solidarity,
Max J on behalf of Partisan Editorial.
PARTISAN! 