Political and
Military Struggle
Presuming that we have by now established that we are not
pacifists, but are revolutionaries who intend, by all means necessary, to
assist the working class to expropriate the expropriator bourgeois class; then
why can we not move with speed, and without any restraint, towards an armed
overthrow of the oppressors?
Why are we bothering with democracy? Are we not being
“stageist”????
The late William “Bill” Pomeroy started his essay “On the
Time for Armed Struggle” (linked below) from exactly this point of departure,
as follows:
“Because of the
decisive results that can follow from an armed smashing of the main instruments
of power held by a ruling class or a foreign oppressor, some of those who
acquire a revolutionary outlook are eager to move to the stage of armed
struggle; and their concept of it as the highest form of revolutionary struggle
causes them to cast discredit upon other forms as 'less advanced', as amounting
to collaboration with or capitulation to the class enemy.”
But:
“Too often the aura of
glory associated with taking up arms has obscured hard prosaic truths and
realities in the interplay of forces in a period of sharp struggle.”
And later:
“The experiences of
the revolutionary movement in the Philippines offer an interesting example of
the complex, varied and fluctuating processes that may occur in a liberation
struggle.”
Pomeroy writes that “analysis
and understanding of the revolutionary experiences of others is indispensable”.
He proceeds to offer his own rich and extraordinary experience as a military
combatant and revolutionary.
Pomeroy’s main lesson is that the military must never think
that it can cease to be subordinate to the political power. His writing and his
advice helped the ANC in the exile years. It is important that younger comrades
read these things and understand the problems that had to be negotiated.
The picture shows William and Celia Pomeroy laying a wreath
at the Lenin Mausoleum in Red Square, Moscow. Part of the Kremlin can be seen
in the background on the left of the photo, and the Red House is behind.
William Pomeroy passed away on 12 January 2009 and Celia
Pomeroy passed away on 22 August 2009.
Please download and
read this text via the following link:
On the Time for Armed
Struggle, 1974, Pomeroy (6800 words)
Further reading:
The South African Working Class and the NDR, 1988, Slovo (14985 words)
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