Notes and Thoughts on "The historical destiny of the Doctrine of Karl Marx" and "Opportunism and the collapse of the second international" by Lenin.

The Historical Destiny of the Doctrine of Karl Marx by Lenin

Liberals, including democratic socialists and social democrats, are corrupt pseudo-socialist opportunists. Bourgeoisie socialists who are traitors to the working class and must be exposed and rejected. There can be no alliance with these ideologies, only total opposition. Liberals will stop at nothing to prevent a shift left in the ideology of the people, maintain the status quo, and keep the people quiet and submissive. Their propaganda against socialism is driving people to anarchism, and we must counter it with the truth.

Opportunism and the Collapse of the Second International by Lenin

The Basel manifesto was a blueprint for workers' revolution, and it calls out the socialists who sided with the bourgeoisie. Social chauvinism against the proletariat and the revolution of the proletariat will not be tolerated. There are two groups of socialists: the revolutionary and the opportunists who side with the capitalists (the progressives, social democrats, democratic socialists, and reformists). The opportunists are the enemy of the working class, using their power to keep workers in line and prevent them from finding a new party.

The bourgeoisie will use radical or socialist words to keep workers in line, but we will not be fooled. Opportunists want to unite with the progressives, democratic socialists, and social democrats, condemning revolutionary talk and promoting bourgeoisie methods for change. This is passive radicalism or bourgeoisie opportunism, and it will not lead to revolution. The opportunists push for workers to rely on experts and women, but we must rely on ourselves and our own strength.

We must support and develop demonstrations and revolutionary mass actions, economic and political strikes, insurrection, and civil war. We must create an underground network with writings and slogans to explain the revolution and strengthen it. Revolutions spawn from unrest, crisis, movements, and revolts, but require strength in the revolutionary numbers. The opportunist pseudo-socialists or bourgeoisie socialists will create distractions and doubt, but we must counter their rhetoric with facts.

For the U.S., the golden age of capitalism was a lie, and we can see that the decade of the 2020s is a full-on war against the working and poverty classes from the elite and governing classes. The opportunists will call for class peace and capitalist reform, but we will not be fooled. We must organize and join third parties to build a revolutionary movement.