(i) Revolution and the Need for Theory

Those who imagine that all revolutionaries need to do is act, forget that action on its own is not enough. (Strictly speaking, it is not even possible). No matter how passionately we hate oppression and wish to see things change, there is only one force capable of eliminating colonialism, capitalism and reaction, and that is the oppressed and exploited masses led by an organisation of revolutionaries. The organisation of a popular movement, the organisation of a disciplined communist party around a political programme able to unite and coordinate various forms of struggle and direct them towards a common goal, is essential.

Yet once we talk about a movement, a party and a programme we are not simply talking about action, we are talking about action which has been thought out, for the only way in which anyone can plan activity and produce a programme is through revolutionary thinking—the development of revolutionary theory which, if it is properly worked out, does not hold back our practical activity but rather serves as a compass which enables us to move in the direction we want to go. This is why Lenin correctly argued in his classic work, What Is To Be Done that

the role of vanguard fighter can be fulfilled only by a party that is guided by the most advanced theory[1]

for the more difficult and dangerous the tasks facing revolutionaries. the more developed and carefully worked out their theoretical perspectives need to be. Take a way of illustrating this point, the South African Communist Party's programme, The Road to South African Freedom. While the iniquities of the whole apartheid system may be pretty obvious, the strategy and tactics needed to eliminate them, are not. The programme analyses the particular struggle in South Africa in the whole context of the African revolution; the special character of the colonial-type oppression from which the African, Coloured and Indian people in South Africa suffer; the role of the national democratic revolution as the vital first step along the road to socialism, and the importance of carrying through immediate proposals if a democratic South Africa is to be developed and consolidated. This programme is not simply the product of years of revolutionary experience in southern African conditions: it is the product of years of experience translated into revolutionary theory so that the people can be shown that the ideal of a democratic and liberated South Africa is not simply a beautiful dream but is a realistic and attainable objective which can be worked and planned for, step by step.

But if we require revolutionary theory so that, in Lenin's words, we can substitute “science for dreams,"[2] why do we need a special philosophical outlook as well? Why do we need to base our theory upon the principles of dialectical materialism which is the only logical and consistent philosophy a communist can possibly hold?

To answer this question, it is important that we understand [...click "Next"].