On Revolutionary Education Part II: A Goal of Correct Thinking

Two Principles for Understanding the World and How We Can Make It Better

“The first duty of a revolutionary is to be educated.” — Che Guevara

The first principle that all professional revolutionaries must understand is that of study. Simply put, study, in the Marxist sense, is the application of understanding our material situation. It is not to just read a book on Marxism, or its various applications around the world. Marxist study is the complete understanding and research of concrete situations that directly effect the masses, determining the correct actions required, with the precise goal of making revolution on an every day basis.

"Studying is an important function and it is the responsibility of every revolutionary to continually raise their consciousness. It is very dangerous for the masses and for the revolution to leave everything to chance. Revolutionary struggle is not an aimless struggle guided by emotions. Every action depends on concrete study of situations and the needs of the revolution. If we study situations thoroughly, we can correctly pinpoint what we need to do, we can formulate plans and determine correct methods of work in carrying them out… [Studying] doesn’t just teach or show the correct road in revolutionary struggle. It also shows us the way on how to live our everyday lives. Revolutionary studies also make us sharp in guarding against the ideas spread by the ruling class and other elements bent on seizing the revolutionary movement and leading it astray. Revolutionary studies can be pursued by participating in collective discussions, reading revolutionary materials, ardent research, and analyzing all angles while planning and working." — Araling Aktibista (ARAK), Activist Study, page 83.

What kind of things does a professional revolutionary, i.e, a Marxist, study? What is meant by "concrete conditions" and "material situations?" It is the analysis of the real and social reality around you. It is the scientific method of understanding what is happening around you, who is around you and their position within society, why the things in society are happening, and what is necessary for change to be made. While study does call for understanding and learning communist theory, it predominantly asks questions such as "what are the reactionary forces within our society?";¹ "How does the capitalist state uphold reaction and tendencies meant to hold the masses under oppression?"; and "What kind of revolutionary work must be done to prepare the masses to overthrow the reactionary and backward forces?" Study, in its simplicity, is a method of understanding the society around you and what has created said society; it analyzes and identifies the forces that are shaping reality around us and determines whether they have progressive qualities to them or if they are strictly reactionary.² It is an arduous form of understanding — placing the entirety of our reality,³ both material and social, under a microscope to properly understand it.⁴

Are our conditions so concrete that they do not change? Of course not! That is absurdist talk that finds its place in idealistic thinking. No, Marxist study comes to the conclusion that reality not only changes constantly — both quantitatively and qualitatively — but can be transformed by strong forces, such as the masses of the working class.⁵ Ultimately, the goal of studying is to fully understand reality around us, what forces are at hand that shape said reality, and to fully understand how we can change said reality. There are forces larger than one person who can shape and reshape human history; Marxist study attempts to understand those forces and their roles in creating reality and changing material conditions so we can therefore change said reality.

This is not to say that study is simply the analysis of reality, but it is also the study of the theory of revolutionary change. Just like a science, Marxist study requires us to understand the laws and conditions that help form and create the reality around us. When it comes to society and understanding the forces that shape said reality — such as the bourgeoisie and the working class — Marxists have dialectical materialism. For understanding human history and the forces within that have permeated themselves since the dawn of property, Marxists have historical materialism. The process of studying theory, along with the two types of materialism, helps the professional revolutionary analyze the conditions around them and how the forces, such as class, shape the reality around them. There can be no revolution without a revolutionary theory that all professional revolutionaries understand and use in their day-to-day life.

"Those experienced in work must take up the study of theory and must read seriously; only then will they be able to systematize and synthesize their experience and raise it to the level of theory, only then will they not mistake their partial experience for universal truth and not commit empiricist errors."
— Mao Zedong, "Rectify the Party's Style of Work" (February 1, 1942), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 42

But study is simply one part of forming a correct thinking. All the study in the world can not authentically identify everything laid out above on its own. No, study is required to be followed up by investigation of reality, comparing our study to the actual conditions. Without investigation, study becomes nothing more than a vain attempt to understand the situations around us. One can not authentically understand anything without first experiencing it. Therefore, study must always be paired with intense and thorough investigations, comparing and contrasting our study of reality with an investigation of the conditions around us.

"The method of studying the social sciences exclusively from books is likewise extremely dangerous and may even lead one onto the road of counter-revolution… Of course we should study Marxist books, but this study must be integrated with our country’s actual conditions. We need books, but we must overcome book worship, which is divorced from the actual situation. How can we overcome book worship? The only way is to investigate the actual situation." — Mao Zedong, Writings on Organization & Mass Line, "Oppose Book Worship", page 162, embolden mine.

The full investigation of reality by Marxists revolves around going to the masses to properly analyze and study the situation the masses find themselves in. It asks questions of the forces of oppression, the progressive and reactionary forces within the masses, and properly identifies where a revolutionary base can be found within said masses.⁶ The forces in the masses can be separated into three parts when properly studied and investigated based on their relation to society, politics, and the economy.

"The masses in any given place are generally composed of three parts, the relatively active, the intermediate and the relatively backward. The leaders must therefore be skilled in uniting the small number of active elements around the leadership and must rely on them to raise the level of the intermediate elements and to win over the backward elements."
— Mao Zedong, "Some Questions Concerning Methods of Leadership" (June 1, 1943), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 118.

"In Marxist social investigation, the classes which comprise society are differentiated and studied in their relations in the economy, politics and culture. The aim of our study and analysis is the condition of the people as a whole and the masses with whom we work in particular, because they are the source of our concrete data and information—their condition is the particular object of our study and analysis. Here, we apply the principle, “concrete analysis of concrete conditions.”" — Communist Party of the Philippines, On Mass Work.

The analysis of the backward elements in the masses, along with the investigation of said elements, is quite possibly of the utmost importance. Revisionists in the US, historically and still continue to this day, often underestimate how deeply entrenched these backward elements are in the working class.⁷ Even within the most progressive circles of US socialists lay the decrepit bourgeois beliefs, systems, and programs — see the first and second section from my most recent article here for more on how it affects the educational programs. It is the role of the professional revolutionaries, i.e., the communists and their organizations, to describe these elements accurately to the masses, expose how these beliefs keep the masses from achieving socialism, and building plans and programs to effectively eliminate the vestiges of the capitalist backward system; not just to eliminate the bourgeois beliefs in the minds of the most progressive forces of the masses, but to also build socialist consciousness within the worker.⁸

“Education workers, and the Communist Party as the vanguard in the struggle, should consider it their fundamental task to help enlighten and instruct the working masses, in order to cast off the old ways and habituated routine we have inherited from the old system, the private property habits the masses are thoroughly imbued with.” — Lenin, "Speech Delivered At An All-Russia Conference Of Political Education Workers Of Gubernia and Uyezd Education Departments," November 3, 1920

But what of the rest of the masses? As socialists, we can not solely focus on the backward elements and beliefs that have a stranglehold on the people. We must also focus in on what materially ails them. Like scientists and physicians, the socialist task is to be within the masses, analyze their ideas and problems, make their demands, wishes, and problems concrete, go back out to the masses with these concentrated and fully-studied problems and solutions, and then take concrete actions to solve the problems to lift up the progressive elements within the masses. Our investigation, along with our study, must always be “from the masses, to the masses.”⁹¹⁰

"In all the practical work of our Party, all correct leadership is necessarily “from the masses, to the masses.” This means: take the ideas of the masses (scattered and unsystematic ideas) and concentrate them (through study turn them into concentrated and systematic ideas), then go to the masses and propagate and explain these ideas until the masses embrace them as their own, hold fast to them and translate them into action, and test the correctness of these ideas in such action. Then once again concentrate ideas from the masses and once again go to the masses so that the ideas are persevered in and carried through. And so on, over and over again in an endless spiral, with the ideas becoming more correct, more vital and richer each time. Such is the Marxist theory of knowledge." — Mao Zedong, Writings on Organization & Mass Line, "Some Questions Concerning Methods of Leadership", page 102-103.

The tasks of the socialist professional revolutionary, then, is to commit to the principles of studying the material and social reality that surrounds the masses, understand the core forces at play, where the reactionary and progressive aspects in the masses lie, combat said reactionary aspects, and make concrete the demands and progressive aspects of the masses. We understand when, how, and where to do these tasks when we properly study the reality around us and then investigate our assumptions based on the reality that is around us. Where was our analysis correct? where were we mistaken? Where can our study improve? Does our study correlate with what the masses need? Does our study isolate us from the masses? If so, how do we course correct through proper investigation of the material conditions that plaque the masses? These are questions that must be asked before any type of action can be taken.

If our study is too idealistic, then we risk trying to implement nothing more than vague ideals and platitudes, making us seem like opportunists whom are using the ills the masses are experiencing to make political careers for ourselves. If our study is not properly investigated and we just assume we are correct, then we risk being nothing more than arm chair socialists and highfalutin academics who simply care about their analysis seeming correct, rather than whether or not their analysis is actually correct and can potentially explain and deal with the contradictions within society. If we do not properly study reality and investigate and instead decide to head straight into the fray with no plan or concrete demands, then we run the risk of being another wrecker organization of the spontaneous rebellions the masses often find themselves in; we run the risk of not understanding our reality and the causes of capitalist ailment, which, in turn, makes us to a great extent ineffective at properly agitating for the cause of socialist revolution.¹¹

We must study and investigate our reality if we are to properly understand the causes of our societal ailments — if we are to push for the solution of socialism. We can only arrive at the correct ideas if we understand how the world works, what is making the world work, and what work we are called to do to change it.¹² And, if an organization properly does these two principles — they understand the entire situation and now have found a way to make the demands of the masses concrete — then they are ready to begin the Marxist principle of action.¹³ It is only through actionable practice of the class struggle can the Marxist ever learn even what action is suitable for the masses of what time. Action is the next step in the Marxist principles.¹⁴¹⁵

"No revolution can triumph unless theory is integrated with practice." — Mao Zedong, Writings on Organization & Mass Line, "Combat Bourgeois Ideas in the Party", page 135.

To prevent this part two from becoming as long as part one, We will continue onto the next principle of action in a part three that will be out within another week. So look out for On Revolutionary Education: A Goal of Correct Action!

---

If you have enjoyed what you read, please consider doing a one-time donation to my Ko-fi!

1. "In every place, it is necessary to know the class composition of the population; to determine the revolutionary and progressive classes, the middle forces, and the reactionaries; and based on this, to attempt mass work which gives emphasis to the most basic and most numerous mass forces at any given scope." — Communist Party of the Philippines, On Mass Work.

2. "Recently there has been a falling off in ideological and political work among students and intellectuals, and some unhealthy tendencies have appeared. Some people seem to think that there is no longer any need to concern oneself with politics or with the future of the motherland and the ideals of mankind. It seems as if Marxism was once all the rage but is currently not so much in fashion. To counter these tendencies, we must strengthen our ideological and political work. Both students and intellectuals should study hard. In addition to the study of their specialized subjects, they must make progress both ideologically and politically, which means that they should study Marxism, current events and politics. Not to have a correct political point of view is like having no soul… All departments and organizations should shoulder their responsibilities in ideological and political work. This applies to the Communist Party, the Youth League, government departments in charge of this work, and especially to heads of educational institutions and teachers."
— Mao Zedong, "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" (February 27, 1957); 1st pocket ed., pp. 43-44.*

3. "We must learn to look at problems allsidedly, seeing the reverse as well as the obverse side of things. In given conditions, a bad thing can lead to good results and a good thing to bad results."
— Mao Zedong, "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" (February 27, 1957), 1st pocket ed., pp. 66-67.

4. "Complacency is the enemy of study. We cannot really learn anything until we rid ourselves of complacency. Our attitude towards ourselves should be "to be insatiable in learning" and towards others "to be tireless in teaching"." — Mao Zedong, "The Role of the Chinese Communist Party in the National War" (October 1938), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 210.

5. "Conditions are changing all the time, and to adapt one's thinking to the new conditions, one must study. Even those who have a better grasp of Marxism and are comparatively firm in their proletarian stand have to go on studying, have to absorb what is new and study new problems." — Mao Zedong, "Speech at the Chinese Communist Party's National Conference on Propaganda Work" (March 12, 1957), 1st pocket ed., p. 8.*

6. "We should go to the masses and learn from them, synthesize their experience into better, articulated principles and methods, then do propaganda among the masses, and call upon them to put these principles and methods into practice so as to solve their problems and help them achieve liberation and happiness." — Mao Zedong, "Get Organized!" (November 29, 1943), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 158

7. “Analysis of the oppressed mentality and the psychopathic personality that accrue from contact with the prevarications of Amerikan culture must be carefully integrated with the analysis of the source. Simple interpretation of effects tends to calcify — it certainly promotes defeatism. “Action makes the front.” One can quietly refuse to accept the constrictions of bourgeois culture, can reject himself, hate the self and turn inward. By so doing he accomplishes a form of individual revolt, but here again we find another unconscious manifestation of the thing we hate — individualism — a now attitudinal instrumentality of bourgeois culture. We can not escape — one simply can not reject constrictions without rejecting and putting to death the constrictor. An armed attacker can not be ignored.” — George Jackson, Blood in my Eye, p. 102.

8. "Our educational policy must enable everyone who receives an education to develop morally, intellectually and physically and become a worker with both socialist consciousness and culture." — Mao Zedong, "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" (February 27, 1959), 1st pocket ed., p. 44

9. "We are Marxists, and Marxism teaches that in our approach to a problem we should start from objective facts, not from abstract definitions, and that we should derive our guiding principles, policies and measures from an analysis of these facts." — Mao Zedong, "Talks at the Yenan Forum on Literature and Art" (May 1942), Selected Works, Vol.III, p. 74.

10. "By means of social investigation and class analysis, we are able to grasp the concrete class outline of society, the condition of the classes, and their real relations with each other. Thus, we are able to set the correct orientation for our mass work. We are also able to determine the appropriate forms and means of propaganda, organizing and mobilization of the masses. Without a correct, thorough and comprehensive social investigation and class analysis, mass work will not become effective. The correct and sound direction and the tactics of the mass movement will also not be ensured." — Communist Party of the Philippines, On Mass Work.

11. "Now, there are two different attitudes towards learning from others. One is the dogmatic attitude of transplanting everything, whether or not it is suited to our conditions. This is no good. The other attitude is to use our heads and learn those things which suit our conditions, that is, to absorb whatever experience is useful to us. That is the attitude we should adopt." — Mao Zedong, "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" (February 27, 1957), 1st pocket ed., p. 75

12. "Where do correct ideas come from? Do they drop from the skies? No. Are they innate in the mind? No. They come from social practice, and from it alone; they come from three kinds of social practice, the struggle for production, the class struggle and scientific experiment… It is man's social being that determines his thinking. Once the correct ideas characteristic of the advanced class are grasped by the masses, these ideas turn into a material force which changes society and changes the world." — Mao Zedong, "Where Do Correct Ideas Come from?" (May 1963), 1st pocket ed., p. 1.

13. “Consciousness is the opposite of indifference, of blindness, blankness. Promoting consciousness involves the general dissemination of the concept that each of us is part of a universal action and interaction; that poles are somewhere connected… it follows that if a thing is not building, it is certainly decaying — that life is revolution — and that the world will die if we don’t read and act out its imperatives… Consciousness is knowledge, recognition, foresight; common experience and perception; sensibility, alertness, mindfulness. It stirs the senses, the blood; it exposes and suggests; it will objectify, enrage, direct. There are no positive formulas for a thing so complex. We have guidelines only to help us with its growth. This means that after we are done with our books, they must be put aside; and the search for method will depend on observations, correct analyses, creativity and seizing the time.” — George Jackson, Blood in my Eye, pgs. 22-23.

14. "In order to have a real grasp of Marxism, one must learn it not only from books, but mainly through class struggle, through practical work and close contact with the masses of workers and peasants. When in addition to reading some Marxist books our intellectuals have gained some understanding through close contact with the masses of workers and peasants and through their own practical work, we will all be speaking the same language, not only the common language of patriotism and the common language of the socialist system, but probably even the common language of the communist world outlook. If that happens, all of us will certainly work much better." — Mao Zedong, "Speech at the Chinese Communist Party's National Conference on Propaganda Work" (March 12, 1957), 1st pocket ed., p. 12.

15. "Some dismiss this advice based on a conscious belief that revolution in the United States is not possible. For others, impossibility remains an uninterrogated assumption. But this is the tricky thing about scientific socialism and the political mode: whether or not a revolution is truly possible cannot be known in advance. It is a thesis, an axiomatic starting point. The actual possibility can only be resolved in the experiment and synthesis, in political practice. This starting point is as much required for proving the revolution as it is for proving its impossibility. It is the starting point towards either building the mass movement and party necessary to win, or, even in losing a revolution in the imperial core, having concretely supported the international struggle." — Unity of Fields, "Revolution in our Lifetime".