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Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revolution is a necessary precondition for transitioning from a capitalist to a socialist mode of production. Revolution is not necessarily defined as a violent insurrection; it is defined as a seizure of political power by mass movements of the working class so that the state is directly controlled or abolished by the working class as opposed to the capitalist class and its interests.[1]
Revolutionary socialists believe such a state of affairs is a precondition for establishing socialism and orthodox Marxists believe it is inevitable but not predetermined. Revolutionary socialism encompasses multiple political and social movements that may define "revolution" differently from one another. These include movements based on orthodox Marxist theory such as De Leonism, impossibilism and Luxemburgism, as well as movements based on Leninism and the theory of vanguardist-led revolution such as the Stalinism, Maoism, Marxism–Leninism and Trotskyism. Revolutionary socialism also includes other Marxist, Marxist-inspired and non-Marxist movements such as those found in democratic socialism, revolutionary syndicalism, anarchism and social democracy.[2]
Revolutionary socialism is contrasted with reformist socialism, especially the reformist wing of social democracy and other evolutionary approaches to socialism. Revolutionary socialism is opposed to social movements that seek to gradually ameliorate capitalism's economic and social problems through political reform.[3]
- ^ Thompson, Carl D. (October 1903). "What Revolutionary Socialism Means". The Vanguard. Green Bay: Socialist Party of America. 2 (2): 13. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via the Marxist Internet Archive.
- ^ Kautsky, Karl (1903) [1902]. The Social Revolution. Translated by Simons, Algie Martin; Simons, May Wood. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co. Retrieved 22 September 2020 – via the Marxist Internet Archive.
- ^ Cox, Ronald W. (October 2019). "In Defense of Revolutionary Socialism: The Implications of Bhaskar Sunkara's 'The Socialist Manifesto'". Class, Race and Corporate Power. 7 (2). doi:10.25148/CRCP.7.2.008327. Retrieved 22 September 2020 – via ResearchGate.