Every successful revolution in history was achieved with the aid of the revolutionary press.
A successful revolution is not just a mass movement, an uprising, or an insurrection. It’s a complete transformation of the social order. It requires millions of people, acting in unison, to replace one social system with another, against the resistance of the old ruling class.
Achieving this would be unthinkable without an immense mechanism for spreading ideas and influencing public opinion on a mass scale.
In the critical moments of a revolution, the practical task of the revolutionary press goes beyond circulating news and views. It’s a vital instrument for countering the lies and propaganda of the ruling class, and shoring up the confidence and determination of the masses in the face of danger. It ideologically arms the advanced guard of the working class with the perspectives, slogans, and arguments necessary for winning the support of the broader population.
But ideas don’t spread themselves. It comes down to the intense efforts of thousands of committed revolutionaries with clearly worked out views and the skills necessary for communicating them to others. That’s why every successful revolution in history needed sophisticated networks of correspondents, propagandists, recruiters, and agitators who circulated the revolutionary press.
This was true of the Committees of Correspondence and the Sons of Liberty in preparing the American Revolution of 1776. Their role was analogous to that of Lenin’s Bolshevik Party in politically preparing the Russian working class to seize power in 1917.
To become skilled at selling the paper means becoming skilled at talking to workers, making our perspectives concrete, and communicating Marxist ideas in a way that resonates with ordinary people. / Image: own work
The overthrow of capitalism in the 21st century will require the same type of cadre network: trained revolutionary activists, educated in Marxist theory, rooted in the working class, capable of transmitting a consistent message and winning mass support for a shared program of action.
Some people ask: “Isn’t a print newspaper outdated in the 2020s? Why not use modern digital media like podcasts, YouTube, and social media to get your ideas out there?” The answer is we do make use of all these tools. But they’re no substitute for a physical publication.
You can’t walk into a crowded street protest or picket line and recruit people armed only with a YouTube channel or podcast recommendation. But when someone buys a copy of The Communist, they’re receiving a self-contained “package” of the RCA’s ideas, analysis of current events, and reports on the party’s activities from comrades around the country.
We don’t physically print and circulate a paper because we think it’s the best way to reach the largest audience. We do it to facilitate the kinds of in-person interactions we’re seeking to have in order to build the kind of party we’re seeking to build.
This was the essence of Lenin’s argument in classic texts like “Where To Begin” and What Is To Be Done?—documents that served as the founding “mission statement” of Bolshevism itself. The paper is not an end in itself, but an indispensable means for gathering and training the people who will act as the backbone of the revolutionary movement.
The frequency, regularity, and reach of the paper’s circulation is a benchmark of the party’s political strength in general. All the practical tasks involved—from writing clear, well-researched articles, to initiating political discussions on the street and convincing people to buy and read a copy—are a measure of our collective ability to get our message across.
To become skilled at selling the paper means becoming skilled at talking to workers, making our perspectives concrete, and communicating Marxist ideas in a way that resonates with ordinary people. From coast to coast, our comrades are in sync, hammering the same themes in workplace discussions, cell meetings, and street corners. These are the building blocks of gaining mass influence.