Socialist Strategy and Tactics

Karl Marx famously once said that philosophers have sought to interpret the world, the point however is to change it!  We couldn't agree more.  Our goal isn't for socialism just to be a nice idea, but for it to be a call to action that will result in a better world being built.  This page was set up to share links and resources about just how to do just that.  One of the strengths of the socialist movement is that it has been around for a long time, and as a result there is a wealth of history to mine for lessons.  In learning the lessons of the victories and defeats of the past, we will be better prepared to build a successful movement going forward.  Please note that this will be an ever growing page, so please check back here often to see what has been added.

TALKING ABOUT A REVOLUTION:

• 5 Questions About Socialism You'll Get at the Holiday Dinner Table (and how to answer them)
• Six Spooky Holiday Quotes to Enjoy on Halloween
• Things to Do in Quarantine: Read Marx!

ORGANIZATION:

• Why Socialists Need Organization
• The Rulers Have Two Parties, We Need a Socialist Party of Our Own

REFORM vs REVOLUTION:

• How Can the Working Class Come to Power?
• How to Make a Revolution in the U.S. 
• General Strike: How the Working Class Takes Control
• How Are Radical Reforms Won? Lessons From the New Deal
• How Lenin Would Solve the Housing Problem
• What Is To Be Done to Create Revolutionary Consciousness?

GOVERNMENT & ELECTIONS:

• Elections - a Small Piece of Socialist Strategy
• Should Socialists Work In or Vote for the Democrats?
  
• The Folly of 'Voting for Supreme Court Justice'
• When Revolutionaries Get Elected to Parliament
•  Socialists and Elections
• Why We Need a Labor Party

THE TACTIC OF MASS ACTION:

•  Why Protests & Social Movements Matter
  
• The Nature of Mass Demonstrations 
• Liberalism, Ultra-Leftism and Mass Action 
• What is a General Strike?  Why Does it Matter?
  

LABOR UNIONS & WORKPLACE ORGANIZING:

• Workers Action Program to Confront the Economic Crisis
• James Cannon on a Class Struggle Struggle Strategy in the Unions
  
• Lessons From the 1934 Strikes in Minneapolis, Toledo and San Francisco
• Class Struggle Policy in the Rise of the Labor Movement 
• United Front and the Fight Against the Union Bureaucracy
• Selected Documents on SWP Trade Union Policy 

ANTI-RACIST ORGANIZING:

• Counter-Mobilization: An Effective Response to Right-Wing Speakers
  
• Police Abolition, Self-Defense and Self-Organization
• An Historic Example of How to Respond to Fascist Rallies
• What Can We Learn From MLK's Poor People's Campaign
• The Fight Against Fascism in the USA 
• Why Racism Began and How to End It
  

FEMINIST & LGBTQAI+ ORGANIZING:

• Combating Women's Oppression in Working Class Organizations

ANTI-WAR ORGANIZING:

• Revolutionary Strategy in the Fight Against the Vietnam War

SAVING THE PLANET:

•  Why Nationalizing the Energy Industry is Crucial
  
• Climate Catastrophe and Socialist Strategy

STUDENT ACTIVISM:

• The Revolutionary Student Movement - Theory & Practice 
• A Strategy for Youth  

UNITED FRONTS & COALITION BUILDING:

• United Fronts vs Popular Fronts 
• Alliances and the Revolutionary Party

STRATEGY DEBATES ON THE LEFT:

• Is Economic Struggle Enough? A Critique of 'Base-Building'
• The House Always Wins - The State & Autonomism

LESSONS FROM HISTORY:

• The Comintern's 3rd Congress - a school of revolutionary strategy
• The Fight for the Workers Unemployment Insurance Bill in the 1930s
• The Trotskyists Struggle Against the Nazis During WWII

LEGAL DEFENSE & POLITICAL PRISONERS:

• Socialism on Trial 

MISC:

• Don't Give to Charities
• Mutual Aid and Workers' Power