Alex’s Substack

Alex’s Substack

Share this post

Alex’s Substack
Alex’s Substack
Revolutionary Defeatism

Revolutionary Defeatism

The Fate of American Imperialism on the Eve of the Presidential Election

Alex's avatar
Alex
Nov 04, 2024
∙ Paid

Share this post

Alex’s Substack
Alex’s Substack
Revolutionary Defeatism
Share

Amazon.com: Russian Civil War 1920NDrive Red Wedges Into White Troops  Russian Soviet Lithograph Poster 1920 By El Lissitzky Poster Print by (18 x  24): Posters & Prints

Welcome back! It’s been a full month since I’ve posted and I thoroughly enjoyed my break. However, with the U.S. election looming I wanted to make a quick post about my position in this all in the context of what Lenin called “Revolutionary Defeatism.” In particular, I thought it was appropriate to provide a longer response to a criticism I received on social media regarding my support for the BRICS economic forum. Some commenters pointed out that one didn’t have to support ‘autocratic’ governments to express anti-American imperialism. I disagree, but let’s talk about it in the context of the election…

Obviously, we are not in the midst of a world war or fighting an autocratic state, as was the case in Lenin’s time. However, Lenin’s concept of revolutionary defeatism applied not just to active war and conflict, but to the tenor of class warfare. He wrote that “during a reactionary war a revolutionary class cannot but desire the defeat of its government.”

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Alex’s Substack to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Alex Herbert
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share