I stumbled across a gem from Dover Publications the other day that is a collection of revolutionary writings from such diverse thinkers as Thomas Jefferson, Lenin, Gandhi and Mao. Reading these primary texts on revolution, I was struck by the concern they all express for equality--a concern that has largely disappeared from American discourse.
We might expect such concern from the orators of the French Revolution, which began the process of raising the Third Estate (the commons) to a modern representative legislature and which ended with the beheading of the Bourbon dynasty, and they deliver. Point 10 of the “Analysis of the Doctrine of Babeuf” declares that “The end of the French Revolution is to destroy inequality, and to reestablish general prosperity.”
The preface to the "Analysis" identifies Francois Noel Babeuf as one of the founders of French socialism. His manifesto was accepted by his group the Society of Equals, but he was one of many to be executed by the government later.
Leave it to the anarchists, however, to go even further. Pierre-Sylvain Marechal’s “Manifesto of the Equals” was so radical in its call for equality that, according to the same preface, even Babeuf’s Society of Equals would not endorse it:
“Let there be no difference now between human beings but in age and sex! Since all have the same needs and the same faculties, let there be for all one education and one standard of life! They are content with one sun and the same air for all, why should not the same portion and quality of food suffice for each? . . . Open your eyes and hearts to the fullness of joy. Recognize and proclaim with us THE REPUBLIC OF EQUALS.”
Another anarchist included in the collection goes so far as to blame God for inequality-- and for Mikhail Bakunin, God and State often go hand in hand, to Man’s detriment:
“For, if God is, he is necessarily the eternal, supreme, absolute master, and, if such a master exists, man is a slave; now, if he is a slave, neither justice, nor equality, nor fraternity, nor prosperity are possible for him . . . if God really existed, it would be necessary to abolish him.” (from God and State)
Even Lenin, a figure much feared in the popular politics of the West, displays a moving concern with equality, and is ready with specific measures. One such measure in “The Tasks of the Proletariat in the Present Revolution” is equal wages for all--bureaucratic officials and the average worker alike.
In “Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People,” Lenin and the Provisional Government declare that the fundamental aim of the Republic of Soviets of Workers’, Soldiers’ and Peasants’ Deputies is “to abolish all exploitation of man by man, to completely eliminate the division of society into classes.”
I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia, which describes his experience fighting with the communist P.O.U.M. in the Spanish Civil War: “Socialism means a classless society, or it means nothing at all.”
Homage to Catalonia contains alluring descriptions of the egalitarian society that actually existed in the early months of the revolution:
“Many of the normal motives of civilized life--snobbishness, money-grubbing, fear of the boss, etc.--had simply ceased to exist. . . ‘Smart’ clothes were an abnormality, nobody cringed or took tips, waiters and flower-women and bootblacks looked you in the eye and called you ‘comrade.’”
Yet in America today--a nation generally believed by its citizens to be founded on equality--passionate calls for equality are largely absent from the narrow left-right spectrum embodied by Democrats and Republicans. The far left is reduced to making grand pleas for equality that it knows the media, politicians, big business and the populace will ignore.
In mainstream debate, you may hear about equality with regard to specific civil rights issues--equality before the law, say for gays and lesbians in marriage; equality between the sexes, say in executive pay; equality between races, say when a public figure makes a gaff touching upon race; and so on ad infinitum--and you may even hear about economic inequality and the need to help those in need through charity and welfare, but calls are lacking for positive preventive action, for significant reform of the system, to establish equality across the board.
As a culture, I think we don’t even want equality anymore. We have accepted the capitalist assertions that the playing field is level and that people rise or fall according to their merits, even though we all know that the system plays favorites and the rise to success is often inversely proportional to competence.
Besides, we like our hierarchies. They're flattering. We can always point to someone beneath us to whom we are superior, while believing that we deserve and may indeed someday attain a higher spot in the order of things.
We certainly want to avoid the mistakes of the past in creating a new social reality, but I am coming to agree with Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek's assertion, in In Defense of Lost Causes, that there are parts of revolutions past that are worth reviving. The crises of capitalism are many, and in addressing them, we should remember to call for, to insist on, greater equality for all.
Although it is a sorry prospect, I have to agree with you that some Americans may no longer want equality. Or, at the very least they are unaware of the inequalities that continue to exist in our world. Take the Civil Rights movement for example. Despite that many argue that the United States is colorblind, the main evidence being that Barack Obama has been elected president, it is clear from economic policies and basic analysis that we have a long way to go. Even greater is the issues that women are struggling against in this country. The first step towards any kind of revolution is awareness, and unfortunately many Americans seem to have blindly accepted what the social structures present. Or if they do know about it, they feel powerless in the face of such problems. It's so clear the immense power that people can have (the example that I am thinking of is organics and the modern day consumer) but it is a shame that they are not made aware of it and that they don't put it to good use.
ReplyDeleteI think you raise a good point that many people are simply unaware of inequality, or refuse to see it. Many people I know don't show any concern for inequality because they claim that discrimination is a thing of the past. A lot of media forces are bent on telling us the same thing, but statistics tell a different story.
ReplyDeleteYour example of the issues facing women is interesting. To go back to the texts I used for the blog, it was interesting to see how much gender equality was on the minds of those driving the communist revolutions. And in places where these revolutions have now given way to capitalist forces, inequality has reasserted itself.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment.