Westerners and people heavily influenced by western culture tend to get really lost in “Idea” arguments. They worry about things like what are someones motivations, or what very specific “freedoms” does a certain AES state have. I think this is a remnant of anti-materialist, and self-defeatist thinking created by liberalism and injected into society as a whole.

Let us first define dialectical materialism. To look it up you’ll get,

“The Marxian interpretation of reality that views matter as the sole subject of change and all change as the product of a constant conflict between opposites arising from the internal contradictions inherent in all events, ideas, and movements.”

This isn’t wrong, but I’d like to expand on it. To be a materialist you must also be pragmatic. You must observe the way things physically are, and not concern yourself with idealist concerns, but rather tangible things. This arises specifically when considering how to achieve the goals of the socialist movement.

To achieve a goal, to be victorious in the revolution, is our focus as socialists. Rather it should be. Instead I see many, especially people like myself raised in the west, concerned with idealistic thinking. They will wonder how can we achieve our goals THE RIGHT WAY. As opposed to THE WRONG WAY. What is right, or wrong varies person to person. This conflict persists though.

As socialists, revolutionaries, we desire the destruction of the current status quo. If this goal is to be achieved we must take a pragmatic approach to it. We must be heartless in the face of our enemies. We must be conniving, and we must only consider the material effect of our actions in pragmatic terms. If you were attacked by an assailant and defending yourself would you consider how best to win the fight while harming the person the least amount? No. Not unless you wanted to be killed. As revolutionaries we are in a similar position.

There are only 3 types of people we must consider. Every person on earth falls into these 3 categories. Comrade, Enemy, or Irrelevant. Comrades are those who aid the cause of socialism, and anti-imperialism. They are not necessarily themselves socialists. Think Iran. They may not be socialist but at this time they fight against imperialism, and the global capitalist order. This makes them comrades. For now. Enemies. They are the opposite of comrades. Those who take material action to further the goals of capitalism, and imperialism. In the class war, like any war, there is only 1 way to deal with an enemy.

Then there are Irrelevant people. Those who do not take material action either way. They are the civilians who just go about their daily life. They may espouse views in support of either side, but take no action to back those views up. They are to be largely ignored usually. You can try to agitate, and awaken some to become comrades though that is another conversation.

When analyzing an event, or an action in the context of revolutionary materialism it must be simplified. Does the event/action further the goals of socialism? If yes it is to be supported, if no it is to be resisted.

Look at how China operates internationally. They don’t purity test nations who they may ally. China will work with anyone if doing so strengthens the Chinese revolutions position. By doing so they strengthen the position of Socialism globally. Even if at times they work with nations that are in no way socialist. Yet inside their own borders they are much more ideologically strict. Because in this case it is necessary to protect the revolution from internal divisions.

Let’s apply this to some real world situations. Gaza. Hamas is fighting against a colonial, capitalist, ethnostate. In doing so they may have killed civilians, taken hostages, etc. Their actions though further the cause of anti-imperialism, and do direct harm to an enemy of the socialist movement. This means they are comrades.

The killing of the Russian royal family by the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks did this to ensure the destruction of the monarchy, and weaken counter-revolutions that may arise in the future. They were socialists themselves. So they were comrades, and their actions were correct.

Now someone who is still in the trap of anti-materialist thinking may say, “Well what if they took them prisoner, and tried to rehabilitate them.” Something like this. It’s an irrelevant conversation that wastes time, and weakens the revolution.

We must not concern ourselves with anything except furthering the goal of revolution. Revolution is a destructive and violent thing. This may make people uncomfortable, but it is something they must come to terms with. We are fast approaching a time where in the US and Europe the conditions may become viable for comrades to directly undermine the current systems. To counter the rise of overt fascism people need to be in the proper mindset. I worry that many are still trapped in liberalized ways of viewing things, and this will hamper any efforts they take significantly.

I urge all who subscribe to the idea that socialism is the way forward for humanity to make efforts to be especially pragmatic, and materialist in all their analysis. I know many in this specific site already are, but elsewhere it’s much less common.

I want to thank you for taking the time to read through this. It’s something I have noticed a lot recently, and I needed to get my thoughts out in an organized format.