Revolution: Why It's Necessary, Why It's Possible, What It's All About

Though many assume that the fall of the Soviet Union resulted in Marxism--as a political and economic philosophy--being consigned to the dustbin of history, that certainly isn't the view of Bob Avakian, the chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party USA. According to the descriptive material that accompanies this four-disc compilation of his recent speeches, Avakian's group aims at nothing less than a “seizure of power” in America and “the revolutionary transformation of [its] society as part of the world proletarian revolution.” On the first disc, Avakian offers a scathing, primarily anecdotal, critique of U.S. society (concentrating on its history of racial injustice) and foreign policy. On the second he goes on to analyze, in conventional Marxist terms (with strong Leninist overtones), what he sees as the failures of the capitalist system and outlines the solutions offered by scientific socialism. The third disc concludes with an exploration of how the revolution of the proletariat can actually be brought about in this country, followed by a fourth disc of Q&A with a live audience. It's unlikely that the set, with its rudimentary production values, will have much success as a recruitment device: the already converted might find it a good morale booster, but others will undoubtedly dismiss Avakian's rigid ideological stance (as well as his habit of citing Mao Tse-tung as an unimpeachable authority) out of hand. Still, he's an impassioned promoter of his admittedly marginalized viewpoint, and as a sociological, if not a political, document, this one-of-a-kind title may hold some interest outside of party cells and FBI offices. Optional. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)