“Let me say at a risk of sounding ridiculous that the true revolutionary is guided by strong feelings of love. It is impossible to think of an authentic revolutionary without this quality. Revolutionary leaders must have a large dose of humanity, a large dose of a sense of justice and truth to avoid falling into dogmatic extremes, into isolation from the masses. ” Che Guevara
Initially, all revolutionaries are motivated by three things….
Acquisition of Political & Social Power – Assisting their Countrymen/Expelling Foreign Influences – Legacy
Che Guevara claimed to be a fighter for the people, a historic decolonizing tool expelling all foreign corporate and national influences and dethroning the present-day feudal lords of Cuba and Latin America. His ideology demanded that extreme action be taken against those who stood opposed to the people’s interests. All things were done for the sake of the people. Yet for Che, there were not enough firing squads, enough enemies of the people eliminated. When Che’s ally and friend Castro formed a government, Che expected to be a member of the ruling party and not just a minion. Jealousy and greed drove Che back into the jungles of Latin America and to his ultimate death. Che murdered his opposition and those who challenged his legacy.
Assisting the People: Better said than done. It all lies in the interpretation of what “assistance” means. In most revolutionary societies, some things change, but the mechanism of government remains the same. Dictatorship dethrones, establishes itself and rules as a dictatorship. Whether it is a “Dictatorship of the People” or a small cadre of people, or a singular leader, it is still a dictatorship. Like Mao said, “power flows from the muzzle of the gun”. Oppression rules the day, whether you live in a leftist utopian state, a right-wing autocracy or in a so-called democracy like America, where the unwanted are hunted down and deported at will.
Legacy: All revolutionaries are led by an ideology, a myth or a personal desire for some form of power. George Washington, as a young British subject, dreamed of becoming a significant person. His actions were often foolish and cost his men dearly in battle. When George Washington and the American Revolutionaries gained power, he did, however, do something most unique and inspiring. Young America was lost, not knowing how to establish a working, commonly accepted government, so many of George’s associates came up with an odd idea. That was to offer George Washington the Kingship of America. His response was excellent and inspiring. He asked why he would become the one thing that he and his fellow soldiers fought against, the British Monarchy. He sent them back to the drawing board, yet became the first American President( some say American Royalty). Revolutionaries claim to care for their fellow citizens’ well-being, but claims are often not the reality.
Vladimir Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin were leaders of the Russian Revolution. They claimed to care for the working-class citizens and establish a government to transform Russian Society, only to create one of history’s most horrid systems, a system that destroyed millions of its own citizens, a system that seemed to separate itself from the very people it was supposed to protect. There was no love among these revolutionaries except perhaps for themselves.
The French Revolution toppled the French Monarchy, only to fall upon itself, devouring its leadership. Robespierre sent thousands to the guillotine only to be accused of anti-revolutionary thoughts. He supposedly killed himself before he was to lose his head like the Queen and King. Imagine your legacy is one of destruction and death of others? Imagine you help free your people like Simon Bolivar in Latin America, only to see this accomplishment pass into history and those once freed in chains once more.
Haiti has experienced many significant revolutions and conflicts for liberation and the abolition of slavery. Many men and women made their mark within this struggle. Men like Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Alexandre Petion claimed to fight for their people, but once in power, they became in some way the same as those they despised and had replaced. It is said that Power Corrupts. So it does.
Albert Camus stated that ” every revolutionary ends up becoming either an oppressor or a heretic”.
Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
