Augustin Souchy

Experiences from Revolutions of the 20th Century

1981

  1. A violent revolution can overthrow an authoritarian system of rule and pave the way for freer forms of society, but it can also usher in an even harsher dictatorship.

  2. Beware of victorious revolutionary leaders. They usually become autocratic dictators!

  3. A free society cannot be established by force. Violence is coercion and coercion is the antipode of freedom.

  4. Proletarian class consciousness coupled with elite thinking ends in Lenin’s democratic centralism, a sociocratic Trojan horse for the working class.

  5. The surest guarantee of everyone’s freedom is the self-confidence of each individual.

  6. Freedom without socialism leads to exploitation, socialism without freedom to oppression.

  7. Peoples with Marxist dictatorships that have emerged from wars or revolutions and are dependent on the protectorate of the Soviet Union have fewer freedoms and a lower standard of living than the population of capitalist countries at the same level of development. Comparison example: GDR and FRG.

  8. The pendulum of historical development moves between the opposing poles of freedom and authority. The task of young people in particular is to fight for as many partial freedoms as possible on the long road to the pole of freedom.

  9. After a successful revolution, the revolutionary leaders should step down and acts of violence should stop.

  10. Anarchy is a non-violent order instead of organized violence.


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