Red Star Workers Organization

Red Star Workers Organization is a Marxist communist organization for Chico and the surrounding area. Our goal is to raise the political awareness of the working class toward our revolutionary potential. We understand that US capitalism is in decline and that there is a need for its complete replacement by a humane and reasonable economic form where workers and oppressed people define the contours of social organization ourselves, a task currently controlled by the ruling elite of capitalism. That new economic form is first socialism and later communism. Because the capitalists will never willingly let go of their power, it is only through revolution that we replace capitalism with socialism.

The history of socialism in the 1900s is a story of immense success and crushing defeat. Marxists don’t deny the need for a deep study of those successes and defeats in order to move forward, but we also remain critical of radical movements that have characterized the left in the 21st century.

The spontaneous uprisings in the US that have shaped radical activism in modern times have succeeded in bringing many new people into the left radical fold. While these uprisings may point out the deep and degenerating problems of capitalism, they fail entirely in vetting and organizing these new comrades as a force capable of overthrowing capitalism. It is often unclear whether the overthrow of capitalism is the explicit goal of these uprisings, and this is because spontaneity is easily co-opted by capitalism toward its own goals.

Marxists clearly answer the questions left by these past decades of radical thought, and we answer them by recognizing the historically revolutionary class under capitalism (the working class), by defining the organizational form that has successfully facilitated revolution (the party), and by using a method of analysis to look for correct paths forward and mistakes to avoid (historical and dialectical materialism).

The Working Class and Communism

Since humans first discovered agriculture and formed societies around it, the structure of these societies has been determined by social class. Under capitalism, the private owners of capital and the means of production are the ruling class that dictate the shape of our economy and politics. The churn and chaos of the capitalist economy benefits the capitalists because these conditions create the opportunity to buy up the assets of other faltering capitalists, and in this way capital becomes increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few. Workers are the actual producers in society, and it is our hands that create what is worth building in this world. Because our collective labor is essential for the sustaining of life and for the creation of profit for the capitalists, we hold a revolutionary position in capitalist society. It is only when we collectively realize this position - when we gain class consciousness - that we are able to fully harness the leverage of our labor power against capitalism.

Unlike what both liberals and conservatives say, socialism isn’t “more government control over society,” but is instead a complete overthrow of the capitalist economic and political system and its replacement with a worker run state. After socialism, communism is a further advancement of society that is international and has eliminated class, money, and the state (a structure that came into existence for one class to defend itself from other classes). Under socialism, workers must actively strive towards communism by raising the political consciousness of the masses and continually struggling against bureaucratic state tendencies. We have never seen a communist society, only socialist countries striving to reach communism.

The Party and Mass Organization

The communist party is the revolutionary form which has historically allowed the working class to overthrow capitalism. The communist party strives toward revolution and requires a high level of ideological unity and discipline among members. Decisions are made democratically, and all members strictly adhere to group decisions after they are made. Functional leadership is critical, and all leaders are elected and able to be recalled by members at any time. The party form allows for a nimble and effective organization. The party should also be national in scope, connecting local nodes together in unified action. As of now, Red Star does not recognize a Marxist party as clearly leading the struggle nationally, although we recognize good work being done on this front.

As a local organization that is open to new Marxists, Red Star is a mass organization rather than a party. Mass organizations may have some requirement for entry, but they are open to more people and have more limited goals than a party. While we require that members contribute to our work and take a Marxism class that we provide, Red Star is a place where members can work through their questions about Marxism and revolution. Decisions are still made democratically, including the election and repeal of leaders. Red Star elects members to a Leadership Group, and they work to guide the organization and enact the desires of membership. Our goal is to raise the political consciousness of the working and oppressed people in our area through education and community work.

Dialectical and Historical Materialism

Marx and Engels, the foundational theorists of scientific socialism (or Marxism), used a particular method of thinking about the world in order to understand how humans create and overthrow social structures. This method of thinking is called dialectical and historical materialism. Materialism means that we see everything in the known universe as having matter as it’s most basic foundation. For example, thoughts do not jump into our heads out of nowhere, but are the result of chemical processes in our brain and informed by our material circumstances and past experience. Similarly, human society did not spring from nowhere. There is a material reality that created the conditions for human society in its various forms. Historical Materialism is the study of those realities and conditions which have shaped society and ultimately resulted in modern capitalism and socialism. Dialectical materialism is a method of thinking about how things change. There is nothing that stands perfectly still in the universe. Struggle, not stasis, creates the conditions for evolution, and understanding how opposing forces work on each other is very important for predicting outcomes and making decisions and strategies. Dialectical materialism helps to identify in each problem two forces that oppose each other. We use dialectical materialism to analyze these contradictions and their potential resolutions.

Interested in Red Star?

If you are interested in Red Star we recommend that you work and study with us. Our community work is our means of connecting with each other and to other working class people, and of doing the revolutionary work of raising the political consciousness of workers and oppressed people in our area. Study provides us the opportunity to further advance our knowledge and strategy, and most importantly, it allows us to improve our practice.

Those who have engaged with our work and study, and who believe in the necessity of revolution, can take an introductory Marxism class provided by Red Star, meet with us, and become members if there is a mutual agreement that Red Star is a good fit for your organizing efforts and political development.

Revolutionary change can only be created when the objective conditions of capitalism (the overall economic and political situation) have deteriorated far enough for the organized proletariat to take advantage of weakness in the ruling capitalist class. We have very little control over the objective conditions of the capitalist economy: Instead, the project of Red Star is to contribute to the strengthening of the subjective factors of revolution - the level of class consciousness, organizational strength, and theoretical knowledge of the working class and oppressed allies. If the building of the subjective factors aligns with the declining objective conditions of capitalism, then the working class will have a real opportunity to make revolutionary change.

Resources:

Our current work:

  • REDS Study Circle — Revolutionary education and discussion. Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday evening of the month (ask a comrade for more details)

  • Red Star Solidarity Garden — Build collective expertise and resilience in our community garden and help provide meals for the neighborhood. Multiple opportunities to participate most weeks (ask a comrade for details)

  • Chico Red Meals — Strengthen community ties by providing meals and first aid for Workers and unhoused comrades. Every 2nd and 4th Saturday at the South Chico Community Assistance Center (2-4pm) and every Tuesday in the City Plaza (5:30pm)