The misuse of the word "revolution" when people talk about the "American Revolution" has done a great disservice to overall understanding of the term. (hexbear.net)

submitted 6 months ago by GrouchyGrouse@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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Revolution is not when you exchange one group of landlords for a different set. It is a total upending of systems. That is the true meaning. Soc dems and reformists think we can just change the window dressing and call it systemic. "If the new lord is better than the old lord we can return to the happiness of feudalism." What a terrible thing to believe.

We must reclaim this term. These terms belong to the people not a bunch of centuries dead slaveholding jackasses in powdered wigs who didn't change a goddamn thing.

Just something I've been thinking about lately.

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[-] ksynwa@lemmygrad.ml 26 points 6 months ago

From what I have understood from my limited reading Marx, Engels and Lenin did not ascribe any value judgement to the term not does it seem like the involvement of the working class as a key player was important in its definition. Revolution just means a violent process in which the old ruling class is dispossessed and replaced by a new ruling class. In that sense calling whatever happened in the USA a revolution is fine, as is calling the French Revolution a revolution and as is calling the October Revolution a revolution.