“He was to go for Lee, and I was to go for Johnston.”
– General W.T. Sherman, 1864

With this brief statement, Sherman summarized the first step in the strategy that would eventually lead to the Union victory in the Civil War. Until then, the North – still believing it could make peace with slavery – had no coherent strategy to win the war against the Confederacy. It was the great contribution of U.S. Grant and William T. Sherman that they, step by step, shaped a coherent, grand strategy that organized all Union armies into one organization coordinated and clear on its task and directed by a common strategy that would break the back of the Confederacy. By 1864, many things made this possible. Key among them were an accurate assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy –finally unclouded by the hope of reconciling with the slave power – a careful and precise determination of the strategic points that lay along the path to the desired outcome, and a strategic plan that took the Union forces to victory.

We in the League can benefit from their example. The problem we face is this: What can revolutionaries do to develop the consciousness of our “army” – the rising new class – to enable it to become the force it must be to determine the outcome in its favor?
The articles in this issue of Rally, Comrades! examine this question. Revolutionaries must assess what they are facing and what tools they have at their disposal. The article “Understand change, influence its direction” discusses the concept of base and superstructure, illustrating its usefulness in developing an objective assessment of the forces in motion. It examines the inevitable path those forces must take as they are driven along by powerful transformative processes. With this assessment, revolutionaries can identify each stage of the process in order to understand what they must do each step of the way. This methodology allows us to constantly assess and evaluate our conclusions and to adjust our thinking and activities as necessary.

Once the overall assessment is determined, what is the next step? Our cover story, “League’s mission key to revolution” explains that what the League must do next is based, first, on where the process is heading overall, and second, on an objective assessment of the environment in which we work at this stage in the revolution. If nothing can change without political power as a class, then how does the rising new class get political power? This class is just starting to experience the reality of its life. What must we do to assist in the process of teaching our class its true interests? How can we bring together those people who are leading the thousands of scattered struggles throughout the country in order to weld them into one common political fight? Mission answers these questions.
To carry out our mission we must focus our efforts, but where and how? We must understand the strengths and weaknesses of our class, as well as those of the ruling class. We must focus where the enemy class is weak, and avoid where they are strong. The article “Growing social awareness opens the way for revolutionary work” examines the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, and discusses the style and method of work that revolutionaries need to adopt to be effective given the current stage of development.

Nothing is truly inevitable, and no outcome is assured. It is the human mind and the human will that make the difference. By utilizing a scientific investigation of the world around us, identifying strengths and weaknesses of the enemy class and our own, and developing a strategic plan in accord with that assessment, revolutionaries can take the process, stage by stage, along the path to the ultimate goal for which generations have always longed – a peaceful, cooperative society.

 

July.2007.Vol17.Ed4
This article originated in Rally, Comrades!
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