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What is "Popular Power"? - Coggle Diagram
What is "Popular Power"?
One version of popular power reflects three questions: (1) how can we map out capitalism and the state, which shape the society of domination and exploitation? (2) how might we articulate our final objectives of libertarian socialism and social revolution? (3) how might we bring about a social transformation that stems from social movements, constituted in popular organizations, in constant interaction with the anarchist organization?
All of these questions are asked so that they can inform strategy and action. This strategy is based on popular/social/mass movements, their organization, and how they are able to accumulate force and use violence towards their ends (revolution and libertarian socialism). This happens in tandem with the specific anarchist organization that acts as a catalyst for the social movement.
Any conversations around popular power must adopt several premises. (1) Capitalism is a class society, and so class struggle is a core aspect. (2) Mobilization of the exploited classes are essential to expose the contradictions of this class system. (3) social transformations must be based on the leadership of movements rather than vanguards or minority groups.
Politics have to be understood outside of state structures and expanded to understandings of how power functions. This allows for an understanding of the class struggle, where the exploited classes are in constant conflict with a dominant class, who find allies in the state apparatus.
Even though popular power is a relatively new concept, it can be recognized from analysis of social forces from previous eras. There are various definitions.
For the FAU, popular power should be built within popular movements and catalyzed by the anarchist political organization.
For the MIR, popular power is built through the struggle of exploited classes, independent of the government, for the purpose of overthrowing the state and capital.
Past anarchists were against power, associating it with the state or domination. However, for especifistas, power is linked to the issue of social forces and can be good or bad depending on how it is used. Power circulates through all social relationships.
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