"Revolutionary Intercommunalism and The Right of Nations to Self-Determination"

Introduction

1. On the first page, the author states “the history of all hitherto existing culture is, of course, the history of the struggle between opposing sets of ideas, that is between theses and their antitheses. Karl Marx took the first step towards a postmodern way of understanding the world when he characterized this as a war between classes…” What is the purpose of making this distinction? Why not just say “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle,” as Marx and Engels begin the Communist Manifesto?
2. In what ways does Huey Newton’s theoretical work mark a new phase of communist theory? How does his approach differ from Marx’s and Lenin’s?
3. What are the philosophical trends of particularism and universalism? Why is it imperative to have a universalist outlook in a revolutionary collective? What would that approach look like in regards to relationships between comrades?
4. What does the phrase “dialectical materialism is never about final solutions” mean? How should this idea guide our strategies?

Intercommunalism

1. What view on the debate between idealism and materialism is expressed in this text? Why could someone think “idealism might be the real happening” and still consider themselves a materialist?
2. What is the distinction Newton makes between “Marxists” and “dialectical materialists”? Why is this distinction so important?
3. Describe the philosophical evolution of the Black Panther Party? How did they apply the dialectical materialist method to their own realities and, in doing so, what did they uncover about the world?
4. What is intercommunalism? How are the concepts of intercommunalism and empire dialectically linked? How does the idea of intercommunalism inform our strategies and tactics? What is the difference between reactionary and revolutionary intercommunalism?