Beyond the Rule of Capital: A Strategic Guide to Popular Transformation

The Mechanics of Rule: What Does the Ruling Class Do?

To understand the path to social change, one must first understand the nature of class rule. A ruling class does not merely occupy offices; it exercises state power to ensure the reproduction of the social relations that underpin its dominance.. State power is a relation where social power is concentrated and exercised to promote and protect specific structures—primarily the mode of production of which the ruling class is the dominant bearer.

When a class rules, it carries out two essential functions through the state: representation and mediation.. Through representation, the state promotes the ruling class’s interests and ensures its leadership is reflected in state policies. Through mediation, the state ensures that the ruled classes both submit to and contribute to the existing order.. This is achieved through mechanisms such as extraction (taxation and surplus labour), co-optation (securing loyalty through democratic forms or economic growth), and, when necessary, repression..

For those seeking to transform society, the following recommendations are essential to break this cycle of reproduction and establish a popular, socialist democracy. Göran Therborn’s suggestions to the "common people"—specifically addressed as the "working population," "political comrades," or the "proletariat"—focus on the intellectual and organizational requirements for achieving a democratic socialist transformation. His primary advice is to move beyond passive observation or dogmatic theory and engage in a realistic, bold struggle for social change.

1. Develop "Audacity" and Intellectual Realism

The first requirement for the working population is to break through the "hard crust of dogma" and adopt a position of profound realism.. Drawing on the revolutionary traditions of Danton and Lenin, there must be "audacity, audacity, still more audacity!" in both thought and action.

However, this audacity must be grounded in the truth. As Lassalle and Gramsci noted, "to tell the truth is revolutionary.". If the people wish to change a system fundamentally, they must know how it works in its complex and fluid reality rather than constructing utopian ideals in thought. Scientific analysis of the existing state is not a luxury; it is a necessity for anyone interested in social transformation.

2. Maintain an Independent Organized Existence

A popular or workers' state cannot exist if the people are merely passive recipients of state policy. The working-class collectivity must control and subordinate specialized state apparatuses from the outside.. This is only possible if the masses maintain an independent organized existence separate from the state machinery.

The basis of this power is class organization.. Without active, independent organizations, the state inevitably slips back into traditional forms of bureaucratic domination. The strength of a popular class character in government is directly revealed by the extent to which it operates through non-military mass mobilization rather than top-down commands.

3. Adopt Cadre Leadership Over Bureaucracy

To move beyond the "factory despotism" of capitalism, the common people must develop a new technology of organization: the cadre.. Unlike the bureaucrat, who applies calculable rules without regard for the individual, or the manager, who commands from a position of authority, the cadre is an organizer who is part of the collective..

Cadre leadership relies on ideological and practical mobilization for common goals, using inspiration and solidarity rather than impersonal commands. The task of the popular movement is to unify the collective through commitment to a political line, ensuring that the "masses decide everything" rather than a small group of experts.

4. "Smash" the Class Character of the State

History has proven that the working class "cannot simply lay hold of the ready-made state machinery and wield it for its own purposes.". To achieve a popular democracy, the people must "smash" the class character of the existing apparatus..

This does not mean the physical destruction of every agency, but rather the dismantling of bureaucracy, technocracy, and the exclusive, ritualistic forms of parliamentary politics.. A socialist transition requires a strenuous effort to dismantle the barriers between workers in their factories and functionaries in their offices, replacing exclusive rule with forms of popular democracy and mass involvement.

5. Build Broad Social Alliances

No revolutionary movement can succeed in isolation. The working class must constitute a broad social bloc that includes employees and other oppressed strata. The success of revolutionary politics depends on the ability to build broad and enduring social alliances and majorities..

In modern society, where people often suffer from isolation and "self-disdain," the movement must consciously organize social collectivities at all levels.. By drawing atomized individuals into the life of society through struggle, the movement helps the people regain their human value and dignity, forming the bedrock of a new social order.