What a Revolution Might Look Like

Every college student has read of revolutions. The American Minutemen making a stand at Lexington and Concord and the French storming the Bastille are the typical frame in which our society defines revolution. But our revolution must run much deeper into the very soul of our society than these. It must involve change on such a scale that it reaches into the average citizen’s daily life, their perspectives, and even their way of life. We need the kind of change that has historically marked the borders of the epochs of civilization. Think of the Industrial Revolution or The Renaissance. These revolutions accomplished vast changes in social organization, the economic system, the day to day survival strategies of the average person, the understanding of the universe, and the socially prescribed purpose of a person’s life. These revolutions transcended changes to who occupies a given place in our system of hierarchy; they changed the system itself.

Looking at the historical examples of this type of revolution can give us some insight into how we can achieve something similar. They happened slowly, often taking over half a century to run full course. They were sustained, driven by an ever-growing minority of people continually pushing the boundaries. Governmental change was a by-product of the changes they brought, not the objective. The old governments simply had no choice but to adapt to the new reality, or the public would do it for them. But most importantly, the average person’s outlook was changed. To achieve complete reformulation of a society, these revolutions convinced the majority of people that their lives would be better if they joined in the new-fangled way of life.

But how can we achieve such a revolution? What means can we use? Well, the new Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) has stumbled upon the most effective means for revolutionary transformation: democracy. The means, as well as one of the goals, of our revolution should be creating a sustainable and effective participatory democracy. This change must be bottom-up, and involve as many people as possible. The establishment of local, participatory democratic institutions in the majority of communities, towns and cities across the nation is the first step to widespread cultural and systemic change. The process of creating these institutions will require widely educating thepublic about what real democracy is, as well as convincing the population that participatory democracy is in their best interest. As a fellow SDSer commented to me, “If the towns and regions and other communities of our society cannot change the way they operate, what hope do those changes have on a broader scale?” Consent is key here, because what kind of democracy could possibly be built in a population that does not consent to its existence, much less comprise its ranks? Democracy, by its very nature, cannot and should not force people to consent to its existence. Consent must be built slowly and deliberately through convincing actions and arguments. And indeed, if a revolution involves changing millions of minds, this brings up one of the hardest and most persistent questions organizers face: How do we change a person’s mind?

A book could be written on the answer to this question. But the best solution I have been able to think of to answer this daunting question is: changing people’s minds through a combination of patience, persistent struggle, emotionally and intellectually convincing arguments, appeals to our opponents’ humanity, and non-violent action and resistance. Through strategic and reflective action, through effective media management, and through offering a hopeful and appealing alternative to the hellish system people are living in now. SDS is excelling at all of these factors. Indeed, SDS is already fighting the first battles of this revolution. Across this country we are struggling in the name of democracy and experimenting with local democratic institutions. The left is rising, and change is in the air. Let us see what new epoch of civilization we can build.