Revolutionary Tactics Quotes

The only way a revolution can triumph is through the force of arms.

Radicals don't care about the institutions. They are looking for an ideological crusade. Traditions don't matter.

Russians are too kind, they lack the ability to apply determined methods of revolutionary terror.

No people in the world ever did achieve their freedom by goody-goody talk and moral suasion: it being immutable law that all revolutions that will succeed must being in blood, whatever may answer afterward.

Revolution is not a dinner party, not an essay, nor a painting, nor a piece of embroidery; it cannot be advanced softly, gradually, carefully, considerately, respectfully, politely, plainly and modestly.

‘Crowning’ the landlords and parading them through the villages. This sort of thing is very common. A tall paper-hat is stuck on the head of one of the local tyrants or evil gentry, bearing the words ‘Local tyrant so-and-so’ or ‘So-and-so of the evil gentry’. He is led by a rope and escorted with big crowds in front and behind. Sometimes brass gongs are beaten and flags waved to attract people's attention. This form of punishment more than any other makes the local tyrants and evil gentry tremble. Anyone who has once been crowned with a tall paper-hat loses face altogether and can never again hold up his head. Hence many of the rich prefer being fined to wearing the tall hat. But wear it they must, if the peasants insist.

If we can’t sit at the table of democracy, then we’ll knock the fucking legs off. But before we tear it completely down, they will move to build a better one, rather than see this one destroyed.

The Congress decisively rejects terrorism, i.e., the system of individual political assassinations, as being a method of political struggle which is most inexpedient at the present time, diverting the best forces from the urgent and imperatively necessary work of organization and agitation, destroying contact between the revolutionaries and the masses of the revolutionary classes of the population, and spreading both among the revolutionaries themselves and the population in general utterly distorted ideas of the aims and methods of struggle against the autocracy.

Only idiots think that the proletariat will win a majority right away. First we topple the bourgeoisie. Then we seize power. That is the dictatorship of the proletariat.

I thought the original Communist revolutionaries coordinated themselves a bit better and didn't go around shouting about it.

When the proletariat is not organized enough to conduct a successful struggle against the political power of the ruling class, it must be trained for such a purpose by steady and hostile instigation.

There are no fortresses that Bolsheviks cannot storm.

One must never compromise with tyrants. One can only strike at kings through the head. Nothing can be expected from European kings except by force of arms. I vote for the death of the tyrant.

A revolution is not an event. It's a process. And it takes its time.

A revolution is impossible without a revolutionary situation; furthermore, not every revolutionary situation leads to revolution.

Where a government has come to power through some sort of popular vote, fraudulent or not, and maintains at least an appearance of constitutional legality, the guerrilla outbreak cannot be promoted, since the possibilities of peaceful struggle have not been exhausted.

Supplements are popular. They're good. They're a fast-growing market. I use it to fund the operation. Other revolutionaries rob banks and kidnap people, O.K.? I don't do that.

A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.

We communist party members should infiltrate among the bandits....we can organize them into the struggle of revolution.

A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery.

The bourgeoisie is many times stronger than we. To give it the weapon of freedom of the press is to ease the enemy's cause, to help the class enemy. We do not desire to end in suicide, so we will not do this.

The existing system will be quickest and most radically overthrown by the annihilation of its exponents. Therefore, massacres of the enemies of the people must be set in motion.

When citizens have no political way to deal with revolution, they become counter-revolutionary.

One does not make revolutions by halves

The time to stop a revolution is at the beginning, not the end.