Studying “The program of the PSL”

Part I

1. Discuss the case made in the Introduction to Part I for the socialist reorganization of society.
2. How do your life experiences reflect this need for the socialist reorganization of society?
3. How might you successfully talk to people in your life about the need for socialism?

21^st century imperialism

4. Why does the PSL put the international context at the center of our work building a movement capable of defeating the capitalist class and ushering in the socialist reorganization of society?

The political reality: The dictatorship of the rich

5. What role do “modern economic crises” play in creating the conditions for the socialist reorganization of society?

Climate crisis: Unsolvable under capitalism

6. Why is the climate crisis unsolvable within capitalism?
7. Why is climate change class war?
8. How might this disparity inform our movement?

The U.S. working class today

9. What is the significance of the technological revolution?
10. What is national, gender, and LGBTQ oppression and why are they so central to our work building a movement capable of winning?
11. What role did national oppression/racism play in the development of capitalism in the United States?

The right of revolution

12. Discuss the class character of the state. How does this class character challenge dominant views of the state as neutral?
13. Why are reforms not enough?
14. If reforms are not enough, then why do we fight for them?
15. Why does the class character of the U.S. government point to the right of revolution?

Socialism and communism

16. How do we envision the process of building socialism?
17. What is the relationship between socialism and communism?
18. What is the difference between private property and personal property? Why might this distinction be important when talking to members of our class, the working class?
19. What conditions in society need to be present for capitalism to be overturned and replaced by socialism?
20. What kind of organizations do we need to lead the fight to end capitalism and build socialism?

Part II: A Revolutionary Socialist Government

21. Why does the current capitalist government of the U.S. need to be abolished? In other words, why can’t the ready-made state be seized and made to serve the needs of the people?
22. Take turns reading each of the first and second set of bulleted points outlining the broad functions of a new socialist state and how it will function to address the interests of working people. For each point consider how it is distinct from the current capitalist government and economy. When relevant, discuss how we can draw on these differences to talk to our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family to win them over to socialism and build the peoples’ movement?
23. What is national oppression?
24. While important to outlaw bigotry, why won’t current forms of discrimination be done away with by decree only?
25. How will the new socialist government eliminate all forms of bigotry and national oppression?
26. Take turns reading each of the third set of bulleted points. For each point consider how it is distinct from the current capitalist government and economy. When relevant, discuss how we can draw on these differences to talk to our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family to win them over to socialism and build the peoples’ movement?

Conclusion

27. Why do we argue that the struggle to defeat capitalism and build socialism is the most important and urgent task facing humanity today?
28. Why did Marx and Engels argue that there are only two choices facing humanity—socialism or “common ruin”?
29. Any final comments, questions or reflections?