— From the Frontlines of Revolutionary Struggle

I write this as a revolutionary deeply committed to the total and uncompromising overthrow of capitalism, imperialism, and all their intertwined systems of oppression. I write from the lived reality of struggle—because revolution is not an abstraction or a distant dream; it is the hard, messy, courageous work of millions rising up to reclaim their humanity and their world.

For anyone serious about dismantling the global machinery of exploitation, it is crucial to understand that socialist revolution unfolds not as a single moment, but as a process—a dynamic, dialectical unfolding through three essential stages: the awakening of revolutionary consciousness; the building of dual power, alternative institutions that challenge capitalist state power; and finally, the seizure and transformation of state power itself.

This framework is not some theoretical invention pulled from ivory towers. It is a living history written in blood, sweat, and tears—from the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam to the revolutionary streets of Havana, from the dusty villages of Burkina Faso to the battlefields of Africa and Latin America, from the factory floors of Europe to the townships of South Africa. The struggle is global, interconnected, and deeply intertwined with the histories of colonialism, racism, patriarchy, and capitalist exploitation.

The revolutionary examples we must learn from are numerous and inspiring: Ho Chi Minh’s blending of national liberation and socialism, Thomas Sankara’s radical anti-imperialism and gender justice, Amilcar Cabral’s profound teaching on culture as a weapon of liberation, Rosa Luxemburg’s fierce insistence on mass democracy and self-emancipation, Che Guevara’s internationalist guerrilla struggle, Steve Biko’s psychological and political liberation of Black South Africans, and the enduring spirit of the Cuban revolutionaries who built socialism under relentless imperialist siege.

Understanding these three stages, and how they interrelate, is critical to building a revolutionary movement capable of ending capitalism and imperialism once and for all.

Stage 1: Revolutionary Consciousness — The Awakening and Radicalization of the Masses

Revolution begins in the mind and spirit of the oppressed. It begins when the masses awaken from the false consciousness imposed by capitalist ideology and recognize that the system itself—the economic, political, and cultural machinery of oppression—is the root cause of their suffering.

This awakening is not merely intellectual; it is profoundly cultural and psychological. It is the reclaiming of history, identity, and dignity stolen by colonialism and capitalist exploitation.

Take Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese revolutionaries. They understood from the start that the fight for socialism could not be separated from the fight for national liberation. For millions of Vietnamese peasants living under brutal French colonialism and later American imperialism, revolutionary consciousness was born out of a fierce determination to reclaim their land, their culture, and their sovereignty. Ho Chi Minh’s leadership taught that revolutionary education—grounded in the lived reality of peasants and workers—was key to this process. His movement did not wait for a perfect moment; it built consciousness through organizing, cultural affirmation, and armed struggle.

Similarly, Amilcar Cabral, the revolutionary leader of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, taught that culture is a weapon in the hands of the oppressed. He argued that colonialism’s first goal is to destroy the colonized people’s culture and history to break their spirit. Liberation begins by reclaiming that culture—language, traditions, songs, stories—because without it, political freedom cannot be sustained. This lesson echoes today in struggles worldwide, where colonized and oppressed peoples fight to preserve and revive their histories against imperial erasure.

Steve Biko’s Black Consciousness movement in apartheid South Africa demonstrates how essential psychological liberation is to revolutionary politics. The colonized mind must be freed from internalized racism and self-hatred before political emancipation is possible. Biko insisted on radical self-love and dignity as the foundation of revolutionary consciousness. He understood that liberation is holistic: it transforms both minds and material conditions.

Rosa Luxemburg’s writings remain a beacon. She vehemently opposed reformism and bureaucratic control, arguing that the only way socialism can emerge is through the active, self-directed struggle of the working class. Revolution is not something granted by elites or governments; it is forged by the masses themselves through strikes, protests, and everyday acts of resistance.

From my own experience, I have seen how revolutionary consciousness spreads unevenly and struggles against reactionary forces and false narratives. But when it does take root, it fuels mass mobilization—workers strike, youth march, communities organize—and builds the foundation for the next stage: dual power.

Stage 2: Building Dual Power — Creating the Embryo of a New Society

Once revolutionary consciousness has awakened the masses, the struggle enters a new and decisive phase: the building of dual power. Dual power means constructing autonomous institutions that meet the people’s needs and challenge the legitimacy and functioning of the capitalist-imperialist state.

In Vietnam, the Viet Minh’s liberated zones became more than military strongholds—they were schools, clinics, agricultural cooperatives, and councils of workers and peasants managing their own affairs. Mao Zedong’s protracted people’s war was not just about defeating imperialism militarily; it was about building alternative social and political structures that empowered the oppressed and undermined the old order from within.

Cuba’s revolutionary experience offers another powerful example. The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, workers’ cooperatives, popular militias, and community health and education programs created a new social fabric grounded in popular participation, solidarity, and collective self-defense. These institutions nurtured political consciousness and social empowerment, enabling the revolution to survive decades of imperialist blockade and aggression.

Thomas Sankara’s Burkina Faso was a beacon of revolutionary dual power. His government mobilized peasants and workers to redistribute land, fight corruption, promote women’s liberation, and build a national health and education system free from imperialist control. Sankara knew that revolutionary government must be deeply embedded in popular participation and cultural renewal, not merely a top-down project.

But building dual power is an existential threat to capitalism and imperialism, which will respond with brutal repression. Revolutionary forces must meet this with disciplined organization, revolutionary education, and international solidarity. The lessons of Steve Biko’s Black Consciousness movement and Che Guevara’s internationalist guerrilla warfare emphasize the need to combine cultural, ideological, and military struggle in this phase.

Dual power is a laboratory of revolution—a place where the oppressed learn how to govern themselves, defend their communities, and build solidarity networks. Without it, no revolution can survive the violent backlash of the ruling class.

Stage 3: Seizing and Transforming State Power — The Revolutionary Destruction and Reconstruction

The seizure of state power is a pivotal moment but not the end of revolutionary struggle. It means the revolutionary forces must destroy the capitalist state and replace it with a workers’ state—an instrument of mass democracy, social justice, and socialist construction.

Vladimir Lenin’s analysis remains foundational here. He argued that the old state is an instrument of class domination and must be smashed, not merely captured. The workers’ state must represent the overwhelming majority and serve their interests. But Lenin also warned that the revolution is not over with the seizure of power; it must continue to fight reactionary forces, bureaucracy, and imperialist attempts to strangle it.

Mao Zedong’s theory of continuous revolution underlines this truth. The struggle must persist after the revolution to prevent the restoration of capitalism or the ossification of bureaucratic elites. Revolution is a permanent process of dismantling oppressive structures and rebuilding society from the ground up.

Thomas Sankara’s brief but brilliant leadership showed how revolutionary governments must prioritize the needs of the people—redistributing land, expanding education and healthcare, empowering women, and defying imperialist domination. Sankara’s Burkina Faso challenged not only economic exploitation but also the cultural and ideological foundations of imperialism.

The Cuban Revolution’s resilience under relentless US blockade and sabotage demonstrates the power of sustained popular mobilization, cultural transformation, and international solidarity in defending and deepening socialism.

Rosa Luxemburg’s warning is clear: socialism without democracy leads to tyranny. Revolutionary power must be accountable to the masses in workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities. Political education, self-organization, and direct participation are essential.

At the same time, cultural revolution must uproot the ideological pillars of capitalism, racism, colonialism, and patriarchy. Only then can we build a new consciousness grounded in solidarity, equality, and collective liberation.

Finally, the revolution is never isolated. Che Guevara’s life reminds us that the fate of any one revolution is bound to the global struggle against imperialism. Our liberation is tied to the liberation of all oppressed peoples.

The Critical Importance of the First Step: Revolutionary Consciousness

Before any revolution can break out in the streets or seize state power, it must ignite in the minds and hearts of the people. The awakening of revolutionary consciousness is the fertile soil from which every other part of the revolution grows. Without it, no weapon can hold ground, no council can govern, and no workers’ state can endure.

Capitalism and imperialism maintain control not only through violence and exploitation but through ideas, culture, and false hope. They train the oppressed to wait for reform, to trust politicians who serve the elite, and to fight one another rather than the real enemy.

Breaking these chains of false consciousness is the most difficult, yet the most essential battle.

It means recognizing that your suffering is not a personal failing and will never end by begging for scraps.

It means reclaiming your history, your culture, and your dignity—things stolen by colonialism and capitalism.

It means rejecting every illusion of fairness within a system built on theft and oppression, and committing fully to the total, revolutionary destruction of that system.

Revolutionary consciousness transforms isolated individuals into comrades. It sparks the collective will to organize, to resist, to build alternative institutions, and to fight relentlessly.

Without it, revolution is impossible. With it, revolution becomes inevitable.

By understanding and investing in this first step, we lay the foundation for everything else—the building of dual power, the seizure of state power, and the creation of a new world rooted in justice, solidarity, and liberation.

The path is long and hard. But the future belongs to those who dare to see clearly, act boldly, and never accept the world as it is.