Ideas for the Struggle

Marta Harnecker, a Chilean sociologist, has been an active participant and observer of Latin American politics. From Salavdor Allende's tragic socialist government to Nicaragua, Cuba and now Venezuela, Marta has gathered much from the cauldron of Latin American socialism.

In her short pamphlet, Ideas for the Struggle, she trys to summarize the lessons we need to learn to build socialism for the 21st century. In Ideas she addresses these points:

1. Insurrection or revolutions? The role of the political instrument
2. Convince, not impose
3. To be at the service of popular movements, not to displace them
4. Should we reject bureaucratic centralism and simply use consensus?
5. Minorities can be right
6. The need to unite the party left and the social left
7. Reasons for popular skeptism concerning politics and politicians
8. The left must attempt to set the agenda for struggle
9. Respect differences and be flexible in regards to activism
10. A strategy for building unity
11. Popular consultations: spaces that allow for the convergence of different forces
12. Don't confuse desires with reality

While Latin American politics can seem quite distant, geographically and socially, the errors of the left have been universal as must our refoundation.
Ideas for the Struggle by Martha Harnecker