Cult of Personality and Other Reactionary Garbage

If you're a Marxist, you've almost certainly run into a host of arguments and criticisms about dogmatism, following a “prophet,” or just being a hero worshiper. Often, one will be attacked for “uncritically” accepting the views of some “great man” of the revolution. Approaching this problem can be incredibly difficult. How does one affirm the contributions of the leaders of socialism without seeming like a religious follower? It's pretty clear once you think about it.

First, people have no problem upholding a whole host of geniuses. Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, and Jimmy Hendrix are all upheld as pioneers and geniuses in their own field. Yet art and science are, in a certain sense, less difficult than the field of politics. A political leader must carefully weigh innumerable factors whereas a scientific or political genius only needs to be “good” in one field. In this case, leading a revolution, building socialism, and pointing to a new world remain at least equal to the tasks of finding a new conception of gravity, creating a new perception on painting, or revolutionizing the playing of music. In this case, the burden of proof is upon those who demand we don't celebrate the achievements of the leaders of socialism.

Next, it's important to note is that no leader appears in a vacuum. Every advance depends on the hard work and skill of other people. One can see the truth of this with the clear example of Michael Jordan. He was the most dominant basket ball player in history. However, even as a super-star he depended on the teamwork and cooperation of his team. Lenin and Mao didn't succeed without the support of the Russian and Chinese communist parties respectively. In this case, it's the masses who make history and it's both the masses and the leadership of those revolutionary movements we uphold.

In short, don't get blackmailed by liberals and reactionaries attempting to force you not to support the revolutionary struggle.