How can the MAGA Movement Solidify its Place in America’s Political Future?
The Russian Revolution May Contain the Answer!
As the Make America Great Again Movement has swept into power once again on the cusp of a populist revolution, a lingering question faces the Trump-Vance Coalition as they try to bring momentous change to Washington’s Political Establishment. How to ensure MAGA’s future in American politics after Trump’s term of office has ended? The Neo-Con Establishment of the GOP has proven that it is not a reliable ally to carry forward the promises of the MAGA Movement, and while many traditional Republican institutions have begun to integrate into the movement, the Heritage Foundation is a notable example, many so-called “Conservative” organizations and Libertarian think tanks, have continued to wage a quite shadow war against the Trump’s popular mandate. At the state level, many individual GOP chapters are engaged in a quite civil war between the entrenched, often corrupt, Old Guard establishment and the MAGA grassroots of the party looking to push forward new candidates and ideas. While the MAGA grassroots faction is currently in a very good position, its ultimate victory is not guaranteed. Many, especially among the rising younger cohort, are very energized and wish to see the Party’s full transformation, from the party of white-collar out-of-touch elites, to a populist party that fights for the future of the American working and middle classes. However, while the energy is definitely there for the transformation, at present, the MAGA movement lacks any broad ideology to hold its many parts together for the long fight ahead for reform. It needs an ideology, and one that addresses the majority of Americans' concerns, both economic and cultural, for the foreseeable future.
While there as been some attempts to consolidate the MAGA coalition by figures like Vivik with his take on “National Libertarianism”, it must be people on the ground who have lived and grown up in the conditions that caused the MAGA movement to form. Those who best understand the real grassroots appeal that MAGA has with the American people and can articulate it best to the masses. Young leaders who understand MAGA at its core and understand the unique challenges and issues their generation faces, must be the cohort from which the finer points of MAGAism arise. Among these young leaders, a group must be willing to sit down and define a practical outline for the movement, while the enemies of the movement are disunited and fighting their own petty battles of ego and influence. If this is not done, if no coherent and practical ideology is laid out for the MAGA movement, and no great organization and institutions are set up to defend and push for the reforms the movement advocates for, then MAGA will fade away like many populist movements of the past who were not able to grow beyond their initial mass popularity.
In this, the Russian Revolution of 1917 offers the MAGA movement a plan of action as far as what political tactics are most effective in bringing lasting social and cultural reform. At a glance, the Russian Revolution and the subsequent Bolshevik victory and takeover of Russia is something quite astounding. This is because the Bolsheviks did not get majority control of the republican government set up after the abdication of the Czar in March, 1917. In fact, the Bolsheviks only had 23% of the seats in the newly formed Russian Congress. While they were the second largest party, they were easily outnumbered by the more moderate socialist and democratic parties that stood for election. The answer to their victory is that they we much better organized than their counterparts and were able to work together while the other various factions and parties were too busy fighting themselves and each other to stand united against the political will of the Bolsheviks. This was in large part due to Lenin’s organizing theory of “Vanguardism”, which allowed for the consolidation of the party's ideology and its effectiveness in political organizing. While Lenin’s personal belief in Communism and his actions after seizing control of Russia in the early 1920s are repugnant to most people, few can deny that Lenin was an organizational genius and that his strategy of Vanguardism was highly effective.
Vanguardism, in its simplest form, is the principle that the mass organization of a few can beat the disorganization and infighting of the many. In a broader sense, Vanguardism is also the establishment of a hardcore, yet practical, group of intellectuals and advocates who are personally dedicated to their cause and can effectively organize individuals and sub-organizations that will further carry their message of change and a better future to the masses. This hyper-organization over time also leads to a very effective group of advocates who can influence or have the know-how to enact real policy changes.
