Indian Marxists Bhagat Singh, Sukh Dev, and Raj Guru were hanged by British imperialists for assassinating a British police officer today in 1931, proving that the terrorism of frustrated revolutionaries is not a template for revolution. Individual terrorist violence is a poor substitute for class struggle. However, for what are admittedly personal reasons, I have a soft spot for India in general and Singh in particular — and the development of the workers’ movement in India, for me, is one of the most important historical events to critically analyze; and not only for developing (unique) strategies for semi-feudal societies — but also for the dynamics of class conflict and strategies for raising revolution in “mature” capitalist societies. And a focus on — and criticism of — the use of individual (terroristic) violence and the (bourgeois) response to this sort of violence in the case of Singh is particularly valuable and instructive. My emphasis as a Marxist is that as an individual, intellectual, or revolutionary there is just so much control that can be exercised in terms of violence. While varying in historical context, the feelings and response to oppression is not something that can be managed with certitude. And while this should not dampen individual input and efforts, it should also not be an excuse — as it is for many — to avoid the fray.
